04/23/24
August 19, 2013
SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
As a neutral observer (as in, being a Blue Jays fans I hate the Red Sox & Yankees):
- I'm fine with Dempster throwing behind ARod's knees on the first pitch. Everyone in the stands went nuts, the announcers liked it because it gave the game a sudden dose of excitement, and now the Yankees will be woken up.
- Dempster then hitting ARod with the fourth pitch was idiotic and he should have been tossed. It was obvious to everyone involved it was deliberate, and considering they let him get away with his "message" pitch earlier, this one should have gotten him tossed.
- I hate warnings to both teams after one team gets to plunk someone with no retaliation. Umps should just warn the first team, and then warn the second team on the retaliation. Otherwise, it's just "who can get it done first".
- Girardi should have been allowed to rant all he wanted there, because the warning was unfair. That said, it was a quality rant to get tossed on. Lots of gesturing, a hat toss, and easy-to-read lips.
- I thought Red Sox fans were a little smarter than they showed when they cheered ARod's ground out in his second at-bat. Did they not realize that he knocked in the tying run? Or were they so focused on the fact that he didn't get a hit? In that case...
- The home run by ARod was pure TV gold. The fact that he got to stick it to Dempster with that home run (and not a cheap one, a MONSTER shot to dead center), allowed to chirp at him as he ran around the bases, and then do a nice Ortiz-tribute at home plate (held for one beat longer than normal)...awesome. The only thing missing was ARod cutting a promo on the mic at home plate immediately after his home run, telling the Sox fans that "they are losers and always will be losers".
- I'm going to assume that when Chris Stewart "missed" that 3-0 pitch that hit the umpire in the mask, it was a "eff you" to the ump from Girardi about the warnings.
- That said, if I'm David Ortiz or Dustin Pedroia, I don't get too comfortable in the batters box the next time these two teams play.
Side note: For all the pressure that ARod must be under right now, with all the attention focused on him, and how "done like dinner" he looked the last time we saw him (playoffs), he's putting up some damn good numbers so far (.319/.407/.489).
Small sample size and all that, but even some of his outs have been hard hit balls.
posted by grum@work at 10:22 AM on August 19, 2013
I have no perspective because I am an Everton fan, so can someone else tell me if a combined bid of 28m for Baines and Fellani seems as low as I think it does?
I have no perspective because I'm a Liverpool fan, but yes. Yes it does. I'd have thought a number like that for Baines on his own would not have been ridiculous.
posted by JJ at 10:57 AM on August 19, 2013
Moyes can't be that stupid, one has to wonder WTF?
posted by billsaysthis at 12:11 PM on August 19, 2013
I have to admit the A-Rod home run was Grade A, Prime Choice Wrestling Heel.
posted by yerfatma at 01:24 PM on August 19, 2013
Side note: For all the pressure that ARod must be under right now, with all the attention focused on him, and how "done like dinner" he looked the last time we saw him (playoffs), he's putting up some damn good numbers so far (.319/.407/.489).
Oh yeah - for the record, I have next to zero respect for A-Rod, but to be able to hit .319 in the pressure cooker he's under right now is...something. Unexpected, I guess. Counter the "wilts under pressure" narrative.
posted by dfleming at 01:40 PM on August 19, 2013
I have to admit the A-Rod home run was Grade A, Prime Choice Wrestling Heel.
I was thinking the same thing. One of the great moments of the season.
posted by rcade at 03:01 PM on August 19, 2013
I don't mind Arod being hit, but that was just a terrible time to do it. Your team just took the lead, and you immediately start a rally for the Yankees. You risked an ejection which would have put extra stress on the bullpen. You've got a proven PED user on your own team, and you're in a pennant race. Just makes no sense.
and now the Yankees will be woken up.
Eh, were they sleeping? The Yankees had just won their last two series, 5 of their last 7 games. They need to win every game possible just to have a chance at the playoffs. Dempster is a mediocre pitcher having a mediocre year (at best), has never beaten the Yankees, and it was only the second inning when he plunked Arod.
Schilling tried to draw a parallel between last night and the 2004 game where Varitek got in Arods face and how that supposedly turned the Red Sox year around. They actually went 5-5 after that game.
I guess you could make the argument that this gave the Yankees a chance to rally around Arod going forward, but whether Arod can continue to hit and can Sabathia keep his ERA under 5 are probably far more important than what happened last night.
posted by justgary at 04:17 PM on August 19, 2013
Assume I will never see this again: not one of Manchester City's goals was scored on the play where the chip-in sent 4 players in with no one between them and goal but the keeper.
posted by yerfatma at 06:38 PM on August 19, 2013
Lenny Dykstra out of prison. Seems happy about it.
posted by justgary at 08:01 PM on August 19, 2013
To save others having to look it up, Dykstra is 50.
posted by tommybiden at 08:52 PM on August 19, 2013
I have no perspective because I am an Everton fan, so can someone else tell me if a combined bid of £28m for Baines and Fellani seems as low as I think it does?