Brawl'n: Some Great Ump'n

GLENDALE, Calif. -- I'm sure most 90 Percenters have seen the Yanks/Rays brawl three or four times by now, but what Shelley Duncan's studs-up slide into the crotch of the Rays SS may have distracted everyone from was the tremendous efforts off the Umpire Crew that day.

2B Umpire Charlie Reliford calls Duncan out. He looks the runner in the face and tosses him a split second later. This look is key. Even when it's fairly obvious what's happening, the Umps want to give players the benefit of the doubt. But Duncan was very composed after that ridiculous slide. He didn't go in awkward. He knew what he was doing.

I also saw an angle shot from what must have been team camera right behind first base. In that shot, you can see Jerry Crawford, the 1st Base Ump, taking a keen interest in what Duncan is doing making the turn to 2nd on what was little more than routine single. Not surprisingly, when things got ugly a few seconds later, Crawford was already near the 2nd Base cutout to keep players apart (very impressive for a Spring Training game where tempers are rarely seen much less felt.) And he tossed his share in the melee. Here's the full Ump'n recap below...that's a lot of paperwork to the league office. (Left out in all this was 3B Ump Wally Bell who apparently didn't get to throw anyone out...I'll bet he was looking around for anyone he could find for the rest of the game.)

EjectionsNew York Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips ejected by HP umpire Chad Fairchild. (1st); New York Yankees first baseman Shelley Duncan ejected by 2B umpire Charlie Reliford. (2nd); New York Yankees Third Base Coach Bobby Meacham ejected by 1B umpire Jerry Crawford. (2nd); Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Jonny Gomes ejected by 1B umpire Jerry Crawford. (2nd); New York Yankees Batting Coach Kevin Long ejected by 1B umpire Jerry Crawford. (2nd).

Thursday Wrap: Draining the TiVo

"You know...I'm starting to hate baseball."

GLENDALE, Calif. -- Good land-o-goshin!

I've got Mariners Report Daily, Royals Weekly and enough Red Sox Spring segments to make Roger Angell start longing for the NFL on Fox crew. But I press ahead...winning the benefit of tidbits like Riverdance-ing closer Jonathan Papelbon dressed in a see-thru shirt at a charity dance contest in Bumbledip, Fla.

On tap:

Dodgers v. Red Sox (ESPN-HD, Penny v. Wakefield)
White Sox v. Rangers (ComcastSportsChi. Haeger v.Padilla)
Yankees v. Twins (ESPN-HD, Kennedy v. Slowey)

Top 5:


1. Dodger Power/Seven-Run 9th: Game-winning Grand Slam from Dodger Jason Repko in garbage time against the Saux. This after a three-run shot from Lucas May in the same frame. Earlier, we saw an impressive Matt Kemp blast on an outside corner pitch from Mike Timlin.

2. At 41 and still in his prime? Tim Wakefield is proving that the knuckleball is truly the fountain of youth. He tied up more than a few big-league bats with that wicked googly. Kinda makes me wonder why we don't see more of this nasty pitch -- where has Steve Sparks gone? Want your kid in the NFL...teach 'em to long snap. Want 'em in MLB for 30 years? Have 'em pitch with no spin. (Although White Sox AAA knuckler Charlie Haeger got a bit touched up, watching three score on 5 hits in 3 innings of work today...but got a few "He gone"s for his efforts.)

3. The Cheetah! As we mentioned before, it's Spring for the umps, too. One thing that the 90 Percent baseball blog will offer you is top-flight umpire discussion. And I was lucky enough to have umpiring legend #4 Tim Tschida manning first to start the Dodgers game today. Not much more to say than he did swimmingly. Did you know...umps must rotate in Spring games, as Chester Cheetah was seen at 2nd base...executing that patented high-knee fist-pump to call the top end of a double-play.

4. Plus Free Use of the Clubhouse: Speaking of Papelbon, he's going to make $755K this year instead of the $450K range he made last year, thanks to the generosity of the Red Sox ownership. For the record, Mssr. Gagne signed a contract for $10 million with the Brewers in December, three days before the Mitchell Report was released. Sorry, Game Over. We'll always have 2004...

5. The New Hunter? Delmon Young, the Twins new hope in the outfield after Torii left for the Big A, c-r-u-s-h-e-d an Ian Kennedy hanger over the 408 foot center field fence against the Yanks in the top of the 2nd. They're crazy for him in St. Paul. (Local reference!) No bats where thrown at umps in his three ABs.


Honorable Mention: CWS big dude Jermaine Dye crashed into the right field wall of Tuscon Electric Park on a wind-driven fly ball. He appears to be fine, but took an awkward bump and fall. Left Fielder Brian Anderson made up for it by gunning down Babe-Ruth-of-the-Month Winner and former-Tiger Chris Shelton at home plate. "He gone" apparently also applies to such plays.

It's Always Sunny in Tampa: Yankees/Phillies from Fla.

The Good Life: A Yankee Fan shows off two rings unrelated to baseball. To his left, another fan's shirt suggests that the "Mets Suck".

Bonus to the the YES Network for HD coverage on a perfect sunny afternoon from the HQ of NYY operations. (Fun fact: every spring game has sold out since the 1996 opening of Legends "Soon-to-Be George Steinbrenner III" Field. C'mon Devil Ray fans...you'll always have a special place in 90 Percent's heart for scouting Scottie, but you've gotta go to a couple games for YOUR team each year.)

Jeter appears to be a bit leaner than last year, maybe trying to one-up fitness-freak skipper Joe Girardi? J. Giambi is clearly not leaner than last year, perhaps trying to one-up Joba Chamberlain -- the pleasantly plump reliever hoping to make the leap to the starting rotation.

For the Yanks, we had Honest Andy Pettitte, fresh off apologizing to every human being he could find for using HGH (c'mon now...he even apologized to the broadcast team in the hallway). For the Phils, we had Cole Hamels (who is publicly aiming for the Cy Young this year). Awesome!

Top 5

1. Our new, lean Jeets goes deep in the hole on a Pedro Feliz grounder, lifts-off in patented Jeets fashion and torches a throw across his body to pinch the fleet-footed Philly at first (though called safe on the play, Huddy replay showed it was an out. Hey, it's Spring for the Umps as well.)

2. Disappointing day for current Philly/former Dodger rising-star...your attention please (pregnant pause) now starting (pause) in center field (with deep bass, one word) Jaysonwerth. He dropped a toughie in the sun on the run, missed the cutoff man on a throw from the warning track and did next to nothing at the plate in four tries, going 0 for 3, BB. Adding insult, his replacement in center was 1 for 1... and made a diving grab that made SportCenter.

3. Hamels hangs a breaking ball for Giambi that went about halfway to St. Pete! (A little local humor there.)

4. Skipper J. Girardi crossed the dugout to congratulate Melky Cabrera for a run-scoring sacrifice fly...in Spring Training. I think I remember J. Torre blinking once in 2001.

5. Tall Boy Kyle Farnsworth giving up a Home Run to Pat Burrell on his second pitch...a.k.a.: the moment Yanks gabber Michael Kay predicted that a great Farnsie spring would allow the Yanks to move Joba up from the bullpen.

FUKUDOME WATCH

0 for 3 today. What's Japanese for frownie?