As you know, SU is a lifelong Yankee fan and in most years, I would not be rooting for the Mets in the post-season. However, I like this year’s team: young; plays with energy; and to me they are generally a likeable bunch (Matt Harvey excluded). I happened to be watching late Saturday night when Chase Utley did his thing to Reuben Tejada. Outrageous. SU’s take on things:
- To say Utley was within reach of 2nd base when he rolled into Tejada is a joke. If Tejada was in centerfield, Utley would have been there. He was nowhere near 2nd base.
- It wasn’t a slide. It was a rolling block that you would more typically see on a football field. He started his block either on top of 2nd base or just past it.
- Where were the announcers? Where was the outrage? It was nowhere remotely legal in baseball terms. And who cares if Chase Utley has a reputation of being a hard-nosed player? As far as SU is concerned, his legacy is now that he was a dirty player. Hey, he won his team a playoff game. Congrats.
- The umpires should have called it play over and the runner out at 2nd base for not even attempting to slide into the bag. That is called many times during the season. How could they miss that here? If the Dodgers go on to win this series and ultimately the World Series, their championship will be tainted. Of course, if the Mets had a reliever who could have ended the inning, we would not be as focused on this.
What will happen tonight? Joe Torre made a smart move suspending Utley and you know it will be upheld before game time. It’s great that Matt Harvey is starting tonight as he is the type of guy who takes care of these things. The Yankees really don’t have a pitcher who does that (paging Roger Clemens). SU says the easiest way to resolve it is to hit Howie Kendrick – their 2nd baseman or their shortstop. The problem is that in a 5-game playoff series, you really don’t want to risk that guy scoring. It’s an interesting dilemma for the Mets but they need to resolve it quickly.
And if that was Derek Jeter having his leg broken, the nature of the conversation would have been totally different. I still don’t understand how the announcers were not more outraged. I mean Cal Ripken played shortstop for about 40 years.
The two National League divisional series are so much more interesting than the AL this year. Must see TV.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
baseball has brought this on itself, glad it gets highlighted here. Let’s not pretend baseball is a contact sport. If you want contact, go watch football or hockey. Baseball is about timing, finesse, and decisions. The whole breaking-up-the-double-play thing is stupid and was begging for this to happen. You don’t see runners standing up and taking a thrown ball to the face to break it up do you? No, they slide to avoid that. Just change the rule to say you have to slide to the base and anything else results in an out and being thrown out of the game and suspended. Hell, you can use the same argument they use for PEDs and say we don’t want little leaguers doing it, so we shouldn’t have major league players doing it…
Fair point, Josh. It’s really no different than the play at the plate now although they are struggling a little with that. I actually think the current rules cover what happened the other night. But they can make it that much clearer. Usually these days it’s one big player fraternity (see Big Papi and hugs all around). Utley was showing his inner Ty Cobb.
I agree, the rules cover it. It becomes a matter of enforcement. Although the league has the right to not enforce it 99% of the time and then enforce it now, it feels pretty disingenuous.
An ugly play. Not exactly routine but not really extraordinary either. These happen from time to time. I’d be happy getting rid of it and think it would be easier than home plate because the fielder is just trying to touch the bag and make a throw vs. home plate where the catcher would try to actually block the runner. (BTW, it’s interesting that despite the work they’re doing to eliminate home plate collisions, you still see them in commercials and get-the-crowd excited clips they play at the stadium. As with the NFL, the league knows what excited the crowd.) Still, I would hope they tread lightly if they crack down on hard slides because a nice hard slide and/or a nice throw despite the slide are some of the nicer things to watch and appreciate in a game.
I don’t see how anything changes if it’s Jeter. Does Utley get a 30 game suspension if he hurts Jeter? I doubt it. The umpires and the league pretty much handled this as they would any other player in any other game and it’s hard to say it would be any different for Jeter. And if the Dodgers win the World Series, Utley’s ugly play will probably find its way into their highlight real.
