Post by John on May 22, 2006 12:31:41 GMT -4
Weekend Buzz: Who says baseball isn't a collision sport?
By Scott Miller
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
The Weekend Buzz while you were seeing (or avoiding?) The DaVinci Code ...
1. There's a reason why he was called Crash Davis: Tough duty being a catcher these days -- and not just when you're A.J. Pierzynski and Michael Barrett's fist is suddenly wrist-deep in your jaw.
"It seems to be the in-thing right now, running over catchers," San Francisco backstop Mike Matheny says, with disdain evident in his voice. "Seems to be a lot more of that going on."
* Pierzynski, the Chicago White Sox catcher, smashed into the Cubs' Barrett on his way to score Saturday, and you've probably seen the video dozens of times since. Barrett got up and slugged Pierzynski in the jaw and soon will receive a stiff suspension for it. Even Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Pierzynski made a good play, and let's see whether that causes ripples in the Cubs' clubhouse. Managers always stand by their players. Well, almost always.
* Atlanta's Brian McCann was forced to leave Saturday's Braves-Diamondbacks game with a sprained left ankle after outfielder Eric Byrnes steamrolled him in the fourth inning. The Braves will be relieved if McCann only misses several days. At first glimpse, it looked like a season-ending situation.
* On Friday, Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima took a beautiful throw from right fielder Ichiro Suzuki -- and then tagged out San Diego's Josh Barfield just as Barfield was going wrecking ball on him.
* Last Tuesday, Texas' Mark Teixeira splattered Yankees catcher Jorge Posada at the plate in the midst of New York's wild 14-13 win -- a sixth-inning play during which Posada held the ball and Teixeira was out. Posada said it was the hardest he's ever been hit -- but he hung in there and wound up hitting the game-winning homer.
"You're going to see runners start to get hurt," promises Giants' backup catcher Todd Greene, who was mowed over by Milwaukee's Prince Fielder in the first inning of a game on May 4 and subsequently was sidelined for two days.
"We're not pin cushions. We're not going to sit there and take it."
As evidence, one backstop pointed to the ankle injury suffered by Milwaukee shortstop J.J. Hardy when he slid into Philadelphia catcher Sal Fasano in a play at the plate on Wednesday. There are ways for a catcher to make sure he gets in his shot, too -- as long as the throw arrives in time.
"When you have the ball before the runner comes in, that's when you get him," Oakland catcher Jason Kendall says.
San Diego manager Bruce Bochy, himself a former catcher, calls standing there awaiting a throw while the runner is barreling toward you the "toughest play in baseball."
Kendall, who suffered a Grade 2 concussion when he was clobbered by Gary Sheffield a few years back ("I was in la-la land"), says, "It doesn't matter if the guy is 6-foot-5 or 5-5. You're standing there still and a guy is running into you full speed."
Turns out, Santa Claus isn't the only stocky guy who makes a list and checks it twice.
"You get an idea who's playing the game hard and who's playing the game dirty," Matheny says. "You don't forget who hurts you. You don't forget who's taking cheap shots at guys."
The only question in the case of Pierzynski -- baseball's version of Bill Laimbeer, the man is always in the middle of controversial plays and has a world-class knack for emerging as the victim -- is, isn't there some International Brotherhood of Catchers Union that prevents one catcher from going Mack truck on another?
"You have an International Brotherhood to your teammates," Greene says. "The object is to be safe."
2. The Sullen of Swat and 714: Not that there's suspicion that Barry Bonds is baseball's Hercules by chemical enhancement, but here's his own manager, Felipe Alou, following the shot that tied Babe Ruth: "I like the fact the ball was hit. That ball was crushed. It's not like somebody hit it who lost his power from, whatever, the suspicions. That ball was hit by a slugger who has hit home runs his whole career." Suspicions? Huh?
3. Interleague play: The gimmick rigged so that games can occur between the New York teams, Chicago teams, Los Angeles teams and San Francisco Bay Area teams -- you think the Padres-Mariners and Devil Rays-Marlins are passionate rivalries? -- is back for a 10th season.
The theme of this year's interleague series is, "Even Florida State League clubs could whip the National League." Having swept the past two World Series -- and four of the past eight -- and gone 8-0-1 over the past nine All-Star Games, the AL threatened to further dominate by having each of its starting pitchers throw a complete game on Friday.
Alas, after that trick was turned by Baltimore's Kris Benson (against Washington), the White Sox's Mark Buehrle (vs. the Cubs) and Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia (Pittsburgh), it apparently became too easy and everybody went looking for a bigger challenge. For the weekend, the AL spotted the NL a 22-16 series lead for '06, just so the Ruling League of David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Paul Konerko and Co. can stay interested for the interleague games later this summer.
4. Russ Springer suspended: Yep, baseball handed him a four-game penalty for using The Sullen of Swat as a target last Tuesday in Houston. But rumor has it that President Bush may pardon Springer in an effort to boost his sagging approval ratings.
