At long last... payback for Frankie! It's nice to have had a hand in Joe Maddon's downfall

After botching 12 straight, Joe Maddon has been chewed up and spat out as manager of the Los Angeles California at Anaheim Angels. Pttuui. 

The Yankees supplied three of those losses. Hooray!

Maddon has occupied my personal vendetta list since March 8, 2008, when he sicced one of his Tampa Ray goons on young Francisco Cervelli, who was waiting on a throw home. The thug leveled Cervelli, breaking his wrist and nearly wrecking his career - for a spring training game. 

Maddon backed the move, claiming he favored cheap shots on defenseless opposing catchers in meaningless outings. (Not maybe his exact words.) Next time we played the Rays, a true Yankee hero - Shelley Duncan - slid spikes-up into second, launching a brawl. 

If Duncan ever gets into trouble in Syracuse, I've got his bail. The fight seemed to end the matter for the Yankees. But not for me. 

So, 14 years later, have we gotten final payback for Cervelli? To be honest, the Yankees hurt Frankie, too. In 2021, in the final moments of spring training, they traded for backup catcher Chris Stewart, relegating Cervelli to Scranton - which wasn't even Scranton, because the city was replacing its muddy turf, and the team would spent the hellish season riding buses. He was so demoralized that his parents had to talk him out of quitting. And after another wipeout at home, causing a concussion, he ended up wearing a large helmet, being called "Gazoo," based on a character from the Flintstones.  

Though hit with migraines, Cervelli cobbled together a nice MLB career and retired in 2021. He's now a coach for the Padres. My guess is that, if anybody asked, he would express no hard feelings against Maddon; maintaining grudges - that's the job for us fans. 

Some looming grudges...

1. Sad to see Joey Gallo still blaming his woes on the over-shift. He acts as if he's the only hitter to suffer because defenses simply play him smartly. He says he won't change his hitting ways. I get the frustration. But we're getting nowhere. And this is a bad sign.

2. Strangely conflicted emotions about seeing Gary Sanchez as a Twin. Part of me smiled when a wild pitch hit the backstop. I can say with a clear conscience that I rooted for Gary all the way to the last pitch of his Yankee time - every Yankee fan did - but he couldn't deliver. We all knew a change of scenery would help him. Honestly, I wish the guy luck.

3. The Yankees are playing like a team that knows it will win every game. Last night, the offense kept piling it on - five runs in the 8th and 9th. This is so different from recent years, when the offense scored two in the first and then called it a night. There is a fundamental change within this team.  

4. We wonder: How long can this last? The answer: As long as our starters pitch well. Last night, Jameson Taillon went 4 innings and gave up 4. Let's not play the Death Star siren... yet. We cannot have five Cy Young winners. 

We really need tonight's game, though. Lose, and the season's clearly over. 

Like Joe Maddon.

(A note to Scottish Yankee Fan, please contact me at hseely@twcny.rr.com. A friend of the blog would like to get together. My guess: You'll get a free drink out of it, at the least.)