Category: MLB (Page 31 of 448)

      Are Yankee bosses angry with Derek Jeter?

      May 16, 2011 /
      New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter adjusts his cap before the start of an MLB spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Tampa, Florida, in this March 23, 2011 file photo. Despite being known as a consummate winner with five World Series rings to back that up, the New York Yankees captain and shortstop has as much to prove as any player heading into the 2011 Major League Baseball season. Even as Jeter begins a campaign that should see him become the first Yankee to reach 3,000 career hits, the 36-year-old has been honing a new batting style to prove he still has what it takes after suffering through his worst year at the plate. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/Files (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Buster Olney tweets that Derek Jeter’s comments in which he “essentially exonerated” teammate Jorge Posada of any wrongdoing has apparently angered his Yankee bosses.

      Following this weekend’s shenanigans in which Posada removed himself from the Yankees’ lineup because manager Joe Girardi was making him bat ninth (oh, the horror!), Jeter said: “Everybody’s struggled. And if that’s the reason why he came out, then he doesn’t need to apologize. If it’s something else, then yeah, but not for that.”

      If Olney’s report is accurate and the Yankees are upset over Jeter’s comments, then they need to get a clue. Jeter is still the captain of their team and he’s not going to make a situation worse by scolding one of his long-time teammates via the media. And quite frankly, his comments were rather innocent. He’s been around long enough to know that a situation like Posada’s will eventually get ironed out without him having to say much on the topic. The Yankees’ “bosses” should just let the situation die out.

      What would the Yankees have rather had Jeter say? That Posada was being a selfish, stubborn player and should have acted more professional? Even if that’s what Jeter thought, saying something like that would have fueled the situation even more and caused there to be a rift in the clubhouse (which is something the struggling Yankees don’t need right now, especially after they were just swept by their most hated rivals).

      I get that the Yankees don’t want Jeter “exonerating” Posada’s mistake. Posada was definitely in the wrong here, which is why he apologized. But he did apologize and that should be the end of the situation. There’s no reason to make a mountain out of a molehill and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees came out and denied Olney’s report, because they look rather silly right now.

      External Sports, MLB

      Tempers flair between Cardinals and Reds again

      May 16, 2011 /
      St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols (5) makes the play on a hard hit ground ball off the bat of Cincinnati Reds’ Paul Janish (not pictured) during the fifth inning of play in their MLB baseball game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 15, 2011. REUTERS/John Sommers II (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      It wouldn’t be a Cardinals-Reds series if somebody wasn’t yelling at somebody by the end of it.

      On Sunday, Francisco Cordero was the recipient of some backlash from the Cardinals’ dugout after he hit slugger Albert Pujols with a pitch during an 0-2 count in the ninth inning. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, St. Louis backup catcher Gerald Laird was mainly doing the barking at Cordero.

      “Just a little fun,” Cordero said. “I think it was because I hit Pujols 0-2, Gerald Laird was all loud in the dugout. He was yelling at me and pointing at me and saying a whole bunch of stuff.

      “Out of all the guys that are great hitters, great players, Gerald Laird doesn’t even play. He’s the one yelling at me because I hit Pujols 0-2. 0-2! I wasn’t trying to hit him. I’ve got to face (Matt) Holliday next, who can take the lead with one swing, and he’s yelling at me.

      “All I know is he was loud, so I said something back to him.”

      I don’t blame Laird or any other member of the Cardinals for being upset about Cordero hitting Pujols. Brandon Phillips was the one who threw gasoline on the fire last year by calling the Cardinals “little bitches” so now St. Louis always has its guard up.

      But Laird has to realize the situation. Cordero isn’t going to hit Pujols on purpose when he has him down 0-2 in the count. To put the tying run on base with Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman coming up just doesn’t make sense. One could argue that Cordero chose that moment to hit Pujols because he would have the perfect excuse to claim it was accidental. But even Pujols admitted after the game that he didn’t think Cordero did it on purpose.

