THE WORST YANKEE RUNNING PLAY EVER STILL RIDICULOUS ALL THESE YEARS LATER

In the annals of baseball history, certain moments stand out for their sheer improbability, and then there’s the August 2, 1985-debacle involving the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. This incident, which saw Bobby Meacham and Dale Berra both tagged out at home plate by the indomitable Carlton Fisk within seconds of each other, is often hailed (or rather, lamented) as one of the most spectacular running blunders in Yankees history.

It all began with Rickey Henderson at the plate, the Yankees’ formidable speedster. Henderson had already established himself as a prolific leadoff hitter and base-stealing legend. On this particular evening, however, his role in one of the Yankees' most calamitous plays would eclipse his usual on-field heroics. With Meacham on second and Berra on first, Henderson cracked a deep drive to center field. The ball looked poised to cause trouble for the White Sox outfielders and, indeed, it did.

As Henderson’s hit soared, Meacham and Berra took off like they had rockets in their cleats. Third base coach Gene Michael, affectionately known as “Stick” for his lanky build, saw an opportunity to get both runners home. What ensued was nothing short of a circus.

Meacham rounded third with Berra hot on his heels. At that moment, it became clear that the communication between runners and coach had gone disastrously awry. Michael, in a decision that would be questioned for decades to come, waved both runners home. As they neared the plate, Carlton Fisk, the White Sox catcher, stood like a fortress ready to thwart their attempts.

Outfielder Luis Salazar relayed the ball to shortstop Ozzie Guillén, who in turn fired it to Fisk. Meacham arrived first, sliding into home where Fisk applied the tag with clinical precision. Before the crowd's collective gasp could dissipate, Berra barreled towards the plate. Fisk, still firmly in possession of the ball, made a swift pivot and tagged Berra out too. Two Yankees out at home plate in the span of mere seconds – a sight so rare it left spectators and players alike rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

The reactions from the Yankees dugout ranged from stunned silence to exasperated facepalms. "I've never seen anything like it," said Yankees manager Billy Martin, shaking his head. "It was like watching a car crash in slow motion – you know it's going to be bad, but you just can't look away."

Don Mattingly, who had a front-row seat to the chaos, quipped, "I thought I was seeing double. It’s like a bad dream you just can’t wake up from."

This play, despite its comedic appearance, became a somber lesson in the importance of communication and timing in baseball. It also underscored the unpredictable nature of the sport – where even the most seasoned professionals can find themselves part of a moment destined for blooper reels and trivia questions for generations.

For the Yankees, it was a stark reminder that even with talent and speed, the game can humble you in the most unexpected ways. For fans, it remains a legendary tale, retold with equal parts amusement and disbelief.

As we look back, we can laugh, wince, and perhaps learn a little something about the intricacies of baseball – and life. The double-out debacle of August 2, 1985, is a poignant reminder that in the game of baseball, anything is possible, even the patently absurd.

--Alvin Izzo

BYB Yankee History Contributor

THE HITTING COACH WILD CARD... OZZIE GUILLEN

You want a Bronx Zoo like the the 1970's with disagreements in the dugout? The Yanks should reach out to Ozzie Guilllen and see if he wants to sit with the Yankee players and break down their swings.  I'm joking of course... kind of.  I mean look, the likelihood of Guillen becoming the hitting coach in the Bronx is probably very tiny... but could you imagine that clubhouse?

There has been chatter about Guillen perhaps going to assist Joe Maddon wherever he goes, and that would probably be a good fit, both are quite zany, but smart baseball me. Anyway,  this is what Ozzie told the Chicago Sun Times:

"I’ve managed before. Economically, I’m pretty good. I just want to be back in the game...I’m not bigger than the game... There’s a lot of managers who went back to coaching after they were managers. That doesn’t mean anything. I’m not better than them. Whoever thinks I can help, if they ask me, I don’t mind doing it."

