Shelley Duncan made a hard play on the base paths himself Wednesday, as he slid into Aki Awamura of the Rays, a little high in the heels. He was looking to stretch a single into a double, and did not beat the ball to second by a distance, but he was left a choice…isn’t that right Mr. Elliot Johnson? He could have slid and been out or tried to make some form of contact and hoped to knock the ball loose.
To be fair, let’s break down some facts:
- Duncan hit the ball into the outfield, off the glove of the third baseman.
- He rounded first with a head of steam, trying to stretch a single into a double.
- The outfielder made a great play to send the ball to the second baseman, Aki Awamura.
- It arrived before Duncan, and he slid into second trying to jar the ball loose.
- Duncan struck Awamura in the knee with his cleats, and caused a little bleeding.
- The right fielder from the Rays sprinted in, and jumped on Duncan from behind.
- Benches clear, and for the first time in recent history, a baseball fight broke out in a spring training game.
Given these facts you can see that there wasn’t anyone hurt by this (at least no one will be missing 8 to 10 weeks minimum). You also see somewhat of a double standard here. It was “ok” for Cervelli to get barrelled over at the plate and break his wrist, calling it “hustle.” Once Duncan shows that kind of drive, in return, he is looked at differently. He is looked at as a bad guy. If you look at the damage done, and the context in which this should be considered, who would even imagine that suspensions, and fines would only go to the Yankees. It is hypocrisy, really. The same “hustle” play just happened days before, with a player left on the DL for an undetermined amount of time, and nothing was said about that. A Yankee does it…..FOUL! It’s just not right!
Let’s consider some of the quotes that also came from this…
Derek Jeter — “What’s unfortunate is it’s a situation that if our catcher didn’t go down with a broken arm, I don’t think (Duncan) would be suspended. Now he’s suspended and people talk about the way he plays the game. Shelley plays hard all the time. If I were Shelley, I wouldn’t change the way I play. There’s no reason.”
Joe Girardi — “Shelley’s a very aggressive player.” “I only know I’m upset because my catcher’s having surgery today.”
Joe Madden (manager of the Rays) — “It’s contemptible. It’s wrong. It’s borderline criminal. That was a blatant attempt to hurt Aki. It was set up. It was planned and it was premeditated.”
As you can see, it seems that there is a bit of “do as I say not as I do” mentality, that the Rays seem to have adopted. When you have some of the best to ever play the game defending their teammate, in convincing fashion, one would have to side with reason. Just days ago, it was a Tampa Bay Ray slamming into a Yankee player, breaking his wrist, and putting him out for at least 8 to 10 weeks on the DL. Now the cleat is on the other foot, and Madden has a problem with it. This is ridiculous. Baseball has enough of it’s own problems, it doesn’t need managers flip-flopping on their opinions, and it surely doesn’t need hypocrisy. I will tell you what it does need. A good rivalry! And it looks like this could be the making of a good one. Tampa Bay has never tried barking up this tree before, and the Yankees, under skipper Joe Girardi, are not backing down from anyone. Period.
The final quote comes from Brian Cashman, GM of the Yanks, “I’d take 25 Shelley Duncans, how about that?”
Enough said Mr. Cashman. We will stand down for now, cheer for our Yankees, and hope that the Rays realize that only big dogs get off the porch. The others, like the Rays, try once or twice, and get shown competition, pride, and passion. You are making a big mistake Tampa Bay. However, you are going to make for an interesting rivalry this baseball season, instead of the annual eggs you clowns lay against us every year. Realize that winning can be an attitude, but for some (like the Yankees), it is a lifestyle, dressed in pinstripes.
