Baseball Notes - June 29th, 2006

Catching up on the last few days:

Brett Myers Asks For Leave of Absence

I don't normally like to comment on criminal matters until all the facts are known. Now that we've reached that point, the decision of the Philadelphia Phillies to allow him to make his start last Saturday in Boston is even more questionable.

Based on the chilling witness accounts of the ugly incident in Boston late last Thursday night, Brett Myers appears to have a very serious problem, and he needs help to correct it. Several witnesses claim that Myers' wife (who is a foot shorter than Myers, and over 100 pounds lighter) was being dragged by the hair, was punched several times in the face, and was screaming "I'm not going to let you do this to me anymore".

From that comment, any reasonable person can deduce that this isn't the first time disputes between Myers and his wife turned physical.

What happens behind closed doors when these players are away from the field is often unknown, but you'd have to suspect that professional athletes are no different than people in other professions. Domestic violence can be found in any walk of life, and professional athletes are different only in that their transgressions attract greater attention, both from the media and from the fans that follow the game.

From a public relations standpoint, the Phillies can argue that they were unaware of the details, and as is always the case when professional athletes run afoul of the law, they chose to make their decisions on Myers until more facts were known. That's a team's attempt to be fair with the player, but they likely could've handled it a bit differently.

I'm sure that nobody, likely even Myers himself, would've faulted the Phillies for pushing his start back a few days, until the team was out of Boston. By then, more details would've emerged and the Phillies could do what's right for Myers (a few weeks away to think about what he's done) and the team.

But that didn't happen, and the Phillies have a public relations nightmare to go along with a 7-game losing streak that's left that 12 games back in the NL East, and tied with the allegedly rebuilding Florida Marlins.

AROD Pulls a Papi

While it probably isn't enough to get all the people in the Bronx on his side, Alex Rodriguez did deliver in the clutch yesterday. His 2-run, walk-off HR in the bottom of the 12th gave the Yanks a 4-3 win over the Braves, and for once, AROD wasn't booed after an at-bat in a clutch situation.

As someone who has seen David Ortiz hit game-ending HR after game-ending HR, watching AROD approach home plate was hysterically funny. He had absolutely no idea what to do. He flipped off his helmet too late, started high-fiving his teammates too early and made a pathetic attempt to jump onto homeplate.

Someone needs to send some video montage of Big Papi's executing this manuever to the Yankee clubhouse, because clearly AROD needs to know how it's done. For the record:

Step 1 - Hit the HR.
Step 2 - High-five the 3B coach, making sure to cock your right hand before, or just as you round, third base.
Step 3 - Discard your helmet halfway between third base and home plate.
Step 4 - Jump above the extended hands of your teammates onto home plate.
Step 5 - Lead your teammates in the "jump up and down" celebration at home plate.

If AROD needs any more instructions, maybe he can ask Johnny Damon. He took part in plenty while in Boston.

Lastings Milledge Hates Fenway Park

Why did the Mets play Lastings Milledge in LF? The rook had been playing solid defense in RF, and in Fenway Park, you want someone with Milledge's range and cannon arm playing RF. Putting him, instead of a veteran, in LF is just irresponsible.

But that's what Willie Randolph did, and Milledge predictably stumbled.

Fenway Applauds Pedro

I was very pleased with the reaction from the Fenway Faithful on Tuesday night, and even more so on Wednesday. Pedro Martinez, just like Johnny Damon, needed to be appluaded for what he accomplished while a member of the Boston Red Sox. For 7 years, Pedro was "The Man" in Boston. His starts were events, not to be missed no matter what scheduling conflict you may have had (including weddings, child birth, etc...).

As for his start last night, I'll just say the guy has had better days. However, Youkilis and Loretta's hits to start the game were displays of good hitting, and the overshift-induced mental lapse is excusable. Nixon hits a sac fly, Varitek delivers a solid single and Pedro is down 2-0. Add to that, Milledge botching an easy fly ball by Mike Lowell, and you've got the 4-0 deficit Pedro Martinez dreaded.

Psst...

I really don't want to say this too loudly, but the Seattle Mariners are just 2 back of the AL West leading Oakland A's. I've watched the last two Mariners games, and I've got to give some credit to Mike Hargrove, who shuffled the Mariners lineup a few weeks ago, and the response thus far has been solid.

I was doing some digging, and I discovered that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, probably the most feared 3-4 duo in any lineup in the American League, have combined to knock in 122 runs. Seattle's 3-4, Jose Lopez and Raul Ibanez, have knocked in 118.

The Rise and Fall

A look around the MLB standings shows the following:

AL East - Boston has opened up a 3.5 game lead on the Yankees, with the Blue Jays still 5 back, and very much in the mix.

AL Central - Detroit has opened up a 2 game lead on the White Sox. All of the top 3 teams in the AL Central (Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota) are 9-1 in their last 10. That's a sign of three teams getting very quality pitching, and some timely hitting. Joe Mauer is proving that he's one of the best hitters in baseball, regardless of age.

AL West - As mentioned, the Mariners and A's are the bread in the Rangers sandwich. Texas is 1.5 back of the A's, with the M's sitting 2 back. The Angels are treading water, but have not yet shown any signs of swimming.

NL East - Even after getting thumped in Boston the last two nights, the Mets lead in the NL East is very safe. They're 12 games up on the Phillies and Marlins, 15 up on the Braves and Nationals.

NL Central - Give the Reds credit: They're still just 1.5 back of the Cardinals, and 2 games up in the NL Wild Card chase. Milwaukee has passed the Astros for 3rd place. Houston needs to give Clemens some run support if they want any return on that huge monthly salary they're giving the Rocket.

NL West - San Diego has a 1.5 game lead on both the Dodgers and Rockies, with San Francisco just 2 back. Arizona continues to slump in the wake of the Jason Grimsley incident, and are 4.5 back in a division they looked poised to run away with. Nobody needs the All-Star break more than the Diamondbacks.

Get Well Soon, Peter Gammons

Bill Simmons put it best. When I first heard the news about Peter Gammons, it was like finding out a family member was going in for surgery.

Every Sunday, Peter Gammons' columns in the Boston Globe were a must-read. During house parties in my 20s, whenever Gammons came on SportsCenter or Baseball Tonight, everyone kept quiet to listen to what the "Commish" had to say.

When I first heard the news that Peter Gammons suffered a brain anuersym, I was in shock. I didn't want to imagine a baseball season without Gammons. I still don't. Peter Gammons is the reason why I wanted to write in the first place. His honesty about, and passion for, the game and people he covers are what make him the best sportswriter in the business.