That's An Odd Way Of Not Caring

This morning Craig from Shysterball/Circling The Bases brought forward a quote a quote K-Rod gave last year, which would seem to contradict the his motives for confronting Brain Bruney in the outfield during BP on Sunday:

"The only thing I have to worry about is getting the job done, and I don't have to worry about anyone else."

However, Rodriguez acknowledged he's heard grumbling over his career.

"All the time. I don't care. Why would I care about that? I only care about my job," he said. "I'm not changing it. I don't care what people say. That's my way. People can say I'm arrogant, a (jerk), anything they want to say. But me, I'm going to live my world. I don't care what people think or say."

The type of person who celebrates wildly after converting three outs before giving up three runs isn't likely to be the type who brushes off comments from opposing players about doing so. In fact, earlier in that article, he drops a hint as to why criticism from someone like Bruney might have pissed him off:

I don't hear any complaints from veteran hitters, superstars... I'm going to hear from a bench player?

Yes, that's exactly who you are going to hear it from. A guy like Bruney who would probably kill to be good enough to be paid tens of millions of dollars per year and be heralded as one of the best closers in the game. He is the perfect example of someone who is going to resent K-Rod for his displays. Hence, he is going to resent the fact that K-Rod goes off after converting a save, something Bruney would never do.

Mariano Rivera, on the other hand, can expose K-Rod for the attention slut that he is by simply walking off the mound after converting a save. He would never be on either side of a frivolous "story" like this. If anything, the little tiff between these two should make you appreciate Rivera and the way he conducts himself even more.

Jim Baumbach Needs To Work On His Columns

That is the title of a column written by Newsday's Jim Baumbach. With Bruney poised to return from the DL shortly, perhaps you would interpret that to mean that he literally needs to work on his pitching motion, which he probably does. It does not.

Bruney needs to work on his delivery
Jim Baumbach
10:13 PM EDT, June 14, 2009

The funniest part about that quote, of course, is that Brian Bruney started this war with Francisco Rodriguez by doing the exact opposite.

What quote, Jim? It's the first sentence of the article and I'm already lost. Do you mean the headline? Because that's neither a "quote", nor "funny". What would be the "exact opposite" of working on one's delivery? Was Bruney was practicing his receiving?

So while Bruney respects the Mets closer for going shoulder to shoulder with him in the outfield during batting practice and yelling at him, perhaps the real question here is this:

Does Brian Bruney respect Brian Bruney?

What is/are the other question(s) you are alluding to which necessitate you to refer to your question as the "real" one? My question is actually this: Why did you insist on typing out Brian Bruney the second time instead of just saying "himself"?

Whether you agree with Bruney that K-Rod's celebrations are "embarrassing" and a "tired act," as Bruney told reporters after his rehab appearance in Trenton on Saturday, is not the point. The fact remains, Bruney's verbal attack was completely unprovoked and downright unnecessary.

I agree with this in principle, but I never heard such faux media outrage when other players were attacking Joba's fistpumping. Joba was destroying the integrity of the game with his unsportsmanlike showmanship, but any commentary on K-Rod's histrionics are "downright unnecessary"?

Hey, I'm all for a war of words through the media, because let's face it, on this topic, I'm 100 percent biased. If a Yankee wants to rip another Met, or vice versa, I have my recorder ready.

We know, Jim. You are ready to mail in a half-assed column on a "war of words" in a tenth of a second, because it keeps you from having to write about anything insightful. And I'm more than willing to do a line by line critique of it because it's easier than coming up with original material, so we are on the same side.

But you always must look at the person who's doing the criticizing, and take that into consideration, as well. If Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley or, heck, John Franco, even, said those same words, then wow!

Way to undermine the importance of your entire article.

But Bruney? Try staying off the disabled list for 62 straight days before you start questioning the on-field behavior of the guy who set the major-league single-season record with 62 saves.

If you didn't rely entirely on a trite numeric device, you would have a point here. Bruney avoided the DL for well over 62 straight days in 2007. That's not really saying much, aside from the fact that Baumbach's original 62 days/62 saves set up was lazy and stupid.

At least he realized he made a mistake, admitted as much after Sunday's game and also didn't escalate matters when K-Rod went after him during batting practice.

For those keeping score at home, this is the 8th paragraph of the column and none have been over two sentences long.

Should Rodriguez have simply responded, "Who's Brian Bruney?" and leave it at that? You can make that case, sure. But I don't have a problem with him going on the offensive.

Let me see if I understand you correctly, Jim. Brian Bruney's verbal attack (which you didn't disagree with) was unnecessary, but K-Rod excaserbating the situation by actually confronting him in the outfield over it and having to be physically restrained by a teammate, that you agree with? Gotcha.

From the video, Rodriguez clearly let Bruney have it - verbally, not physically - before being ushered away by teammate Mike Pelfrey.

And Bruney, to his credit, stood there and accepted it, rather than open his mouth and say something else stupid. "He had some things he had to say," Bruney said, "and I'll leave it at that."

Please watch the video again, Jim. Bruney did not just stand there an accept it. Words were exchanged from both sides.

Hours later, both players said their tiff was over, and rightfully so.

This is over when Jim Baumbach says it's over.

