That Is The Question

After yesterday's post, JAT reader Austin Henley brought up the issue of "To run over the catcher in a spring training game, Or not to run over the catcher in a spring training game?" This question, of course, stems from the controversy surrounding the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay 'Don't call me Devil' Rays. The questionable play happened this past weekend when a Tampa prospect, Elliot Johnson, ran over a Yankees catching prospect, Francisco Cervelli at home plate, breaking Cervelli's wrist. Normally, this play would be seen as just a hard-nosed, competitive effort by Johnson, yet Yankees manager Joe Girardi didn't see it that way. He thought it was a bush-league play, claiming that Johnson broke an unwritten rule by running over the catcher in a meaningless exhibition game.

Much debate has taken place in the four days since the play, and I'm a little late to the party, but here's my two cents anyway: As far as I'm concerned, if it were Jorge Posada behind the plate, and BJ Upton was the runner, then yes, that would be a bit unneccesary, as each of them are established veterans who will have no problem making their respective teams. However, the play in question involved a young, no-name player trying to make a tough play an possibly catch the eye of the manager. There's no guarantee that Elliot Johnson will make Tampa, or any team for that matter, so what choice does he really have? He doesn't have the credibility or leverage that an established player, such as A-Rod, Jeter, Manny, or someone of that caliber would, to take any play off or to ease up at the plate to avoid a collision. If Johnson had done that, it's possible that he wouldn't have even made the roster the next day, much less the entire season.

The other side of that coin is, if spring training is meaningless, Mr. Girardi, why is your catcher blocking the plate? Oh, that's right, his name is Francisco Cervelli, another no-name youngster just trying to make a team. Do you think Girardi would be fine with Cervelli standing idle as Johnson scored standing up since it's 'just spring training'? I sure don't. (Side note-It's 'just spring training' for established stars who have long-term contracts with their team. For young guys and marginal vets, spring training is the proving ground to show that they belong. It's basically a month-long job interview, not exactly something to be taken lightly.)

Also, on the way to work this morning, I was listening to 'Mike and Mike' on the radio, and they told the story of a similar play ten or so years ago. It involved the Yankees, a home-plate collision, and Joe Girardi. This time, though, Girardi was the catcher on the questionable play. His reaction then, even though it was in spring training? "It was a hard play, nothing dirty about it." Hmmm, my how a little bit of money, power, and name regognition change things, eh Joe?

-Twig

PS-This may be old news as I type this, but when I went to espn.com to look up the names of the players involved with the brawl, I saw that, in their rematch this afternoon, the Yankees beaned one of the Rays top prospects, and another Yank went spikes-up at second base, starting a bench-clearing brawl. Classy, guys...One more reason to hate the New York Yankees.