As long as it's not Edgar Martinez - whose mere presence in an on-deck circle still haunts me - or that self-righteous blob of jellied morality who bilked the good people of New Hampshire out of their tax money - let's call the Cooperstown Class of 2018 what it is:
A big, fluffy, floating, harmless, anti-Yankee hair ball.
For your consideration...
Chipper Jones twice faced us in the World Series with Atlanta, and each was as pleasurable as a barefoot romp through a field of nipples. In 1996, we roared back on the bat of Jim Leyritz to launch the great Yankee Teams of Torre. Chipper went 6-21 (.286) with no homers and three RBIs. Three years later, his Braves returned to seek revenge. They lasted four games. Chipper went 3-13.
I'm not saying he wasn't a great player and is undeserving of the Hall. Over his career, Jones went 35-103 against the Yankees (.340) in the regular season. I just can't remember one game that mattered. When I hear the word "Chipper," I think of the dismemberment scene in the movie "Fargo."
Trevor Hoffman's induction greases next summer's path for Mariano, in his first eligible year. (If it's not unanimous, Trump will order a Justice Dept. probe.) A great closer - no doubt, but I smile remembering the 1998 World Series, in which the San Diego saver recorded not one save. In fact, his lone appearance in game three resulted in two runs and a loss. Nothing but fond memories.
Vladimir Guererro did hurt us once - the 2005 ALCS, with the Angels, when he went 6-18 with a few dunk singles. Still, he doesn't stand out from that horrible, wretched debacle - (Juan Rivera and Bengie Molina, ugh) - which came during the Great Dark Age following The Curse. Vladimir faced us twice more - the 2009 Angels, who we beat - and 2010 Rangers, which did us in. But he wasn't a force in that series, hitting .269. In his post-season career against the Yankees, just one home run.
When you study Hall of Fame resumes, you can conjure some serious Yankee killer demons of the night. Vlad the Impaler isn't one of them.
Finally Jim Thome. He faced us four times in the post-season, his teams going 1-3. In the 1997 Divisional Series - when his Indians beat us - he hit a measly .200. A year later, he blasted 4 HRs in the ALCS, but we won, so who cares? In his two final incarnations - with Minnesota (2010) and Baltimore (2011) - Thome was a memory of his former self. Combined, he went 2 for 22.
Over his regular season career, he hit 26 HRs against us, batting .251. But you know what? He hit 35 against Boston and batted .271.
Finally, none of the steroid untouchables - Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, et al - won induction. I've made my opinion clear about what I consider extreme, hypocritical Gammonitic piousness. But as long as the Great Steroid Wall remains in effect, that means no plaque for Big Papi, right? RIGHT?
So be it. If that's the rule, I'll take it.
ReplyDelete...as pleasurable as a barefoot romp through a field of nipples
This is why I show up here every morning to start my day.
Yeah, LBJ, me too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a snorer of a HOF class. We should all go and chant "Lar-ry...Lar-ry.."
Good for them. All four are deserving of being in the HOF. Guererro was the best “ bad ball “ hitter I ever saw.
ReplyDeleteLoved the nipples line! And yeah, I'm okay with the Steroid Wall as long as Big You-Know-Who does not get in.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm not confident. Mike Piazza and I-Rod have already tunneled underneath the Wall. I expect Papi will be there soon, as the Gammonites explain that A-Rod and Clemens can't make it because of...well, just because!
Agree with how these guys never hurt us—bad—though I still feel a deep longing in my heart that we missed out on Vlad, apparently because Coop thought he'd have trouble adjusting to NYC, and George thought Sheffield was "a gamer." Sigh.
Those always brings back memories of Game 6, ALCS, 1998. Yanks coasting along, up 6-1, top of the 5th. Some of us had made the mistake of bringing along a Mets fan who, bored with this bravado display of Yankees supremacy, remarked idly, "Gee, it would really make it a more interesting game if Thome hit a grand-slam homer here."
From his lips to the ears of the equally bored JuJu gods, still not satiated with Chuck Knoblauch's follies in the same series. Next thing we know, the ball is in the right field seats, and we are (half-heartedly) trying to keep the whole section from tossing our Mets friend out on the field.
Anyway, it was at least good to see ballplayers in the paper, even if there was no Yankees story.
Our count remains, Soccer 11, Yankees 1.
I saw a 19-year-old Vlad hit a home run in a Binghamton Mets game on a two-for-Tuesday (Labatt) promo night many moons ago. He hit it so hard, and the ball flew so far and so fast, and the bat made such a sound, that we just knew this guy was destined for MLB. That is my third best MLB in-person memory behind seeing Al Leiter’s first career base hit with Mustang, and watching Don Mattingly go 4-4 with 2 homers and an incredible play down the first base line. Wait, the only time I saw Donnie Baseball in person he DH’d (Maas played the field) and I’m fairly certain the game was rained out, or at least was affected by a steady, dreary rain.
