First is the big one, Jose Reyes. This one was sad, stupid, and selfish. Jose was leading the NL in hitting by one one-hundredth of a point. With all the at bats though, he was up by a couple of hits. So today in the first inning he laid down a bunt, beat it out for a single, and then left the game. He left the game knowing that Ryan Braun would have to go at least 3 for 3 that night to catch him. He didn't want to stay in and take the chance of getting out a few more times and giving Braun a better chance of beating him. Because heck, who knows if Braun would have just asked to sit and took the title by not playing. If you ask me this is wrong because it's just a slap in the face to the game. You play the season out in it's entirety. Not to mention there is a good chance that was Reyes' last game ever played in NY since he is a free agent after the season. Just very classless display shown by a guy that usually seems pretty cool.
Another one was Brandon Phillips. This one isn't being talked about as much but it was very evident. He is also going to be a free agent after next year if the Reds don't sign him after his option year. Brandon is the kind of guy that loves his stats and knows where his numbers need to be to capitalize on the big money. Tuesday night he got a hit in his second at bat that put his average at an even .300. He immediately left the game with a pulled quad and didn't play in Wednesdays finale. Cmon now, we know you aren't hurt and that you just wanted to finish at .300. Look, I get it, but it's just weak man. Get out there and go for something else. You are two homers away from 20, go out mashing. Quitting isn't the answer.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is Derek Jeter. We all know that Jeter is declining and that everyone wants to call him out on it. Earlier this year people were calling for him to be benched since he just wasn't himself. Jeter raised his average all the way to .300 yesterday. He could have sat out tonight's game to stick it to the media and show them that he is still a .300 hitter. He played the last game and went 0-3 knocking him down to .297. That shows that he is more of a team player then the others. Petty? Yes. But it is a sure sign of a winner.
Another one is the situation the Phillies and Yankees are in tonight. They don't have to win, they are already in the playoffs, but they are involved in big playoff implicating games. Do you sit your starters for the postseason? Do you start them because it's a big game for the other team? I think either way someone is going to bitch. I think you are playing 162 games, you play your best team in every game. Now if someone is nursing an injury and they normally would play, ok, sit them. That's common sense. But don't just put out your AAA team, it's not fair to teams like the Cards and Red Sox that need the other teams to lose. Ya, fuck the Cardinals, I know.
Ok, I'm going to finish watching this Sox game and Rays game. We were looking at two play-in games tomorrow. I'm thinking we won't see any.
Til next time....
Curt
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