Well gosh, let me be the first. My totally lame headline can apply to both Tim Beckham, the #1 overall pick in today’s MLB draft, and Gordon Beckham, now a member of the White Sox at #8. The draft has also yielded three catchers in 11 picks; according to ESPN’s Keith Law, the big surprise was thought-to-be-expensive 1B Yonder Alonso, picked by a team (the Reds) that’s not known for loose pursestrings.
And speaking of Cincinnati’s second-hottest sports franchise, it seemed all but certain that Ken Griffey Jr. would hit his 600th HR during a four-game stretch in Philadelphia. Instead, he missed two games, and merely pinch-hit yesterday (with Bronson Arroyo stepping in to run the bases). Junior played today, but Cole Hamels pitched a shutout, which was much needed by the Phillies after last night’s loss, which came despite 6 1/3 no-hit innings by Brett Myers. Apparently some home fans booed Myers for walking Griffey:
œIt kind of irritated me a little bit, said Myers, who had allowed just one hit up to that point. œI just don™t understand. I know they want to see a home run hit, but not in a tight game like that, especially (Tuesday) and (last night). They should be pulling for us. Yeah, he™s going to make history and hit a home run, but if he does it here or he doesn™t, he™s going to do it at some point. You™re supposed to be here patting us on the back. Believe me, I tried to go after him. I wasn™t pitching around him. I™m not scared of any hitter.”
Jason,
Brett Myers has the same disconnect from Phillies fans that Billy Wagner did. Myers was booed because his walk to Griffey was perceived as cowardice in that he was scared to throw strikes. Being that the BB to Junior was Myers 6th of the night, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and presume that he was trying his best to get him out and that the fan reaction was incorrect. During the same game, Tom Gordon apparently did deliberately pitch around Griffey in the late innings of a tight game, was booed but knew why and was wise enough not to complain to the press.
Anyway, I was at the game today and Griffeys likely last Philly appearance was all good. Griffey launched a Cole Hamels pitch 399 yards out of the 402 to the dead center CBP dead zone that would have given him #600, Shane Victorino made a excellent haul down for the out, Hamels shutout was preserved and Griffey left the field to a prolonged round of applause.
I still like Wag’s mouthiness. But anyone should be ok with booing Brett Myers any time, should they so choose. For Boston, for his personality, for his pitching. I believe he did say all the right things about losing the no-hitter though. And while I’m a Charlie fan (and he probably made a LOT of fans today in Philly benching Rollins – bet Eskin got a hard-on) I’m still a little baffled that Myers was A) allowed to hit as the 7th-to-last-out in a game the Phillies trailed and B) allowed to pitch the 8th. I kind of think Manuel was willing to risk losing the game rather than use Gordon (and he probably wasn’t dying to use Romero either), which may well be fair enough.