Look, stranger things have happened. There is clearly this willingness to want to come back to baseball in an assistant coach capacity. "I'm not bigger than the game." I like that. The Yanks would be fools to NOT interview Ozzie just to see how serious and committed he is. Lord knows there is nothing going on in Yankeeland and they want someone who is a step up from Kevin Long.

They should at least chat with him if nothing else.  It could be kind of fun... and a total wild card too.

Carry on...

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YOU CAN'T MISS THE MESS

Previously on Bleeding Yankee Blue: ARod is in the crosshairs of MLB amongst public outrage over PEDs and the ongoing Biogenesis saga. He has the Yankees in turmoil, whether he intends to or not.

Investigations were allegedly interfered with. Accusations have flown from and at all sides. Fans are deeply divided. Contract speculations are muddying the issue. Press conferences were held. The suspension announcement was made and then itself suspended due to appeals. And our beloved Yankees are caught in the middle.

And now, New York plays the Chicago White Sox at their home park! Just a normal game, right? They aren’t fighting for their playoff lives or anything! I am sure they can focus! Play ball!

Pretty much all we have heard all freaking year has been “ARod, ARod, ARod." Walking around Brooklyn on Monday, a couple Yankee jerseys were spotted with 13 on the back. On the interwebz, wars between Bombers fans were being waged. Rodriguez was the topic of the season, let alone the day.

At any rate, when ARod stepped up to his first at-bat, he was resoundingly booed. The catcalls continued through all three pitches. There were cheers when he he singled, but they were quickly drowned out by more boos. Yes, the Yankees were away, but there were plenty of Yankee fans in the crowd. They were on ARod just as much as the Chicago fans. The camera found one guy clapping for Rodriguez.

Vernon Wells advanced ARod to third and the crowd booed him. The Yankees were down 3-0 in the Second. Getting Rodriguez home would be a statement. That wouldn’t happen. The Yankees offense sputtered, which was a statement in Alex’s defense, however unintentionally.

The White Sox meanwhile, beat the blue blazes out of Andy Pettitte. He left in the third inning allowing 7 runs on 11 hits. Preston Claiborne came in, very quickly dealing with and then escaping from, a bases-loaded jam.

ARod got exactly the same negative treatment for his second at bat. He was loudly cheered for taking a big cut at a fastball for a strike. Celebrations were held throughout the ballpark for his successive pop-out.

As the game wore on, the Yankees themselves just looked tired. Speaking objectively, it was because Chicago was killing them. Speaking subjectively, the Rodriguez 800 pound gorilla was preventing them from concentrating. Yes, Jeter clapped, and yes, the team put as brave a face as they could on it. But as someone who has watched the Yankees countless times, they looked labored and forced to me.

Speaking of Mr Pink-Elephant-in-the-Room, his phrase, ARod once again came to the box to a chorus of hate. The cameras couldn’t find any supporters this time. Loud cheers again when he popped out. This kind of hatred is reserved for special cases no matter what the sport. To receive vitriol this intense, even from fans of the team he plays on, a player has to have done something personally offensive.

Having said that, ARod sells tickets. Upon the announcement Rodriguez would play Monday night, 3,000 were snapped up. People came to see ARod, even if it was to boo him. A statement to his marquee value, to be sure. But the fact that he might soon be banned from the game must be factored into this point.

On the interwebz, ARod was a hot topic. For the most part his detractors heavily outweighed his supporters. Ozzie Guillen memorably tweeted that the whole mess is Madonna’s fault.

its all madonnas fault. every athlete she has been with has gone bad. see canseco, rodman and now rodriguez lol lol lol
— Ozzie Guillen FND (@OzzieGuillen) August 5, 2013

Fans mostly either wanted ARod gone or stoically supported whomever played in Pinstripes. Rodriguez supporters were fewer in number but very vocal. Clashes between camps were frequent. Also entertaining, considering the circumstances.

As for myself, I do my best to stay in the “support him while he is on the team" camp. It is no secret that I personally dislike him. I think he merely plays for the Yankees while Derek Jeter IS a Yankee.

