May 30, 2007
Calling Off a Fielder?
With two out in the top of the ninth, men on first and second, Jorge Posada hits a monster pop up to third. Alex Rodriguez runs behind Howie Clark, who then gives up on the ball and it falls in for a hit and an RBI. John McDonald becomes livid at A-Rod, saying Alex called Clark off the ball. Alex denied he said anything, and they don't have a good replay in which you can see if Rodriguez's mouth moved. But it sure looked like Clark thought someone called him off the ball. The Yankees lead 8-5.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:28 PM
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I was watching the Toronto broadcast and they had a close up on ARod as he ran. It definitely looked like he screamed something, I think he said "mine" (which is what an infielder might yell in that situation), just as he ran behind Clark.
I guess A-rod feels they need to pull a major league 2 right now, which is fitting i suppose :P
It isn't REALLY against the books is it? it's not very classy obviuosly... not not exaclty illegal.
I think it's awesome. If Jose Reyes did this, or Derek Jeter, it would be considered an exciting example of great teamwork/intangibles/etc.
It's illegal in high school. It's legal in the majors.
If it was an okay thing to do, wouldn't more guys do it? It's not like it's difficult or so clever no one else has thought of it. I saw the Toronto broadcast too and Clark was under it and backed off like he had been called off. Clark said afterwards he heard someone call "mine!" and A-Rod on the replay is definitely saying something as he passes by. The rules don't mention specifically mention yelling at the fielder, but they do mention a lot about prohibiting fielder confusion.
This sort of thing occurs in hockey quite often, especially when a guy is behind a guy asking for a drop pass.
John McGraw would be buying ARod a drink right now for that trick, Gene Mauch would have fined Clark for being deked, probably extra for whining to the press about it.
Quid pro quo.
Infielders do a fake tag at a base to deke runners all the time; if a runner has an opportunity to turn the tables once in a blue moon, I don't think it's unethical.
//If it was an okay thing to do, wouldn't more guys do it?//
I'm sure guys do it all the time, just not everyone gets fooled by it.
I think the issue is that if this sort of play becomes common, then fielders won't be able to trust that when they get called off they should back off, which in turn could lead to more collisions. I think this is a safety issue, which is why it isn't more common, and why it's different from deking and the like.
If it was so okay to do, why did he feel the need to lie about what he said? The replay clearly shows he said "Mine". I happen to not like the move, but if he had stuck to his guns and admitted it, I could grudgingly accept it. Lying about it, pretending he did nothing and smirking like the cat that swallowed the canary just makes it classless. And I'd feel the same way no matter who did it.
Torre doesn't seem to be too thrilled with the play either. It's bush league. You just don't do that. He's lucky there was a rookie pitcher on the mound or the next batter may have gotten drilled.
Please tell me A-Rod gets drilled the next time he plays the Blue Jays.
Amos,
One of the reasons this would not work often is that players recognize the voice of their teammates. Clark doesn't play third that often, so he may not have built up the pattern recognizer for McDonald's voice. If someone tries this on A-Rod, for example, his mind immediately registers, "That's not Jeter."
BEAN this pansy-ass mofo next time he comes up.
That's the best answer from the league.
A-Rod is a pussy cheating fairy boy.
>> A-Rod is a pussy cheating fairy boy. >>
And NOT being a pussy is leaving your catcher's mask on when you pick a fight with a guy, right?
Puh-lease.