Yank and Redsock fans today can enjoy one great and unifying cause: Screaming for the shrunken head of Mr. Ryan Dempster, the Boston Beaner. For two days now, the packs of roving Gammonites have generally sided with A-Rod, refusing to support any pitcher who was obviously throwing at a batter. Even Curt Schilling, the Baghdad Bob of ESPN's Redsock coverage - and who led a chorus of voices that turned the Sunday night game into a midway sideshow with A-Rod as the dunking clown - derided Dempster's craven and cowardly act. Today's Daily News speculates that Dempster could be the spark that turns around the Yankee season - with 39 games left. And the writers are still marveling about how "Fightin' Joe" Girardi backed his wayward troop. (Listen: If Joe hadn't raised bloody hell, it would have been a disgrace.)
Today, we at IT IS HIGH want to publicly forgive Mr. Dempster for his misguided act, which was obviously committed during the heat of battle. And I think it's worth noting Dempster's true crime, as the good and moral people of Boston see it:
He is guilty of blowing a three-run lead.
Yep. That's why the Redsock Nation wants a necklace of his teeth. He flubbed the game. If Dempster had shut down the Yankees into the eighth, today they'd be naming a bridge after him. The A-Rod beaning would be icing on the cake, a moment to cherish in their jewel box memories.
I know this sounds cynical - but whenever the nation's Champion of Truth, Bud Selig, starts railing about the integrity of the game, cynicism becomes my safe house. Also, I recognize that the A-Rod dispute has a million levels, and will be fought for at least the next five years.
But I view baseball with one core belief: If A-Rod had hit last October and led the Yankees to the World Series, everything would be different. The Yankees would still be treating him as royalty, and there is a possibility that this entire Biogenesis scandal might have never gone public. (I'm not saying that's good, just that it might have been swept under the rug.)
I think that's how A-Rod sees it. And I understand see why he feels that way. He believes his crime was striking out so many times on the world stage. And if so, he's got a point.
Today, it's hard to imagine the A-Rod quagmire leading to anything positive for the Yankees. We are not only Wild Card also-rans, but we are hauling this huge public relations anvil from town to town, while we wage war within our organization. Derek Jeter has already called the season a nightmare. The worst could be yet to come.
And yet, AND YET...
If A-Rod is right, and the instincts of cynicism are true... there IS one possible way out:
Lead the Yankees to a miracle championship.
If so, we in the Yankiverse should start scouring the landscape. Somewhere, we need to start the christening process for Ryan Dempster Bridge.
I believe A-Rod might have the goods on Levine. And I think the arbitration process is going to embarrass the hell out of MLB. And as a proud minion of el Duque, I also think he's absolutely right about Dumpster. Boston would love him right now if he had won the game, and loved the way he threw at the evil A-Rod monster.
ReplyDeleteGod almighty, I hope we can knock those jerks out of first place, maybe even the playoffs. It's a long shot, but so is Alphonso drinking lemonade without vodka. Which has nothing to do with anything, except that it's really a long shot.
I think I've had more fun this season that the last 2 combined. I love rooting for A-rod when he is so hated, even by my wife who rails against him, mostly over money (I counter that Oprah makes even more and can't turn on a fastball). However, yesterday in a cab traveling from the Lansing airport to the MSU campus the cabbie, out of the clear blue, I swear, started talking about A-Rod and how bad he feels for him. In no way did I indicate I even liked baseball, yet alone the Yanks.
ReplyDeleteI love hating the socks more than ever. I even love Girardi, the fierce one. (That ump deserved to be decked and Joe came pretty damn close.)
It's just loads of fun and proves that the Master really IS the master. YCPBB!!!!
IIHIIFIIc also adds to the enjoyment. So emotionally inconsistent from day to day. the true essence of fandom.
And the Gammonites may hate Dempster now, but they loved him during the game. Check the Twitter feed of Peter Gammons himself (@pgammo) from that night. He all but called for the decapitation of ARod and insulted those who dared suggest that Dempster wasn't worthy of immediate beatification buy the new pope. He said that everyone know ARod was juicing and he's affecting the integrity of the game by still playing. ... (Hey, Pete, how's Big Papi these days, anyway? But I digress ...)
ReplyDeleteWell, the view from the broadcast box up here at the highest levels of the Stadium is this: Dempster and Gammons should both be sentenced to Death by Bunga Bunga, after the traditional meal of fried chicken, Budweiser, and crow. The Master has spoken. Say, where's Suzyn? She must be down in the clubhouse, oiling up Jayson Nix now that he's back in the lineup.
ReplyDeleteOh happy day!! Yesssssss....
ReplyDelete"Boston Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster received a five-game suspension and undisclosed fine for intentionally hitting the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball senior vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. announced Tuesday."
And Robbie went 4 for 4, Ichiro 2 for 5, we scored 8 runs with nothing from Soriano (a good sign) and Joba even got a guy out!!
Holy fuck. We are on some helluva roll, and it ain't toasted onion, baby.
It's good news, John. However, since the RedSux will juggle their rotation to accommodate the suspension it doesn't mean much, does it? What ires is that MLB fined Girardi, who was simply protecting his players. If Joe's gotta pay the $$, it's too bad that roundhouse didn't land squarely on Brian O'Nora's chin. And when inexplicably Chris Stewart missed a pitch and thus Brian O'Nora got conked, was that just a coincidence? Sure hope not. Now all we need is to learn that bed bugs have infested Bud Selig's toupee, and it will be a fine week indeed.
ReplyDeleteDouchebag won't miss a start, the fine is peanuts, and he still collects his pay. THIS is punishment? REALLY???
ReplyDeleteJohn! Did you see that Jayson looked up here, in the booth, as he rounded third? That home run was for me! Ah, to oil those mighty biceps for my home run hero!
ReplyDelete