Tonight I supported Rodriguez for three reasons; I have friends who have kids that love the guy; Jeter made a point to support and sit next to him; I don’t want to agree with the guys at the New York Post and their crap. We will not post that jerk-wad front page here. Screw that.

So. At-bat number 4, and fans began singing “Na Na Na Na, Goodbye" to Alex amongst the boos. As he walked back to the dugout after making his out, I could not help but feel bad for him. No matter how much you get paid, no matter how many mistakes you have made, it cannot feel good to have a ballpark full of people celebrating your failures.

By the ninth inning, the Yankees were down 8-1. I just wanted this whole thing to be over. Both the game and the ARod mess. It didn’t take long for that wish to come true and I hated myself for it.

Was it Rodriguez’s fault that the Yankees lost? Not directly. Andy got shelled and Yankee bats once again looked like those ice-stick things you put into beer pitchers at some sports bars.

But ARod did not help. It cannot be denied that his mess was front and center during this game. You would have to be a fool to say something this huge would have no effect. ARod can wriggle away from taking responsibility for the circus he brings, but the negative impact it has is palpable. You absolutely can’t miss the mess.

The Yankees have bigger and better things they need to focus on. ARod, with apologies to those who support him, is only distracting them from this. New York will not win with his mess weighing them down. And as Michael Kay pointed out, Rodriguez has not denied the allegations of steroid abuse against him this time.

Is it any wonder I am writing about baseball figures right now? Who needs this mess?

Anyway, your final: White Sox 8 - Yankees 1.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES RIGHT NOW

Ozzie Guillen: The Miami Marlins are falling apart just as fast as they arrived.  Remember last year all the hype surrounding the new stadium and then the addition of Ozzie Gullen as manager? Then, they took away Mark Buehrle, a pitcher I really wanted in pinstripes.  And everyone else followed. But now, Heath Bell was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Marlins decided to fire Ozzie yesterday, read HERE.  Look, on paper the whole Miami rejuvenating thing felt great, but they need a lot more than Ozzie Guillen to attract fans, they need to actually win. Oh, and those uniforms are horrendous. Unless Tubbs and Crockett are owning that team, we need to move away from that look.  You know what would work for them and I am ashamed to even suggest it because I appreciate him always being a Yankee is Jorge Posada. You bring a smart baseball mind into Miami like Posada to manage and you attract a crowd and no doubt, you win, just saying.

Hunter Pence: It was the greatest slow motion video I have ever seen.  In Game 7 of the NLCS the other night, Hunter Pence hit the ball, the bat broke and the ball was hit 3 separate times and when it shot out to shortstop, it veered off into the outfield allowing 3 runs to score and allowing the Giants to pounce on the Cardinals and eventually win to move onto the World Series.  You have to see this video above, it’s wild.

David Ortiz: Looks like David Ortiz must have naked pictures of John Henry or something because the latest report HERE is the Red Sox just signed him to a 2 year deal.  I don’t get this one.  Has Ortiz really contributed to this team lately? Hey, we all know he’s a fan favorite and allegedly a really nice guys, cue the hug video:


But I have to tell you, I think the whole Big Papi thing is played out at this point, isn’t it? I mean, Bobby Valentine thinks so. In an interview on NBC Sports Network (HERE), Bobby said Ortiz "quit" on the Red Sox. He said Ortiz "came back after spending about six weeks on the disabled list and we thought it was only going to be a week. He got two hits the first two times up, drove in a couple runs; we were off to the races. Then he realized that this trade meant that we’re not going to run this race and we’re not even going to finish the race properly and he decided not to play anymore. I think at that time it was all downhill from there." Good old Bobby V, diarrhea of the mouth.

Carlton Fisk: It looks like Carlton Fisk was arrested on a DUI in Illinois. The report, HERE, says that he was driving in the middle of the road and when cops arrived, he was asleep at the wheel and there was a bottle of vodka in the car.  I don’t know the situation, but we hope everything is OK with Fisk. I hate hearing these types of stories.

