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Mike’s Rants
This is stuff that really makes me pazzo (crazy)! I want to use this page to comment on those things that come up that I have just got to address but there’s not enough for a whole article. Please, if you have any comments on these subjects, just let me know by using the feedback button. I’ll see that your comments get included here.
8/25/10 Burning Bridges Boston RED sox fans proved once again that they are champions of shooting themselves in the foot. When Johnny Damon returned to Fenway after he left for New York, the Fenway fans booed him terribly. It was if he tried to spit on Larry Bird or something. Well their short-sided response has really bit them in the ass this time. Damon went on the block this week and the Red Sox wanted to get him back. Recalling the treatment he got when he left, he blocked the return. I think it would be difficult to find forgiveness for being ridiculed and treated so badly. Remember the old comments that went something like he looks like Jesus, throws like Mary and plays like Judas? Did you ever notice how former Yankees are treated when they return to New York with their new teams? I remember Tino playing in New York when he went to the Cardinals. He hit a homer for the Cards and the Yankees fans cheered! But that’s just one example of how the Bronx out-classes Boston. Maybe the Red Sox fans will remember this the next time they try to stone a player when he leaves!
8/5/10 I knew I’d Miss It Well, A-Rod hit # 600 yesterday at Yankee Stadium. The games in the last home stand were televised where I could see them, but he didn’t hit it. I just knew that he’d either do it on the road or in a game I could not see. Well I was right and wrong. He did do it at the stadium, but I still missed it. Well, I did see the video. I’m sure it’ll be replayed many times. Here’s the video.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10594253
7/21/10 Sun Devil Takes Yankee Stadium Curtain Call
You know you’re in the big league when you get called out for a curtain call at Yankee Stadium. In today’s game with the Angels, Brett Gardner was up and said something to the umpire about a called strike making the count 0-2. Gardner was thrown out of the game. Girardi put Arizona State alumnus Colin Curtis in for Gardner inheriting an 0-2 count. Curtis worked the count full then hit his first Major League home run. The three-run homer gave the Yankees a 10-5 lead to give the team enough breathing room and take pressure off the pitchers. As he entered the dugout after the homer, the crowd called him out for a curtain call. Considering all the great ball players who have played for the Yankees and all the great moments witnessed by Yankees fans, to get a curtain call must be the ultimate. Former Yankees great Reggie Jackson who now works for the Yankees also graduated from Arizona State University. You know Reggie was beaming after that homer. How do you think that visit went in the clubhouse after the game?
But wait, there’s more! I found out early on 7/22/10 that Curtis overcame cancer as a teenager! Can this get any better? This kid’s going to be a Yankees hero, I can just feel it!
7/14/10 Bite Them in the Ass? Last night’s All Star game was a poorly managed game on the part of Joe Girardi. Most glaring was the errors he made in the last inning. David Ortiz got on in the inning. Knowing Ortiz is slow, why didn’t Girardi send somebody out to run for him? There was only one out. The next batter got a bloop single. A faster runner most likely would not have been thrown out at second on the hit. Also, why did A-Rod spend the entire game on the bench? That ninth inning would have been the ideal time for him to hit. With a runner on first with two outs and down by two, wouldn’t it make sense to bring up a hitter with 597 career home runs? Here’s how that inning should have gone. Ortiz on first with one out. Pinch runner in for him. Buck singles. Then AL has first and second with one out. Bring up A-Rod to hit. A big hit from A-Rod could have tied the game or even won it. Now, I’m not saying he definitely would have come through, but there was a better chance of it happening than if he did not hit. So now the National League has home field advantage in the World Series. It’s not a given that this will affect the Yankees, but should they end up in the Series again this year, they will play the first two games on the road. That will give their opponent the advantage so the management blunders in last night’s game will come back to bite Girardi in the ass.
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7/11/10 Disturbance in the force Early this morning, I felt something strange and believe it or not Bob Sheppard came to my mind. I was not at home when I felt this. Upon arriving home, I got on my computer to check my email. Of course, I checked the baseball news, and there it was. The report of his death. I wonder if everyone in the Empire had that feeling. It was as if the Empire noticed a disturbance in the force. I’ve always said that I think that when we die and see God for the first time, and he speaks to us He’ll sound like Bob Sheppard. The Empire has lost a very valuable member now and we already feel it whether at the stadium or not.
7/9/10 Cliff Lee To Bronx? Looked at my email today and saw that the Yankees are looking at going after Cliff Lee. Well, let’s take a look at this. At first I thought it would be great. He is the guy that beat the Yankees twice in last year’s Series. So far this year, the Yankees are winning without him, the Mariners are not winning WITH him. The season’s half over. So how many more times will the Yankees face him in the second half? He was drafted in 2000 and has been in the Majors since 2002. If we learned anything from the Randy Johnson fiasco, it should be that you can’t bank on a veteran pitcher in years to come. Another consideration would be what quality players will leave the Bronx to get Lee? You know it will have to be somebody good. So, this is what I think (and this is my site). After considering the pros and cons, this probably would not be such a good plan. It looks like an immediate benefit, but what long-term benefit would the Yankees gain?
1/30/10 Good For Him Grant Desme, a minor league player in the Oakland A’s system decided to leave baseball to follow a calling to the priesthood. Of course, all the “smart people” in the blogs and forums are all saying how stupid he is for walking away from “all that money” for nothing. Now come on, are these people really that stupid? First of all, he may have been a star at “A” level, but that doesn’t mean he would ever make it to the big team, and that’s where all the money is. So he really isn’t walking away from a lot of money. Second, though I’m a real baseball fan, I know that baseball is purely entertainment. If he does not want to play baseball, then who’s to say he’s wrong? These people just do not understand how strong such a calling is. A person can’t just ignore it. Also, These people will tell us how noble it was for Pat Tillman to walk away from real money to fight in the war. Tillman did not leave potential money, it was real. Good luck to you Father Desme. Only you can recognize your true calling. We real fans wish you well.
11/18/09 Alright, It’s Getting Kind of Silly The Yankees have won their 27th World Series Championship and already we read and hear that familiar claim from Yankees-haters that the Yankees bought another championship. Still I don’t know really what they mean. Are they implying that the Yankees paid the MLB to bribe them so they would win? Surely they don’t mean that! I believe it’s because the Yankees use their money wisely while other teams do not. In American business, companies spend money to get ahead. It’s just good business. Why shouldn’t Major League Baseball teams do it? Aren’t they companies in a business? When IBM spends its money for a better product to get ahead of MAC or vice versa, that’s just good business. Why is it wrong for an MLB company to spend money to get a better product. Is this an indictment of American business practice by the people making that buying claim? If so, aren’t |
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Mike’s Take on Sports |
