Volume II "The Sports Version"
Be sure to catch "What a joke volume I" below (it was yesterday's post).
I'll start with the non-major league sports so as not to lose you all right off the bat.
The Little League World Series: This isn't all about the LLWS, but the rules are the same so I figured I'd use that heading.
I caught just a few minutes of the LLWS, but what I saw I found disturbing. First, it looked like these 11 year olds were throwing junk (curve balls for the non sports inclined among us.) This is really bad for a preteens elbow and really should not be allowed.
I also saw a child hit a home run. What an exciting moment for him. And what did he do? Showboat. He hit the ball, dropped the bat alla Manny Ramirez, and watched it fly for a few moments before he started jogging. Hello! You're 11! I really hope his coach let him have it regarding sportsmanship and the proper way to play the game.
Little League in America has universal rules. One of those rules is that every player on the team who is at the game must be in the field for at least 3 defensive outs and have at least one at bat. There was a coach who realized in the top of the sixth (that's their final inning) with at 9-7 lead that he'd failed to play one player. He put him in the game and told his team to make sure the game was tied when the half inning ended so that the child could get an at bat and they'd have a chance to win the game. The other team's coach also noticed the oversight and told his players to swing and miss knowing that if the game ended without that child getting an at bat his team would win even though the score was not in their favor. So, while one coach was telling his team to throw the game so that the rules could be followed, the other was telling his team to throw the game so that the rules could be exploited.
1) What does this rule teach the kids? Life is fair, everyone deserves a turn, winning doesn't matter, blah blah blah. Bad rule.
2) What did the first coach teach the kids? Even though it's a bad rule, it's not immoral and it should be abided by, so much so that he tried to extend the game to obey the rule.
3) What did the second coach teach the kids? Winning is everything. Whatever it takes! If you can't win based on your own abilities, win based on someone else's mistake!
By the way, there is a happy medium between winning doesn't matter and winning is everything.
Lastly in regards to Little League, there was a close game where the team in the field intentionally walked a slugger to face the kid who followed him in the line up. Now, forgetting the outrage that 10 year olds are intentionally walking each other, the batter who was up next was a cancer patient! They walked the teams slugger to face the cancer patient who hadn't had a hit in who knows how many at bats! He struck out ending the game. Once again, coaches really need to find the balance between winning doesn't matter and winning is everything. Because the coach who had his pitcher walk the slugger just doesn't get it.
The Red Sox: Maybe some of you have been waiting for this part of the post. Yesterday, the Yankees completed a five game sweep in Fenway pushing the Red Sox to 6 1/2 games back in the division. What's the problem? Pitching, pitching, pitching! I'm sure glad that Bronson is off the team. I mean, the Sox only averaged 5 runs a game against the Yankees so their offense clearly needed some help! Well, when your opponent averages around 8 runs a game there's something wrong on the mound, not at the plate.
(Hey Dr. James & Mudflaps, you'll both appreciate this part.) While the pitching is to blame, there should be some red flags flying when a major league pitching roster gives up 14 walks in a game (game 3). 14 walks. These are major league pitchers. If there are 14 walks being handed out that strike zone must be pretty darn small! I saw the two batters that Becket walked forcing home two runs. Both of those batter struck out looking and yet were awarded first base.
While the umpire had a hand in the loss, the weight falls in the bullpen. The Red Sox were unable to hold leads of as much as 3 runs. That is not a team that's going to make it into the playoffs. (And they lost yesterday on a wild pitch...)
I still believe that making no move at the deadline was the right move. 'Tek and Nixon went down after that time. Perhaps it is the fact that 'Tek isn't their for the young pitchers to aim at. Their decline did coincide with his departure from behind the plate.
"But the Yankees had injuries too." Sure they did. Matsui and Sheffield are both hurt. Leaving them with the skeleton crew of Jeter, A-Rod, Posada, Giambi, Damon, Williams and Cano. I have no idea how they are winning with that depleted lineup!
Don't get me wrong. It ain't over. 5 down in the wild card, 6 1/2 in the division with over 40 to play. Hopefully the geriatrics from New York will slip a few rungs as well. The post season is still a possibility.
So, there you have it. A few things that are, in just my opinion, complete and utter jokes.
4 comments:
Alrighty, after a small time away, Mudflaps D is here to play! Writers, shmiters, umps, shmumps. Don't throw any red flags for the umpire. Yeah they might have blown a strike or two, they're human, but come on dude, no umpire can wriggle out 13 walks even if he wanted to! Didn't you see Delcarmen come in there and promptly throw the ball every which way but in the mitt. And here is the bottom line: the ump was consistent. I'll repeat: the ump was consistent. By this I mean, he had a tight zone, sure, but it was the same tight zone the whole game. This is probably the most important part. Beckett consistently missed the same pitches again and again. High and outside, high and inside, high and high. The overblown pitching wonder never once adjusted and said, alright, I guess I need to throw it lower because the same pitch that was a ball in the 1st inning, the 2nd inning, the 3rd inning and the 4th inning is apparently still a ball. Was he squeezed, yup. But consistently. Johnson figured it out, made good pitches except for one at bat to Manny and the players had nothing. The other real problem w/ Becket is he has nothing besides a fastball. Where did his curve go? Nowhere to be found. His K's are down, his confidence is shattered, but that's okay, bc Theo had the foresight to reup his contract for 3 more years. Go Sox! - Mudflaps D
Yeah Mudflaps? Well, last night you saw what Beckett can do when an umpire calls a strike what it is: A STRIKE, not ball four. Beckett had a shutout before he left the game. 3 strike outs and only 2 walks (back to back just before being removed from the game for a cut on his finger) 0 walks for the first 5 innings. You tell me Mudflaps. This descrepency seems a bit much! 9 walks one start, 0 the very next start? With a killer curve, I might add.
He was on last night. But my point was the ump was consistent in the Yanks game and Beckett (two t's or 1? who knows...) never tightened in. And he had no curve that game, so I'm glad he can trot it out when no one cares and everyone has given up and put out their Patriot's inflatable lawn ornaments. Which -to tangent-and the most butt ugly thing happening in NE. I hope to high heaven that men are not responsible for buying inflatable helmets to put on their front porch, b/c if they are, they are not football fans.
He did tighten in and got lit up. Then when he went out a little he had all of his corner hitting strikes as balls.
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