If anymore MLB news is around, we'll have it here at Bleeding Yankee Blue!

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KEEP CALM & MANAGE ON...

Leadership- what does that really mean? And how should a manager lead effectively?  Let’s face the facts, managers lead personalities, make critical game time decisions and ultimately create a healthy competitive spirit and climate on the field and in the clubhouse. He main priority is managing.   He is NOT a player’s friend, he is the manager and if that manager doesn’t have effective leadership characteristics at the end of the day, well, he’s not fit to manage.

A well-known educator and leadership researcher, Michael Fullen once said in his article “Leading in a Culture of Change”, “the litmus test of all leadership is whether it mobilizes people's commitment to putting their energy into actions designed to improve things. “

Now that you know that, think about what we’ve seen the past few weeks, or even years in baseball.

Subject 1: Bobby Valentine. Former Red Sox Manager who has been called a bully, a con-artist and even overrated HERE at BYB. The New York Times once called Bobby a baseball genius, read HERE. The Red Sox bought into it and hired him and in this case study, it ended with the Red Sox having the worst season record in 50 years.  Couple that with accusations of poor instincts by John Henry who hired the guy, and we’re onto something.

Subject 2:  Ozzie Guillen, the Miami Marlins. Fireworks began in Miami the first week of the 2012 season when he was quoted in a CBS Sports article (HERE) saying that he goes to the hotel bar and gets drunk after games.  Later that week, Guillen praised dictator Fidel Castro.  Neither incident promoted a good first impression for the manager in Miami.  But what about his leadership skills on the field?  Many of his players at the White Sox and now the Marlins say that Guillen is spirited sometimes speaking a little too fast and unclear when giving directions, yet he definitely knows the game.  According to a September 25th article in the Miami Herald, “Guillen’s future with the team is also uncertain," read HERE. Upper management is mulling over firing him and one national baseball writer wrote that Marlins executives perceive there to be a “disconnect” between Guillen and players.”  So in Miami, we will have to wait and see.  Keep calm and manage on?

Are we seeing any commonalities here?  Poor communication skills, not sensitive to players’ needs, cocky, loud, inflexible, and an inability to create a culture that empowers players to perform to their potential as a team- all signs that effective leadership is just not there.

Now what about managers that “Keep calm and manage on” amidst injuries, media pressure, and player egos?

Subject 1:  Joe Maddon, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.  Maddon has been consistent in his leadership.  According to the October 2011 Washington Post article (HERE) “Joining the Cult of Tampa Bay Rays’ Joe Maddon” Maddon has built a community in the clubhouse, one that inspires teamwork and mutual respect.  And let’s not forget that Joe Maddon wins ball games.  “Joe Maddon lives an authentic life, one where he is true to himself regardless of the external pressures to conform.  This authenticity translates into his successful work as a baseball manager.” He creates a positive culture and he models important life skills for his players.  Maddon has job security in Tampa Bay for sure.  He keeps it calm and manages on.

Subject 2:  Joe Girardi, our very own New York Yankees manager.  He is definitely no Joe Torre and some may say that he plays the numbers a little too much, but his players play for him.  They may not always like his decisions but they respect him.  In the New York Daily News October 4th article (HERE) “Call It Calendar Management for Joe Girardi as Yankees’ Skipper is at His Best When Looking at the Big Picture”, Girardi is deemed a resourceful manager who transfers credits for wins to his players instead of doting on himself.  “I got a great group of guys in there, that’s what it says, who expect to win, who talk about going to get it during some tough circumstances,” Girardi said. “You know I have a feisty side to me, and everyone’s seen it, but for the most part I’ve tried to be even-keeled for those guys.”

Girardi comes across humble and yes Joe often relies on stats rather then going with his gut, but in the end, Joe stands by his decisions. This emotional toughness and protective nature of Girardi makes him an effective manager and the right leader for the Yankees.

