Yanx, Rays brawl

[Frayed Knot]

I suspect this was predictable after the catcher-barrelling from the other day.

(working from radio reports) Some NYY scrub starter (Pettitte was skipped w/elbow issues) was in trouble from the very 1st inning and got himself tossed after HBP-ing Evan Longoria (yes, that's his real name) Tampa's young hot-shot 3Bman.

Then in the Yankee half, Shelly Duncan was going to be out by several yards thrying to leg out a double so came in spikes-up on his slide into 2nd base. TB's Johnny Gomes then ran in all the way from RF to get at Duncan and a "major brawl" broke out around it.

[metsmarathon]

i wonder if shelly duncan's play was a wholly acceptable, customary and appropriate way to play a spring training baseball game...

[Frayed Knot]

="metsmarathon"]i wonder if shelly duncan's play was a wholly acceptable, customary and appropriate way to play a spring training baseball game...

According to the descriptions I head, it wasn't even acceptable in a regular season game.

[Guest AG/DC]

Jeter?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Duncan is a roid-popping meathead who telegraphed his intention to brawl in remarks following the first event. I hope he gets a long suspension and a fat lip.

[Valadius]

Something tells me that Girardi was looking for a fight.

[Guest Triple Dee]

Was Billy Crystal on the field? If so, I hope Scott Kazmir landed a few good hits on him. It would have made the trade for Zambrano almost worth it.

[metirish]

I would add that Duncan is a player with very little in the way of tools and will do this type of crap to make himself popular in the locker room. Apparently his team mates love him especially Rodriguez, I imagine he' a the type that would chase a pen light around the room to amuse people.

[Guest Triple Dee]

metirish wrote: I would add that Duncan is a player with very little in the way of tools and will do this type of crap to make himself popular in the locker room. Apparently his team mates love him especially Rodriguez, I imagine he' a the type that would chase a pen light around the room to amuse people.

So what you're trying to say is, he's a goon. Except goons don't usually pick on the smallest player on the field. Cowards do. Another fine product of the New York Yankees organization.

[Guest themetfairy]

Duncan has been in AA Trenton forever. When a player has been around that level long enough that you recognize his name, you know that his prospects are limited at best.

Thus, they chose him to carry out their dirty work because the team won't be hurt at all if he's suspended or otherwise disciplined.

[seawolf17]

That's the same reason Pettitte mysteriously couldn't start yesterday, so they could start some AA pitcher nobody'd ever heard of, so he could drill one of the Rays' top prospects and get ejected and nobody would care.

Thanks, kid. Here's your ticket back to minor league camp.

Losers.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't know how serious he was, but Billy Wagner stated at the start of spring traiining that he was ready to drill a college kid because his teammate laid down a bunt, saying the player was only saved because the ball rolled foul.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Wagner's a jock punk too.

[Frayed Knot]

]That's the same reason Pettitte mysteriously couldn't start yesterday

Interesting theory. Hadn't thought of that one.

[Guest holychicken]

I can't tell if it is my anti-yankee bias or my good sense, but this whole thing is messed up.

Normal season game, the catcher blocks the plate he gets bowled over. For a kid trying to make the team, you better believe that a spring training game is a regular season game to him. Maybe it was okay, maybe it was bad, I am not sure. . .but at least what he did was legitimate in a regular season game.

What Duncan did was just down right dirty. In any situation, what he did was completely unacceptable. The fact that Pettitte was skipped and there were TWO incidents committed by non-starters and someone two player who probably won't even make the team leads me to believe that this was preplanned by the Yankees. . . and I imagine that Girardi was at least part of it. . .given the fuss he made about the play at the plate the other day, I cannot think of anything more hypocritical.

"He was playing hard, so go out there and play dirty." Classless.

[Guest Triple Dee]

Just be prepared to expect more histronics of that kind by the Yankees under the Girardi regime.

[Guest AG/DC]

Just because the Yankees hide their $18 million investments from this sort of usage doesn't mean the Rays won't find a way to introduce them to the conflict at some point.

I really hope this ends here. But I also really hope this goes a long way toward taking the heart of Tampa/St. Pete away from the Yankees and giving it to their home team.

[Farmer Ted]

I'm sure the Rays are sick of hearing about the Yankees. They come to town for spring training and the papers highlight them more than the hometown team. Madden looks like one of the Hanson Brothers. Old time baseball!

[seawolf17]

That's another thing that's lost in this. Elliot Johnson cleanly bowled over a 22-year-old catcher who nobody had ever heard of, so they plunk the Rays' top prospect and Duncan spikes one of their other big stars?

What a bunch of classless jagoffs.

[metirish]

Expected puff piece on Duncan being old school comes courtesy of Tyler Kepner in The Times.

I can't link it on this device.

[Guest themetfairy]

metirish wrote: Expected puff piece on Duncan being old school comes courtesy of Tyler Kepner in The Times. I can't link it on this device.

Here you go.

[Guest AG/DC]

hard to tell who is on which team.

[Frayed Knot]

3 game suspension for Duncan [u:aa1d09442c]and Melky Cabrera[/u:aa1d09442c] (apparently he threw a punch in the scrum)
Gomes gets 2 games for his charge from RF
Fines for Girardi and several Yanqui coaches

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Speculation was that Girardi was going to have the book thrown at him for orchestrating it all, which I'm sure he did.

[Frayed Knot]

The problemis proving it. Girardi said and did all the right things, at least publicly.

[Guest AG/DC]

There's enough between the lines of what he said, I think. It's not like MLB has to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt. They're judge, jury, and prosecutor, aren't they?

[Frayed Knot]

"There's enough between the lines of what he said"

Like what?

[Guest AG/DC]

Ask nicer.

He calls out Corvelli in a post-game rant while his player makes a very thinly veiled threat to retaliate. He goes and starts that players against the other team, pulls his veteran pitcher for somebody whose suspension he can afford, and plays dumb when the two of thtm follow through on the threat.

[Frayed Knot]

Well, if you're into conspiracies, Girardi is starting Duncan in today's game vs Tampa too.



And while we're on the subject:
Just in case there were those who may be on the fence about whether Yanqui arrogance and sense of entitlement are real or imagined, Hankenstein is nice enough to remove all doubt.

From Kevin Kernan in today's NYPost:

"There are going to be problems, especially if they go after our stars," Steinbrenner said. "It's not going to be tolerated. We never have done it to them. It's just not going to happen anymore."

Guess he's forgetting about when Joba whizzed those two consecutive 100MPH-specials over Youkilis's head last season.


And then there's my favorite part:

"I don't want these teams in general to forget who subsidizes a lot of them ... I would prefer if teams want to target the Yankees that they at least start giving some of that revenue sharing and luxury tax money back."

Yes, we're the Yanx, how dare you peons strive to compete.






* Aaaaaaay, I'm Fonzie!

[Guest AG/DC]

I like the implication that a breach of the rules (or even the law) is more tolerable against Wilson Betemit than against Derek Jeter. You want to target Alberto Gonzalez? That's cool, baby.