      “I’m pretty sure Francisco didn’t try to do that on purpose,” Pujols told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “He doesn’t want to bring the winning run to the plate with two big hitters, Matt and Berkman (coming up next). It’s probably something that slipped. You turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”

      What has to be more frustrating for the Cardinals than the situation with Cordero is the fact that they were swept by the Reds. St. Louis went into the weekend with a small lead in the NL Central and came out of it looking up at Cincinnati in the standings.

      External Sports, MLB

      Posada corrects his mistake by apologizing

      May 16, 2011 /
      New York Yankees designated hitter Jorge Posada answers a reporter’s questions after workouts prior to their MLB American League baseball game with the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York May 15, 2011. REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Yankees’ designated hitter Jorge Posada chalked up his actions on Saturday night when he took himself out of the lineup to frustration. Then he apologized to his teammates, his manager, his GM and his fans.

      “I had a bad day,” Posada said on Sunday. “All the frustration came out. It was just one of those days you wish you could take back.”

      When Posada found out that he was hitting ninth in the Yankees’ order on Saturday night against the Red Sox, he told manager Joe Girardi that he was taking himself out of the lineup. It was a childish act by a stubborn player that clearly put his own emotions ahead of what was best for the club. It’s certainly easy to be a team player when things are going well and no sacrifices have to be made. It’s challenging situations like these when you really learn about what kind of character a player has.

      And the fact that Posada quickly realized the mistake he made and apologized does show what kind of character he has. He’s a prideful guy and sees his career dwindling. He’s struggling right now and his frustrations came the surface. We all get angry from time to time when uncontrollable situations arise and we fight to wrangle our emotions. And we don’t always handle it right either – just like Posada didn’t. But he did the right thing by apologizing and now everyone can move past this.

      “Jorge is loved in our clubhouse,” Girardi said. “Jorge is loved by the fans. Jorge has meant a lot to this organization and I’m not surprised. This has been a great player for a long time.”

      That’s right. Posada has been a great Yankee his entire career and this one regrettable incident won’t subtract from his great days in New York.

      External Sports, MLB

      Kendrys Morales: From MVP candidate to major question mark

      May 12, 2011 /
      Los Angeles Angels Kendry Morales hits an RBI single to score Erick Aybar against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning of their American League baseball season opening game in Anaheim, California, April 5, 2010. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      In 2009, Kendrys Morales hit .306 with 34 home runs and 108 runs battled in to finish fifth in American League most valuable player balloting. He was viewed as an up-and-coming slugger poised to be a fixture in the middle of the Angels’ lineup for years to come.

      Two years and one gigantic fluke injury later and Morales is now arguably the biggest question mark in baseball.

      Last June, Morales underwent surgery in which a pin and six screws were inserted into his ankle after he broke it while jumping on home plate in celebration of a walk-off home run against the Mariners. The injury almost became a punch line for baseball observers who couldn’t believe that a player would actually get hurt celebrating a home run.

      But the situation is far from a joking matter. On Wednesday night, word spread that Morales will have to underdog surgery on the same ankle to remove scar tissue. The procedure will sideline him for a minimum of six months, meaning his entire 2011 season has been wiped out. By the time he steps foot on the diamond again, it’ll almost be two full years that he missed thanks to this freak injury.

      The good news is that Morales, who is only 27, will still be in the prime of his career. He still has plenty of time to be the player he was in 2009, but the concern is how long that’ll take. Assuming the ankle heels this time, it could be two years before Morales finds his swing again. Getting used to major league pitching isn’t like climbing up on a bike after a two-year lay off. It’s why most young players need 3-4 years of development in the minor leagues to make a contribution at the big league level. Simply put, it takes a while for players to find their strokes.

      Morales certainly has a long road ahead of him to get back to being the player he was in ’09. And here’s hoping he does. Baseball needs all of its bright young stars to be healthy and active, and Morales is no different.

      External Sports, MLB

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