Effective leadership enables teams to perform at their best.  The culture of clubs who have effective leaders at the helm is positive, upbeat, and productive despite the chaos surrounding the sport and even the team.  Managers too need good leadership in the front office.  As The Washington Post series “On Leadership” states,  “Great managers may win games, pennants and even World Series. But great leaders build organizations that have a chance at doing so year after year.”  It takes a village to build a team and it starts with good leadership.  And when all else fails, keep calm and manage on.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof





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WHY THE MARLINS GOT SERVED

Look, I’m not the only one who’s shocked at the fact that the Oakland Athletics are the team that swept in to steal Yoennis Cespedes from the Miami Marlins yesterday. Everyone is. Read about the deal HERE. We can’t believe it and most of it has to do with the fact that the “baseball insiders” continually get it wrong. I’m not trying to be superior here either... I picked the Marlins too! In fact Ozzie Guillen picked the Marlins, my mom picked the Marlins. Cespedes practically picked the Marlins,… until he didn’t and good for Billy Beane, he'll be Moneyballing the crap out of that Cespedes signing as long as his in Oakland green. Whatever the case, It’s going to be exciting for them and good for them. Look, bottom line...the Marlins will be fine without Cespedes, they’ve built up quite a good team in Florida and no doubt this won’t make much of a difference, but you have to admit, this one stings for Guillen.

So, now that Gerardo Concepcion went to the Cubs (read HERE), not the Yankees, and Cespedes is now off the list, signing with the A’s, not the Yankees or Marlins, that brings attention to the other Cuban defector…Jorge Soler. The Cubs appear to be the front runner for Soler right now, read HERE. The Yankees were connected to him as being one of those high interest teams, read HERE and I would love to see if they can get him, but ultimately, I’m not sure the Yanks would even bother at this time. They are knee deep in the AJ Burnett stuff and once that deal is complete with the Pirates (Heyman believes it will be soon...read HERE), they will turn around quickly and try and sign Eric Chavez who’s hopefully still waiting in the wings. It’s all strategic once Burnett is traded, if he’s traded and I think the Yankees will then go with what they know, Chavez, maybe Raul Ibanez or Johnny Damon…nothing more.

Luckily for us baseball fans, the Yankees are coming to a Tampa facility real fast… 5 days away and I can’t wait to see our boys in Spring Training Blue. Baseball at it’s best… Yankee style. You gotta love it.

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WHY WE'RE ON CESPEDES WATCH

FOX Sports is reporting that Cuban superstar Yoennis Cespedes will meet with the Miami Marlins next week. You can read Ken Rosenthal’s Tweet HERE. Look, we’ve been hearing about the Marlins being front runners on this kid for a while. We also heard that the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Bad News Bears and the South Carolina Buzz from Major League 3 are also involved. No question, everyone would like a piece of Cespedes, but who will get him?

In the end, I predict the Miami Marlins. I believe Ozzie Guillen and the Marlins have been waiting for this kid for months. If they weren’t, they would have signed other guys and forgot all about the kid. Ozzie will woo Cespedes like he did Carlos Zambrano, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes and Heath Bell. It’s the Marlins year to try and shine as a Major League leader, not a Major League chump. Hey like I’ve always said, if you have the money, use it. That used to be the Yankees way, how else do you compete? If you need talent and you don’t have it in your farm system, sometimes you have to buy it. It doesn’t make it wrong, it just makes you competitive. Again though, if the Marlins do throw money at Cepsedes and snag him, there will be nothing but praise about the Marlins. None of those headlines will be of the Marlins “buying championships.” No… instead it will be about how it’s “good for the Marlins and good for baseball.” Yet, if the Yankees did it, we’d be “buying championships.” Sure, hating the Yankees sells papers, but enough already.

In the back of my mind I’d love to see the Yankees snatch up Cespedes. I’d love to see them hand him a sack of money and I’d love to see what this kid can do in the Bronx. But with what we have in our outfield already, GGS is stronger than ever and I wonder if the Yankees will just not get involved, spending that kind of money on a guy that just has a really really entertaining Youtube video.

