About the flip.
It was a bat. Not a finger. It didn’t signal the end of Western civilization. It just made a white-hot rivalry uncivilized again.
The Yankees and Red Sox are not so much the Hatfields and McCoys as the “Housewives of Orange County.” There’s bickering, snide remarks and jealousy.
Another layer of animosity surfaced last week when Boston’s David Ortiz homered off Yankees rookie Hector Noesi. Yankees manager Joe Girardi didn’t appreciate Ortiz’s reaction — a pose followed by a bat flip.
“I didn’t care for it,” said Girardi, who has a Ph.D. from Old School University.
Ortiz, for his part, didn’t care for Girardi’s opinion. He thought it was amusing, saying “Big deal. I enjoy the game. It’s part of the excitement. What can I tell you?”
Reporters went from typing to digging. They unearthed an interesting statistic. Despite Big Papi’s Ruthian success, the Yankees had never plunked him. All that changed the next night as CC Sabathia drilled Papi in the leg. Ortiz smirked as he limped down the line. He knew it was coming after Jon Lester’s fastball acted like a collapsible baton on Mark Teixeira’s knee earlier in the series. Besides, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were hit as well, moments before Ortiz wore one.
Ortiz blamed the media for the dust-up, for specifically pointing out that the Yankees had never ricocheted a fastball off his well-padded body. Really, Big Papi? That’s the best you’ve got?
The media did it. Was “the dog ate my spray chart” not available in your Google search for lame excuses?
Here’s the deal: The Yankees had every right to hit him, just like Papi had every right to celebrate. Unlike traditionalists, I don’t have a huge issue with players showing some personality. Controversy sells. We don’t need 25 Eagle Scouts on every team. At times baseball can feel more like C-SPAN, stuffy and boring.
So Papi flipped his bat. So what? He’s a home run hitter. It’s what he does. It would be different if Jed Lowrie did it. Yes, there are different rules for different players. You don’t need 25 “look at me” types, either. But a little spice never hurt anyone.
Papi actually showed restraint. Had he followed the Domingo Ayala guide to hitting home runs, he would have popped his chain after 10 steps to let “the scouts and, especially the pitcher, know he had hit one out.”
Once Papi tossed the bat, there was going to be consequences. The Yankees have been rolled by the Red Sox at The Stadium this year. That’s one thing. It’s another to let them rub their nose in it.
When problems arise in baseball, teams police themselves, lay down the law, sort things out. Papi hit one out. Then he got hit.
Nobody was hurt. And more people paid attention. In a sport that can capitalize on the football and basketball labor wars, trust me when I tell you that’s not a bad thing.
Footnotes.
Future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners is grinding through the worst slump of his career. His playing streak (255 consecutive games) ended Friday. Manager Eric Wedge felt Suzuki needed a night off to clear his head. Suzuki has hit only .149 since May 19. . . . Uncle. Enough already. Lance Berkman has absolutely torched his former club, the Houston Astros. Think back to a few weeks ago when radio voice Milo Hamilton, crusty and bitter, criticized Berkman for not being in shape with the Astros. Berkman responded by hitting five of his 15 home runs against Houston this season with 15 RBIs. . . . I can see why the Rockies like left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson so much. On a conference call, the first-round draft pick was articulate. Anderson, a late bloomer, is drawing comparisons to Jeff Francis, another first-rounder in Rockies history. I haven’t seen Anderson pitch. But in a 10-minute conference call, it was obvious preparation and intelligence won’t be a problem. . . . Tweet of the week, courtesy of the Orioles’ Jeremy Guthrie after they drafted pitcher Dylan Bundy with their top pick: “It’s been fun, Baltimore.” @ReggieBush#MLBDraft. . . . Braves star Chipper Jones had every right to call out slow-healing teammate Jason Heyward. Jones has been around as long as the tomahawk chop. But Jones has a history of aches and pains keeping him out of the lineup over the last few years, particularly in unfavorable pitching matchups. . . . The Yankees see Dante Bichette Jr. as a third baseman in the pros. He has good hands for a big kid, and his power is top shelf among high schoolers.