5. Heaven help them: The Los Angeles Angels of Mary Queen of Victory, Pray for Them -- er, the Angels of Anaheim -- are scuffling so badly that they're considering hiring an umpire to work their clubhouse. Darin Erstad had to break up a clubhouse disagreement between infielders Adam Kennedy and Chone Figgins after Thursday night's game ("There's going to be no finger-pointing, I don't care who you are! It's over! If we go down, we're all going down together!"). Jeff Weaver (7.30 ERA) mostly is throwing batting practice meatballs, as the Dodgers cranked out more hits than Jessica Simpson usually gets on her Web site in Friday's series opener (a club-record 25) and the Angels went 0-for-the-weekend and now have lost five in a row. Meantime, Angels pitching surrendered two homers and six RBI to an outfielder named Andre Ethier (who went 5-for-5 Friday night). Andre Ethier? Didn't he once play on Homicide: Life on the Street?
6. Enter Sandman series: Perhaps neither New York closer should use the song. Following stunned outrage -- well, it's New York we're talking about -- earlier this season when it was discovered that Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and new Mets closer Billy Wagner each enter save situations to the same theme song by Metallica, Rivera gave up Friday night's game and Wagner coughed up Saturday's game. Anybody for Cubs closer Ryan Dempster's suggestion, the DiVinyls' I Touch Myself?
7. They're going to make it on their own: Mary Richards and Lou Grant would be proud. Minnesota lawmakers finally approved a financing plan for a new open-air stadium for the Twins that should be open in 2010. Interestingly, it contains a clause stipulating that the Twins still get to play all home World Series games in the dumpy Metrodome, where they went 4-0 in both the 1987 and 1991 World Series.
8. Richard Nixon Memorial Series: Interleague play brought the first baseball games between the cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., this weekend since 1971. Alfonso Soriano (home runs in the Nationals' wins on Friday and Saturday) played the role of Frank Thomas for Washington, and the Orioles finally found somebody they could beat.
9. Royals owner David Glass all talk no action: Still threatening changes and forcing Royals executives to slow cook on the griddle. I'd boycott Wal-Mart based on his criminally incompetent running of the franchise. Wait, I already do.
10. Aw, it's not a shadow, it's only Albert: Pathetic former slugger Albert Belle was arrested on a second stalking charge. He was stalking the same woman he was arrested over the first time, when the cops found he had ham-handedly placed a GPS tracking device on her car. Scary thought: Albert is more dangerous in love than he was to clubhouse thermostats, Hannah Storm and trick-or-treaters.
By Scott Miller
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
The Weekend Buzz while you were seeing (or avoiding?) The DaVinci Code ...
1. There's a reason why he was called Crash Davis: Tough duty being a catcher these days -- and not just when you're A.J. Pierzynski and Michael Barrett's fist is suddenly wrist-deep in your jaw.
"It seems to be the in-thing right now, running over catchers," San Francisco backstop Mike Matheny says, with disdain evident in his voice. "Seems to be a lot more of that going on."
* Pierzynski, the Chicago White Sox catcher, smashed into the Cubs' Barrett on his way to score Saturday, and you've probably seen the video dozens of times since. Barrett got up and slugged Pierzynski in the jaw and soon will receive a stiff suspension for it. Even Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Pierzynski made a good play, and let's see whether that causes ripples in the Cubs' clubhouse. Managers always stand by their players. Well, almost always.
* Atlanta's Brian McCann was forced to leave Saturday's Braves-Diamondbacks game with a sprained left ankle after outfielder Eric Byrnes steamrolled him in the fourth inning. The Braves will be relieved if McCann only misses several days. At first glimpse, it looked like a season-ending situation.
* On Friday, Seattle catcher Kenji Johjima took a beautiful throw from right fielder Ichiro Suzuki -- and then tagged out San Diego's Josh Barfield just as Barfield was going wrecking ball on him.
* Last Tuesday, Texas' Mark Teixeira splattered Yankees catcher Jorge Posada at the plate in the midst of New York's wild 14-13 win -- a sixth-inning play during which Posada held the ball and Teixeira was out. Posada said it was the hardest he's ever been hit -- but he hung in there and wound up hitting the game-winning homer.
"You're going to see runners start to get hurt," promises Giants' backup catcher Todd Greene, who was mowed over by Milwaukee's Prince Fielder in the first inning of a game on May 4 and subsequently was sidelined for two days.
"We're not pin cushions. We're not going to sit there and take it."
As evidence, one backstop pointed to the ankle injury suffered by Milwaukee shortstop J.J. Hardy when he slid into Philadelphia catcher Sal Fasano in a play at the plate on Wednesday. There are ways for a catcher to make sure he gets in his shot, too -- as long as the throw arrives in time.
"When you have the ball before the runner comes in, that's when you get him," Oakland catcher Jason Kendall says.
San Diego manager Bruce Bochy, himself a former catcher, calls standing there awaiting a throw while the runner is barreling toward you the "toughest play in baseball."
