(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images).
Jeter went on to say, “But hey, ARod? You guys keep booing him, then cheering him. The sooner you send him spiraling into a depression he can’t crawl out of, the better I’ll feel about myself.”.
According to Peter Abraham, Shelley was close to tears when asked about his suspension (I thought he wanted to be considered a tough guy?) and still thinks he did nothing wrong and insists he said nothing that would imply something was going to happen at the game. This kid knows people record his words when he speaks, right?
No matter. 3 games for Shelley and Melky (Melky? Did ANYONE see a suspension coming for Melky? Every report about the scrum said there were no punches thrown. When did Melky suddenly start putting a beatdown on someone? How did EVERYONE except Bob Watson miss this? I need to go find video and watch again.) and two for Jonny Gomes.
I heart Jonny Gomes, have I mentioned that yet? Shelley almost cries over his suspension, but what does Jonny say?
“I wouldn’t take back what I did,” Gomes said before Friday’s exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays. “I’ve got a lot of positive feedback from other players
in the major league via text message and (from) the two teams we have played since then.“I’m just happy to send the message out that we’ve got each others’ back over here, and we’re not going to get bullied around.”
Damn skippy, Jonny! (And I’d love to read some of those texts. “Next time knock him on his ass” is, I’m guessing, one he got more than once.)
Also according to Abraham, Cashman says he’d take 25 Shelley Duncans (and even added a “How about that?” to it.).
I can’t stop laughing at the idea that the Yankees and their fans (good Lord read some of the comments on Abraham’s blog) actually think this entire thing makes the Yankees look tough and like they just play hard.
Let’s go over this all again:
Elliot Johnson, possibly forever stuck in AAA, tries to impress his bosses and knocks over Francisco Cervelli as he tries to score. Seems Johnson felt Cervelli was blocking the plate. Unfortunately for Johnson, he was still out. More unfortunately for Cervelli, he broke his wrist in the interaction.
Joe Girardi whines like a baby that there is no place in Spring Training for a play like that. Joe Maddon calls it hard baseball and everyone else in the free world who doesn’t wear the interlocking NY on their baseball caps agrees.
Shelley Duncan sticks his nose in it by saying the Rays have added a fire to his gut , and other fake, tough guy things like how the Yankees are going to match or exceed the Rays’ intensity.
Yankees pitcher hits Rays batter (barely) in the next game the two teams meet. Pitcher gets ejected, seemingly because both teams were warned there would be NO SHENANIGANS prior to the game. Shelly Duncan takes notice.
In a play where he was more than obviously out (admitted by Shelley), Duncan slides into second with his spikes and leg high, giving Akinori Iwamura a nice gash on his leg. Duncan is, of course, out and immediately ejected from the game.
Jonny Gomes decides ejection isn’t enough and rushes Duncan, pushing him enough to send a message but not enough to knock him down. Both dugouts empty and players mill around. There are ejections and the game goes on.
(Somewhere in all of this Melky clocks Evan Longoria…which seems to be news to everyone.)
Joe Maddon over-reacts, understandably, after the game by calling Shelley’s act “criminal”. I would have gone with, “stupid”, “pre-meditated”, or “bush” myself. Joe Girardi nearly wets his pants because he’s so proud that someone on his team showed spirit. Or something like that.
As with the play at home in the original game, most of the baseball world is in agreement – except this time they agree that the play was dirty and intentional. Shelley even does an ARod impression when Gomes tags him. “What, what did I do?”
And now we have suspensions. With the exception of Melky (I’ll change my mind when I see proof of what he supposedly did), I think they’re fair. As a matter of fact, I think Shelley deserved a few days more, but I’ll take what I can get.
Now we have Yankees fans bitching, Shelley Duncan crying and Brian Cashman and Derek Jeter singing Shelley’s praises.
Yet the rest of baseball still thinks the Yankees made a big deal out of nothing and then compounded it by allowing Shelley to act like a tough guy. The Yankees turning into the wusses of MLB? I think I like where this season is going already.
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