And if and when Cespedes is off the market on another team, will the Yankees seriously pursue another guy they’ve been keeping close tabs on, Jorge Soler. Then again, it’s being reported that Gerardo Concepcion, the 18 year old Cuban lefty pitcher is “close” to signing with a team. Read HERE in Spanish. Could the Yankees be that team? Stay tuned ladies and gentlemen…. I’m not sure why but in the back of my mind I feel like the Yankees are about to make 1 more move; be it Soler, AJ Burnett, Concepcion… who knows, but I feel like the other shoes about the drop.

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WHY VOUCHING FOR BUEHRLE GIVES MARLINS THE UPPER HAND

It has been determined that the Yankees probably think Mark Buehrle makes the most sense for a Free Agent pickup this season. He’s durable, a lefty and has proved quality over his years with the White Sox. Read about it HERE. The only thing that’s really a downside is age, especially when you look at the young arms out there. Now, the meeting Cash has had with Buehrle’s agent has been just an introduction... “We’re interested…be back soon with a possible offer.” That is how it’s been played out. Buehrle had stated he’d pitch in New York, but let’s face it, the guy wants a job, he’ll probably pitch anywhere, that includes Florida where Ozzie Guillen now manages the Marlins and is a former manager and lover of Mark Buehrle and his performance. No doubt Ozzie Guillen knows and trusts Buehrle’s stuff and no doubt he will push to get him to Florida and to be honest, vouching for a player means alittle something extra. Let me explain.Ozzie Guillen has no stake in trying the drive up Buehrle’s price, he legitimately knows what Buehrle is capable of. The Yankees should take note. Yes, it’s true, the Yankees have charts and stats and blah, blah, blah but one thing they don’t have is a close relationship with Buehrle. Ozzie does have a close relationship and while they are probably friendly, there is also a trust. Like Peter Falk once asked Jon Favreau in MADE….”Can you vouch for him?” asking about whether or not Ricky (Vince Vaughn) was worthy of a job. Favreau vouched for him and in the next scene, they are both getting instructions from Falk.
Ozzie can and Ozzie has vouched for Mark Buehrle. That relationship will be what the Yankees will have to compete with if they want a durable, quality, veteran at a good price on the New York Yankees in 2012. I think back to something I read about Lou Piniella and the Yankees the year Paul O’Neill came to the Bronx. It was 1992 and it was in the New York Times. Looking around the Internet, I found the story HERE and the part of what I remember reading:

"Lou Piniella... advised (Gene) Michael about the trade, and it is doubtful Michael would have made it if Piniella did not give a superb report on O'Neill."

The Yankees were looking at Paulie for a while but they didn’t officially pull the trigger until they spoke to, of all people, Lou Piniella. Yes, it's true, Lou and O'Neill butted heads in Cincinnati, but Lou saw what Paul was made of. Sweet Lou vouched for Paul O’Neill.

You can have all the stats and a friendliness between parties but trusting someone who knows the player well and having is the final seal of approval. Piniella helped seal the deal for O’Neill coming to the Yankees. A lot of people don’t know that…now you do. It’s wasn’t just the numbers and the talent, it was a good faith sign off. The Marlins have Ozzie for that, while they like Buehrle, Ozzie's sign off will seal it for them.

Look, not getting Mark Beuhrle on the Yankees is not the end of the world, but vouching for someone and having players with close ties always helps get a guy on your team. I’m not saying it happens all the time, but it definitely aids in the process. Ozzie has that with Buehrle, the Yankees don’t and sometimes all the money in the world doesn’t matter. Let’s hope Cashman turns on the charm and pushes the fact that we’re 1 pitcher short of a World Championship in New York, because that’s what any pitcher would love to hear. Maybe that could entice Mr. Buehrle, maybe that could bring this gritty veteran to the Bronx. hey, it's just my opinion, different and provocative, it's one of the reasons you read Bleeding Yankee Blue. What’s your opinion? Comment.

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