As Mets infielder Alex Cora correctly pointed out, it's not like either pitcher will get a chance to drill the other with a pitch.

"They're two relievers," Cora said. "What are they going to do?"

Yell at each other in the outfield during BP?

After the first installment of Subway Series games, we've learned a few things about these teams. Luis Castillo should use two hands on pop-ups. The Yankees can't hit unknowns but do just fine against Cy Young Award winners. And Bruney really should start thinking before he talks.

We've learned a few things by reading this column. Any complaints about K-Rod's spastic victory celebrations are "downright unnecessary". Jim Baumbach looks forward to writing about trival bullshit.

And he loves one sentence paragraphs.

Remember, this is a guy who Saturday admitted he was lying when he told his bosses earlier this year his elbow felt good.

That doesn't indicate that he wasn't thinking before he spoke.

Admirable? Please.

Group these two one-words sentences into another paragraph? Please.

Days later, he was back on the DL and the Yankees were without their eighth-inning pitcher.

AHHHHHH! Maybe that was why he didn't want to tell them him elbow hurt in the first place, you dick. If he had told them eariler, they would have lost their eighth inning pitcher even sooner.

As K-Rod went looking for Bruney Sunday, he was asking teammates: "Is that him? Is that him?" Their one-sided chat lasted no more than a few seconds, and Bruney came away impressed.

"I heard he's a good dude," Bruney said. "I'm sure he is. It wasn't anything personal."

Okay, what? He "came away impressed" from K-Rod verbally assaulting him in the outfield?

Nothing personal? Ha! The question posed to Bruney was about the crazy end to Friday night's game, and he responded by offering this gem: "Couldn't have happened to a better guy on the mound, either. He's got a tired act."

Hmmm, I think you might have wanted to introduce the quote that sparked this entire feud a little earlier in the story, no?

Sunday, Bruney saw the Hunterdon County Democrat reporter who asked that question, and sarcastically thanked him for creating the stir.

Later, he turned his ire to the reporters surrounding him.

"I think it is ridiculous," Bruney said, "that this is a big story."

Joke's on us, I guess, for lending any credibility to his words.

Yes. Yes it is Jim. But thank you for acknowledging as much at the very end of your 600 word column which ran after the entire scenario had already played out.

Game 41: Tumbling Dice

Jay's vacation winds to Baltimore tonight to see Trey Anastasio with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Meanwhile, back in New York, the Yankees will go for a sweep of the O's.

The subplot for tonight's game will be Aubrey Huff vs. Joba Chamberlain. When the two met on May 10th, Huff took Joba deep. Apparently insulted by Joba's "fist pump" antics following one of his 3 career Ks against him (in 8 previous PAs), Huff now had his revenge and the ten year veteran responded with exaggerated, preconceived fist pumps while rounding first and crossing the plate. He made sure he was looking right at Joba both times. You tell me whose actions are more bush league.

That said, I doubt anything will happen tonight. This is essentially a media issue at this point. While I wasn't opposed to some sort of retaliation 11 days ago, why mess with a good thing now? Perhaps a good brawl would have served to kick start a team that had lost 6 of 7, but there's no sense in resorting to such tactics when you've won eight in a row. Joba's best revenge will be to sit him down, not knock him down. And if that fails, the two teams still meet nine more times this year. Sometimes it's better to have a long memory as opposed to a short fuse.

Brett Gardner returns to the line-up for the first time since banging up his shoulder during his daring/ill-advised mad dash for the plate Sunday. Damon takes a seat after wrenching his neck chasing Adam Jones' HR last night. He should only be out one day, which of course is Girardi-speak for "he'll be having his vertebrae fused tomorrow morning". And CMW will make one more AAA start. That means Hughes will start in Texas Monday, where he'll look to do this again (minus the pulled hammy). Thanks to LoHud for all of the above notes.

Yesterday we went with the Beatles, so it's only fitting that today we go with the Stones: the Gehrig and Ruth of the British Invasion - and arguably all of rock and roll. Just like a crap shooter, you need some luck in life. Mick and Keef needed luck to still be alive and touring after all these years. A ball club needs luck to rattle off a winning streak this long. Since I dropped in this week we've seen sixes and sevens (and eights), tonight we go for nines. Let's hope the dice tumble the Yanks' way tonight and they don't crap out.



Always in a hurry, I never stop to worry,
Don't you see the time flashing by?
Honey, got no money,
I'm all sixes and sevens and nines.
Say now baby I'm the rank outsider,
You can be my partner in crime.
But baby, I can't stay,
You've got to roll me
and call me the tumbling dice.

Papeljerk

For the record, I don't approve of Joba's fist pumping (which he has cut back on significantly since he's become a starter), but I think he gets unfairly singled out for doing it. Guys like Papelbon, K-Rod and even fucking Eddie Guardado bust out histrionics way beyond what Joba does, and no one really seems to mind.

Did you see this, Aubrey Huff? Are you anxiously awaiting the slim possibility that you hit a homer off of Papelbon, so you can pump your fist and show him up like the vindictive ex-girlfriend your name would lead me to believe you are? What better way to prove that fist pumping is a bush league manuver than to do it yourself... However, I'm guessing the answer to the second question is "No".

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And for just for good measure:

Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right

Hey Aubrey Huff, didn't your mother ever tell you that?