ReplyDeleteBig Pappy is going to be admitted as soon as he is eligible.
ReplyDeleteThere is no justice.
We are talking a field of ( female ) nipples, right?
Duque?
IF PAPI GETS IN..... WE REVOLT.
ReplyDeleteGENTLEMAN JACK AND FEMALE NIPPLES IN HAND....
WE REVOLT.
ALWAYS LOVED THE BRAVES BACK IN CHIPPER'S DAY....
ReplyDeleteMY 2ND FAVORITE TEAM.
COULDN'T BEAT US....
ALWAYS BEAT THE METS....
SWEET!
Favorite games in person...ah, I've been so lucky. There are so many.
ReplyDeleteI guess these are my top onesÚ
—Yanks taking the Braves to win the 1996 WS. What a great game, what a great crowd!
—That crazy, 13-inning win over Boston, before the deluge, in 2004.
—David Wells' perfect game, just because it's so rare.
—Yanks beating the Braves to win the 1999 WS. Much more expected, but hey, a ring is a ring!
—The Mick singling in Fenway Park, 1968. Second and last time I ever saw him play in person.
—That crazy, 15-inning win in the rain against Seattle in 1995, where Mariano came in to shutout the Mariners for the last three innings.
—That 9-5 win over Cleveland to clinch the ALCS in 1998.
—A double-borough, doubleheader in 1985, when I saw the Mets win a terrific, one-run victory over the Cards, then went to the Bronx to see the Yanks beat Toronto—I think that was the game where the person singing the Canadian National Anthem botched the lyrics, and everyone booed her. Both teams were in the thick of the pennant race, both games were nearly sold out. Neither won, but still, great afternoon-evening of baseball.
—Watching the Mets (yes, the Mets) win the "grand-slam single" game in the rain, 1999. We ended it sitting in some nice seats, right next to Bud Harrelson. I was happy enough the Mets won, but really, my eye was on the scoreboard the whole time. When Ventura hit that ball I was ecstatic—because the Yanks had just gone ahead up in Boston!
Gee, how is it so many great games happen in the rain?
Mine had to be the Bucky Dent HR game.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIt's funny but I don't have one. My buddies and I used to go pretty much every week when they were in town during the summers of 76, 77, 78 but no game really stands out.
I remember Ron Bloomberg dropping the ball at first and ruining the only chance at a triple play that I could have seen live.
I remember being in HS and sitting in right field and some college guys got the whole section to chant "Crowley is a bum! Crowley is a bum!" at Orioles outfielder Terry Crowley and he got so rattled that he made an error, got hit by a pitch, and was taken out of the game.
I remember the last game at the original old stadium (pre-rennovation) when the fans started taking apart the place and someone handed me a row of seats but they were to big to take back on the subway. someone else gave me a screwdriver and I popped my seat number off and stuck it in my pocket. It is framed and hanging on my wall.
Mostly I remember sitting in the top row of the upper deck getting a buzz because the ushers couldn't get to us in time to bust us. Plus the stadium had those big window like holes at the top for easy disposal.
Then that feeling when the anthem was over and we moved down 30 rows and the field just glowed and we'd yell "Play Ball!" and Guidry would throw warm up pitches to Munson and there was no better place to be and no better team to watch.
Doug K.
My favorite game is our next victory. And my second fave is our last one.
ReplyDelete#1 -- Bucky Dent, in the left field bleachers. Can't say enough what a critical play Piniella's fake out was.
ReplyDelete#2 -- Cone 1996 WS game from temporary seats right about where Hank Aaron's 715th landed. Down 2-0 on the road and Braves fans were cocky for about 7 innings. Most Yankee fans were drunk as hell when the game started.
#3 -- Regular season don't remember which year, but vs. red flops. Bottom of the first, walk, single, Mattingly HR. It was pretty much a drinking contest after that.
#4 -- Regular season Wednesday DAY game, 1993. Two women fighting in the bleachers. Fists, not slapping. They beat up the security guards who came to break up the fight before A LOT of uniformed policia hauled them away not nicely. Also, same game on the way in - bottom of the train escalator, a guy in hand cuffs beating beaten in the head because the two guys beating him didn't believe the name he gave them. We assumed they were also policia, but had street clothes on. No one, nobody, even looked over at them.
Yeah, there used to be a lot more fights. I remember a vendor getting into a fight with a guy back in the early '80s. Kicked his ass, too. They used to be a major attraction—everybody would look over.
ReplyDeleteAlphonso and Rufus, you were BOTH at the Bucky Dent game? I'm Monster green with envy. Even though Jonathan Schwartz is a dyed-in-the-wool Sox fan, his account of that game is so great...
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