SORRY FOLKS. RUBEN TEJADA NEEDS TO BE MORE AGILE

I mean, is the media mad at the Chase Utley's slide, or are they just mad that the New York Mets lost?  I mean, I know the Mets are America's team these days, but the slide that Chase Utley made in a critical moment in last night's Game 2 of the NLDS was nothing that hasn't happened 100 times before.

Here's the thing, the media is in love with the Mets.  And let me go further, and let's be honest; if Ron Darling doesn't ask the question in the booth, "You don't think that play is dirty?", I'm not sure we're talking about this. Watch the clip below. No one seems shocked.  It's business as usual until it's determined that Tejada is hurt and Darling starts stirring the pot.

Darling also states... "They wouldn't even allow that in the NFL."  Charged words. And, OK, it's really not part of baseball to even drag that into the conversation. But clearly Darling is rooting for the Mets.

Look, Ty Cobb used to go in spikes high. That was dirty.  That was later banned.  But we all know that runners going to second on a potential double play have to try and take out that fielder. And guess who also knows that? Infielders.  We have all seen it happen for years in baseball.

Your job as a runner is to break up that play so your teammate can make it to first and so your inning can continue. Bottom line.

Sometimes you slide in hard. Sometimes you slide in really hard. Sometimes you even slide in exceptionally wide to go after that fielder.  It happened the other night between Beltre and Tulowitzki.

Sometimes you even slide in really late, you throw your hands up or you go in real aggressive as to get that fielder to lose balance or to not get that throw off... and you know what?

That's the game ladies and gentlemen! That's the game!  Ruben Tejada? He needs to get the hell out of the way!  Why in the hell is no one talking about that?  I mean... look at it?

No question Chase Utley comes into the base awkardly and slide is late. Trust me, I'm no fan of Chase Utley. But I do not see what the different is between his slide and others I've seen in Major League Baseball over the past 25 years, even longer.



Tejada needs to be athletic. Tejada needs to be more nimble, more agile. Tejada needs to move his ass and get that runner out at first. That's his job!

Look, I feel bad for Tejada.  The Mets are having a nice season and now the guy is out. That sucks. But the media is in love with the Mets this season, after all... it's a nice story.  But let's call that Utley slide what it is... it's baseball,  and whether you call it clean or not, the bottom line is Utley had done what plenty of runners coming into second base have done forever... BREAK UP THE DOUBLE PLAY... and he did his job there.

The Dodgers tied it up against the Mets right then and eventually won.  But no one is talking about that. They are instead falling into the bias trap. "The Mets got robbed!"

No... the Mets lost... get over it.

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