Unrelated, but speaking of Jeter and national broadcast announcers and broken bones, I’m reminded of Jeters braking his ankle on a play in the playoffs vs. the Tigers. Ron Darling (who is fine for a national broadcast announcer but not great) commented, as Jeter was on the ground, that Jeter wasn’t really hurt but was just frustrated and would be fine. After a minute it was clear this wasn’t the case. And I’m sure that if Darling ever thought it I’m sure he would regret the comment. But the point is that Jeter was never the kind of player to lay in the dirt after a play out of frustration. Anyone who watched him play over the course of his career would know that. And that’s the problem with national broadcasts. Any big fan of either team will be disappointed by the announcers’ lack of familiarity with the players, coaches, etc.
I’m ok with the hard slide to disrupt the play as long as you are sliding into the bag. However, Tejada had cleared the area to make the pivot to first base and Utley was nowhere near the bag. I had the misfortune of watching the game with a number of Dodger fans who were insistent that the play was clean because the umpire called the runner safe. If I was umpiring that game I would have called both runners out due to interference. I’m not sure if the rules would have supported me on calling the runner at first out, but since they obviously didn’t care to enforce the rules at all during the game, I’m sure it would have been fine.
Looks like Utley appeal hearing will not be held today- Mattingly has noted that Utley has much better career numbers against Harvey than Kendrick- does he have the balls to start him tonight?
Yes, Mattingly has to start Utley tonight. That would be very cool. They can hit him every time up and then look to do something to him on the base paths. I don’t think Mattingly will do it. Mattingly didn’t approve of what he did – you can see his post-game remarks. He was not happy. Donnie Baseball played the game the right way and it didn’t have to involve this psycho behavior of Utley’s.
It is going to be like the Roman Colosseum tonight. Maybe a hard tag to the ribs is in order. Perhaps we put Ogie Oglethorpe on the roster for tonight’s game and add him as pinch runner so he can break up a DP started from the left side. Tonight’s game has a high volatility factor. So does going out to eat in the Big Apple for Mr Utley.
The slide was so over the top. You can’t even call it a slide. You wonder if Matt Harvey is too volatile and macho to keep his cool. It’s a good game to be the home team so you can do your damage first before the umpires warn everyone. Gotta get those first licks in.
Mattingly a coward- Utley NOT in the starting lineup.
Won’t matter. Someone has to pay the price. Shortstop? An eye for an eye. 2nd baseman? If you hit him in the right spot, Kendrick may have to come out of the game and then Utley goes in. That would be the perfect scenario.
Actually I think it was a classy move by Mattingly, not cowardly. He clearly didn’t approve of Utley going wild west and took him out of the lineup to send him a message. If I want to watch a real fight I’ll tune into Rousey vs. Mayweather. For a baseball game, I’d rather watch them play baseball.
PS – Cal Ripken is incredibly tone deaf and lacks significant facts when trying to debate this topic.
Mark, you are right about Ripken. What is he even watching? He was a shortstop – does he really approve of this?
If MLB has learned anything from the NFL they will delay any hearing on the suspension appeal until after the post season. Then they will commission an investigation and report. They will make sure that leaks come out every few weeks with the report finally released a few weeks after the winter meetings. Then they schedule the hearing for January and keep the suspension. Follow that up with a lawsuit or two and you’ve managed to keep baseball in the headlines through spring training.
I agree with all your points but the 4th one. The met’s shortstop has never been an offensive threat and therefore would have very little impact i this series. Id the dodgers win it all their victory will not be tainted. After watching last night’s game the only person who seems to be tainted his Matt Harvey. He did not deserve the victory at all. All the baloney that he had not pitched in 11 days…. well what about Degrome’s performance? How about Colon striking out the side? Baloney to all that.
On a side note being a die hard Yankee fan why do most of the player look stronger and more chiseled than most of the Yankee players?
Also being a Don Mattingly fan, how do you blame him when his team for the most part has been hitting the ball well. Scoring 7 runs on 13 hits should have gotten them a victory. If he is let go I’m confident with the same players the dodgers will do no better.