EYE ON
RHP Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
Background: Evidence of Verlander’s stardom comes from comparisons. The Pirates drafted UCLA’s Gerrit Cole last week with the top pick overall. Cole conjures up memories of Verlander’s days at Old Dominion. The power was there; it just needed to be harnessed. Verlander gets lost in the argument of baseball’s great pitchers, but he shouldn’t anymore. Verlander is third in the AL with seven wins, owns a 2.89 ERA and threw a no-hitter for good measure. It was the second of his career.
What’s up: His achievements are starting to gradually match his fastball (think Ubaldo Jimenez circa 2010, and you’re getting close). In Verlander’s past five decisions, he’s undefeated with a 2.37 ERA. He has held opponents to a .192 batting average. Tigers manager Jim Leyland marveled at Verlander’s recent 126-pitch mauling of the Mariners. “He’s a horse,” Leyland told Detroit reporters. “That’s the best stuff I’ve ever had (as a manager). You can wait a long time in between finding stuff like that.”
Renck’s take: Just 28, Verlander has a chance to be special — like best pitcher of the decade, Hall of Fame special. There’s a little bit of Nolan Ryan in his story. He’s never won 20 games, never won a Cy Young Award. There’s also been a slight slump where he overthrows, loses fastball command that costs him vital statistics. This year seems different. He’s becoming more polished. He’s not afraid to get a groundball or pitch to contact. When he gets ahead with his fastball — it has late life, exploding like a Titleist off the tee as it hits the glove — Verlander can be unhittable. Literally. The slider bites so hard, nobody in baseball can touch it. Verlander has talked about throwing more no-hitters. Five doesn’t seem out of the question. But one Cy Young this season would have more meaning, signaling that the Tigers are headed back to the playoffs.
AT ISSUE
Patience suddenly has no place in the big leagues
What: The first week of June has become baseball’s new flash point.
When: Last week the barometer was in full effect as two hitting instructors (including the Rangers’ Thad Bosley) and a manager (Oakland’s Bob Geren) were fired.
Background: General managers spend all winter — sometimes years when the draft is considered — building a team for the season. They address holes, hide others and try not to max out the owner’s black American Express card. What takes months to construct gets only nine weeks to prove itself. That’s the new measuring stick and, frankly, it’s a little longer than in the past. May 15 used to serve as evaluation day. If a club stunk at that point, there was no reason to believe things would change. It’s different now with the wild card leaving mediocrity unpunished. Still, patience has its limits. If progress is absent by early June, pink slips aren’t.
Renck’s take: The Rockies are an example of a team playing every card, save for a trade, to salvage their season. They have two players starting — outfielder Charlie Blackmon and infielder Chris Nelson — who weren’t with the team two weeks ago. And they’ve reshaped the back of their bullpen, canning Franklin Morales and Felipe Paulino. When chasing the Giants, the Rockies can’t afford to keep anyone who can help in Triple-A. Oakland is trying a new voice because, frankly, Geren was the “Grate One.” A’s players couldn’t stand him. And when they tune out the boss, it’s time to for a new dynamic. Understood in this change is that GM Billy Beane feels Oakland has underachieved. Texas’ shift was the most surprising, with Scott Coolbaugh promoted to hitting coach. Bosley lost his job because he didn’t relate well to a few players, namely AL MVP Josh Hamilton. The modern hitting instructor’s job is part couch, part coach. Hitters don’t need endless instruction as much as a guy in their corner to help without an iron fist.
THREE UP
1. Giants: Picked up their NL-best ninth walk-off win Friday, a testament to a pitching staff that thrives in close games.
2. Red Sox: Won six straight road games vs. the Yankees for the first time since 1912.
3. Brewers: Entered Saturday with a 23-9 home record. Miller Park is perfectly suited for Braun, Fielder and Weeks.
THREE DOWN
1. Athletics: Bob Geren the first manager to be fired in 2011. No truth to a rumor that Huston Street delivered the news.
2. Cubs: This is how bad it is: The team’s beat writers keep stats on Carlos Zambrano for how he performs after meltdowns.
3. Indians: Fausto Carmona has an 8.49 ERA over his past six starts.
