When I nod my head, you hit it. Ready?
CC Sabathia, since becoming a Yankee eight seasons ago, consistently has proven to be a deficient player on the same, otherwise routine play. On grounders hit to the right side, he rarely has anticipated he might be needed to catch the ball from the first or second baseman to make the force out at first.
He could’ve overcome this — my sister-in-law could’ve overcome this — had he chosen to. Instead of hesitating on or near the mound to see if he would be needed, he could have anticipated that he would be, thus run toward first the moment the ball was grounded in that direction.
Years ago, he even might’ve been coached to perform such a fundamental in service to playing winning baseball.
But he either doesn’t get it on his own, doesn’t get it despite coaching, or just doesn’t care.
So for eight years — and likely more with Cleveland and Milwaukee beforehand — he has hesitated on the mound to see what is going on down by first base before running in that direction, thus too late to take the throw for the out.
The batter then invariably is credited with a hit when “pitcher indifference” is more appropriate.
Monday at Citi Field, Wilmer Flores led off the sixth, Yanks up 3-2, with a check-swing grounder toward the right side. First baseman Mark Teixeira dived to slow it, then second baseman Starlin Castro grabbed it, ready to throw Flores out at first, but Sabathia hadn’t arrived.
YES and SNY replays showed Sabathia gradually, slowly and then, far too late, running toward first. Yet again.
And then, on YES and SNY, the don’t-believe-your-lying-eyes nonsense began.
SNY’s Keith Hernandez excused him on the grounds of “that bad knee.” Ron Darling added Sid Fernandez was similarly slow to cover first, but he, too, had bad knees.
On YES, Ken Singleton said, “He’s not going to beat anyone to first” — a specious argument given Sabathia could and should but rarely tries — then concluded the Yanks perhaps were playing Flores, a right-handed batter, too much to pull; had Teixeira played closer to first, Castro would’ve thrown Flores out.
“That’s a great point,” Michael Kay said.
David Cone added Sabathia has “a bad knee, as well.”
Wait a second! His knee wasn’t so bad that he didn’t run. He did run, but far too late!
No one said what many viewers already knew, and had long known, having seen it over and over: Sabathia rarely is given or driven to cover first!
Every play changes every game, and in this case, with Flores moved to second on Travis d’Arnaud’s single, Matt Reynolds hit a home run off Sabathia to give the Mets a 5-3 lead.
In this case, the game changed, and radically, because the game has changed.
Cuomo buys into ‘games of skill’ propaganda
So Gov. Cuomo — in finally allowing the likes of young-men-targeting, sucker-betting FanDuel and DraftKings license to operate in New York State — parroted that ridiculous canard that they’re “games of skill” — as opposed to games of financial risk, aka sports gambling, and rotten-odds gambling, at that.
So we now can presuppose those young adults who tapped out their credit cards or are piling up credit card debt — among the worst kind — can explain it as having lost their money “participating in games of skill.”
And where would Gov. Cuomo direct those who are in over their heads, many desperate to continue chasing their lost games-of-skill money, for help? Would it be to Games of Skill Anonymous or Gamblers Anonymous?
It can be hard to believe how it used to be:
Last week, I bumped into a “Jack Benny Program” on SiriusXM’s Classic Radio, Ch. 148. The guest was Leo Durocher, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who had just lost the 1941 World Series to the Yankees.
Benny, in a scripted gag, introduced Durocher to the cast members, including Irish tenor Dennis Day, who made a crack about the Dodgers losing in five. “Hey,” Durocher said, “is this Mick trying to start trouble?” The audience laughed.
Geez! I nearly drove off the road.
By the way, that five-game Series is recalled for the Mickey Owen infamous dropped third strike. Tommy Henrich swung and missed at Hugh Casey’s inside pitch that would have been the last out of Game 4, a 4-3 Dodgers win. Henrich reached first, the Yanks scored four to win 7-4.
One wonders if Robinson Cano and Yoenis Cespedes would’ve bothered, and whether they would have been defended for not running to first on the grounds that “the game has changed.”
Wake-up call for Big Papi
David Ortiz, reported PED-user and a player given to speaking vulgarities in public — he even shouted one into the public address microphone in Fenway Park — has been selected to send a recorded, nine-second weekday morning wake-up call to Boston’s public school students who register for it.
“Hey, kid, wake the f— up!” was not chosen.
Ortiz will be heard to say, “Wake up. It’s David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. Get out of bed and get ready for school. Your future is yours.” Whew.
As for Yoenis Cespedes’ golf game, Ralph Terry, a Yankees starter in the late 1950s and early ’60s who later became a golf pro, was forbidden by Casey Stengel to play on days he was scheduled to pitch that night. Terry would be caught “red-handed” when he showed up wearing a fresh sunburn.
So on days before he was to pitch that night, Terry played golf wearing a turtleneck and hooded sweatshirt.
Sunday’s Red Sox-Dodgers ESPN game will start at 7:10 p.m. instead of the usual but illogical 8:10 on Sunday nights. Why? Don’t know; don’t care. All I know is that it can be done, thus should’ve always been and now should always be.
Nurse! As seen on MLBN on Wednesday, the Marlins led the Cubs 3-1 when Don Mattingly brought in Kyle Barraclough to pitch the seventh. He was superb — one, two, three, including two swinging strikeouts. Of course, he then was removed. The Marlins lost 5-4.
Sweet job by Howie Rose on Wednesday, remembering Bob Murphy on the day of his death, 12 years ago.
Reader Mark Morley: “If the Mets continue to stink they should have Bartolo Cologne Night.”