Kendall, who suffered a Grade 2 concussion when he was clobbered by Gary Sheffield a few years back ("I was in la-la land"), says, "It doesn't matter if the guy is 6-foot-5 or 5-5. You're standing there still and a guy is running into you full speed."
Turns out, Santa Claus isn't the only stocky guy who makes a list and checks it twice.
"You get an idea who's playing the game hard and who's playing the game dirty," Matheny says. "You don't forget who hurts you. You don't forget who's taking cheap shots at guys."
The only question in the case of Pierzynski -- baseball's version of Bill Laimbeer, the man is always in the middle of controversial plays and has a world-class knack for emerging as the victim -- is, isn't there some International Brotherhood of Catchers Union that prevents one catcher from going Mack truck on another?
"You have an International Brotherhood to your teammates," Greene says. "The object is to be safe."
2. The Sullen of Swat and 714: Not that there's suspicion that Barry Bonds is baseball's Hercules by chemical enhancement, but here's his own manager, Felipe Alou, following the shot that tied Babe Ruth: "I like the fact the ball was hit. That ball was crushed. It's not like somebody hit it who lost his power from, whatever, the suspicions. That ball was hit by a slugger who has hit home runs his whole career." Suspicions? Huh?
3. Interleague play: The gimmick rigged so that games can occur between the New York teams, Chicago teams, Los Angeles teams and San Francisco Bay Area teams -- you think the Padres-Mariners and Devil Rays-Marlins are passionate rivalries? -- is back for a 10th season.
The theme of this year's interleague series is, "Even Florida State League clubs could whip the National League." Having swept the past two World Series -- and four of the past eight -- and gone 8-0-1 over the past nine All-Star Games, the AL threatened to further dominate by having each of its starting pitchers throw a complete game on Friday.
Alas, after that trick was turned by Baltimore's Kris Benson (against Washington), the White Sox's Mark Buehrle (vs. the Cubs) and Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia (Pittsburgh), it apparently became too easy and everybody went looking for a bigger challenge. For the weekend, the AL spotted the NL a 22-16 series lead for '06, just so the Ruling League of David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Paul Konerko and Co. can stay interested for the interleague games later this summer.
4. Russ Springer suspended: Yep, baseball handed him a four-game penalty for using The Sullen of Swat as a target last Tuesday in Houston. But rumor has it that President Bush may pardon Springer in an effort to boost his sagging approval ratings.
5. Heaven help them: The Los Angeles Angels of Mary Queen of Victory, Pray for Them -- er, the Angels of Anaheim -- are scuffling so badly that they're considering hiring an umpire to work their clubhouse. Darin Erstad had to break up a clubhouse disagreement between infielders Adam Kennedy and Chone Figgins after Thursday night's game ("There's going to be no finger-pointing, I don't care who you are! It's over! If we go down, we're all going down together!"). Jeff Weaver (7.30 ERA) mostly is throwing batting practice meatballs, as the Dodgers cranked out more hits than Jessica Simpson usually gets on her Web site in Friday's series opener (a club-record 25) and the Angels went 0-for-the-weekend and now have lost five in a row. Meantime, Angels pitching surrendered two homers and six RBI to an outfielder named Andre Ethier (who went 5-for-5 Friday night). Andre Ethier? Didn't he once play on Homicide: Life on the Street?
6. Enter Sandman series: Perhaps neither New York closer should use the song. Following stunned outrage -- well, it's New York we're talking about -- earlier this season when it was discovered that Yankees closer Mariano Rivera and new Mets closer Billy Wagner each enter save situations to the same theme song by Metallica, Rivera gave up Friday night's game and Wagner coughed up Saturday's game. Anybody for Cubs closer Ryan Dempster's suggestion, the DiVinyls' I Touch Myself?
7. They're going to make it on their own: Mary Richards and Lou Grant would be proud. Minnesota lawmakers finally approved a financing plan for a new open-air stadium for the Twins that should be open in 2010. Interestingly, it contains a clause stipulating that the Twins still get to play all home World Series games in the dumpy Metrodome, where they went 4-0 in both the 1987 and 1991 World Series.
8. Richard Nixon Memorial Series: Interleague play brought the first baseball games between the cities of Baltimore and Washington, D.C., this weekend since 1971. Alfonso Soriano (home runs in the Nationals' wins on Friday and Saturday) played the role of Frank Thomas for Washington, and the Orioles finally found somebody they could beat.
9. Royals owner David Glass all talk no action: Still threatening changes and forcing Royals executives to slow cook on the griddle. I'd boycott Wal-Mart based on his criminally incompetent running of the franchise. Wait, I already do.
10. Aw, it's not a shadow, it's only Albert: Pathetic former slugger Albert Belle was arrested on a second stalking charge. He was stalking the same woman he was arrested over the first time, when the cops found he had ham-handedly placed a GPS tracking device on her car. Scary thought: Albert is more dangerous in love than he was to clubhouse thermostats, Hannah Storm and trick-or-treaters.