#1 As a base stealer he slides head first all the time. This is asking for trouble -- baseball coaches do not teach this because it increases the likelihood of injuries. Jammed fingers, wrists and hands are among the risks. Check out the best base stealer in the American League, Jacoby Ellsbury, he goes in feet first. CoCo and others go in a la Pete Rose because it does allow you to explode more to the bag. So when the Rays' shortstop Bartlett decided to go down on a knee and block the bag on an attempted steal, it was a "heads up" play. CoCo took exception to this because he thought Bartlett was gaining an advantage (and increasing the odds of an injury to CoCo) by not allowing the base stealer to reach the bag. Bartlett would never had done this to Ellsbury because he would have been spiked by the cleats on a head first slide. What does CoCo do? He goes after the Rays' second baseman the next chance he gets and barrells into him on an attempted steal (Please note - he slid feet first). He then yells profanities from the dugout.
#2 The next night, with his team trailing 3-1, the Rays' starting pitcher Sheilds throws at Crisp which results in the bench clearing brawl. Baseball has a way of policing itself. Shields did not throw out CoCo's head. He hit him in the thigh. CoCo realizing that he was wrong the night before should have taken his base and that would have been the end of it. If Shields goes head hunting then okay go get him. But that was not the case.
#3 After the brawl is over and Coco, Shields and Johnny Gomes are ejected, Coco gives a post game interview where he says the players on Tampa scratched him, pulled his hair and hit like girls. Sexist remark aside (I assume Chyna from the old WWF never hit CoCo in the mouth), he is taunting the opposition like a middle school student.
Other observations from last night:
- Gomes and Carl Crawford will be suspended for at least five games each. Coco and Sheilds maybe three each. Crawford's rabbit punches were uncalled for
- Youk vs Manny. Manny's backhand slap was caught on tape (Go to NESN.com to view). Why it happened? My guess is Youk called out Manny's reluctance and/or lateness to get on the field and protect his teammates. This is why Francona is a good manager and earns every cent he is paid. I bet we see a photo of Manny and Youk chatting or sitting together tonight.
- Where was the crowd? Around the sixth inning a good 8,000 people must have left to get to the North End and see the Celts.
- Chris Carter gets his first two major league hits. His reward = back to the Pawsox and hello Brandon Moss.
- It used to be funny seeing Remy and The Thumb joking around in the booth but last night's "slap fight" was annoying.
Sorry Sox Fans -- but I gotta call'em the way I see'em
4 comments:
You better hurry up, room is running out on the Rays bandwagon. Plenty of seats available though on the Yankee Express. Jeez. Red Sox fan? Listen, right or wrong, Coco is a professional baseball player. It's his discretion as to how he slides into a bag. It's easy for us to critique from the recliner. It's no secret you don't like Coco and feel that his presence on the team is hindering Ellsbury's development. But, I have to question why you didn't call out Shields for throwing at Coco so soon.It really is the bigger issue. It basically cost this young team first place in the standings. You NEVER want to lose your starting pitcher so early in a game. It has an immediate impact on the game and long term strain on the bullpen. We now see the sum of his ill advised "policing".
Don and Rem Dawg's "slapfest" is part of the culture that is now Red Sox Nation. If your looking for "not so down to earth, no fun play by play" I believe the YES Network is available on most cable systems. These are not your father's Red Sox and winning two World Series affords them the right to play the game how they see fit. And yes, the announcers can have some fun too.
Soak it in, enjoy it a little, it gives you and I something to write about!
Bandwagon? Check a couple earlier posts, I said the Rays were much improved the first time the Sox played them.
A Red Sox fan can still critique players and management on the team they root for. There is no fault in that. I have never hid the fact that in my opinion Ellsbury is currently far more talented than Crisp. No one in their right mind can argue that.
Crisp's actions (hard slide, taunting after the brawl) are asking for trouble. Yes, I have no problem with what Sheilds did. If he went head hunting then I would but he didn't.
The problem with some fans of sport teams is that they drink the kool aid when rooting for their teams. This blindness to reality is troubling. If you have no idea what I'm talking about talk to a Patroit fan some time. The QB is the Messiah, the coach is a stand up guy and the star WR is a great role model.
Believe it or not, the players we root for (and yes I do root for Coco)have faults and do the wrong thing sometimes.
I like the way you set up the Kool Aid dig. Well done.
While I agree with most of your posts (yes, I think you are well written, informed opinions) I believe you are a bit opportunistic and heavy handed in your Coco bashing. If Ellsbury pulled this stunt, would he be a spark plug and passionate about his role on the team? May be, may be not. I can't speak for you, but that was my first thought when I read your blog. (Which I do enjoy)
I will agree with you re: Pats fans. I took my brother-in-law to Foxboro to see the Miami game. (Dec 23). He's a Dolphin's fan and dawned his Z. Taylor jersey in the stadium. He was harassed, threatened and ridiculed. One fan got in his face, nose to nose, and told him to take off the jersey or otherwise he'll get what he deserves. Unreal. Cooler heads prevailed, but not before I told this knuckle to act like his team just won three Super Bowls.
I know your analogy served as a way to call me a "blind fan". But it reminded me of ignorant Pats fans we ran into that day.
As far as me drinking the Kool-Aid, try the cherry flavor mixed with a shot of humility, it does wonders for the soul. Enjoy.
Josh ... I like CoCo, he is a good player for the money he is getting paid. I just think his machismo actions were the root of that brawl. Thanks for the kind words concerning the blog. I wish I knew more about NASCAR to comment on yours. (What's more important a really good driver or a really good car?)
The only Kool-Aid flavor I know is red. I'll try it with some humility but that may be hard to find!!
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