By Punch N. Judy 

The ball was devoid of movement, flat if you will, when Casey Blake - the man whose 18 homeruns have seemed like 80 – dropped the bat head squarely on it. The red stitched sphere in question found a home on the landing, just beyond the left field fence in front of a swarm of Tribe fans delirious with joy.

It was a familiar scene for those in Red Sox Nation. As good as Tim Wakefield was on this night through four innings, the worm can turn that quick when your only weapon is a knuckle ball that flutters and dances to its own beat. It was this way back in 2003 when Wakefield, after hurling a scoreless 10th at Yankee Stadium in game seven of the ALCS, surrendered Aaron Boone’s walkoff clincher in the 11th. And like many on both these nights, you can count me among the loyalists who cast little blame on the 41-year old survivor who has filled every role on the staff since his debut in 1995.

Once again it was the Red Sox lack of execution at the plate that did them in last night in dropping game four of the ALCS 7-3 in Cleveland. That and a couple more double plays, running their total in that department to eight for the series. When facing a team whose staff quivers each time your turn at bat comes, approaches like that of the Sox and Yankees seem to be beyond reproach. But wait a minute, what happens if you just pound the strike zone, get ahead and make these teams hit your pitch? You force the issue is what you do, and by doing that you put the onus on each individual hitter, taking away the lineup’s ability to act in unison. This in turn keeps the bases clear, which of course diminishes the damage a David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez can inflict.

If your an Indian starter whose M.O is simply to last five plus then hand it over to a killer bullpen, the whole patience at the plate thing is actually overrated. This Indian staff simply could care less about the nouveau obsession by most managers with the pitch count.

In the case of Ortiz, last night was the first time I really got a glimpse of the pain rumored to be affecting the left knee of the Red Sox slugger since early August. While he still scorched the ball three times, his stance was virtually upright by the end of the game as opposed to his customary coiled crouch. No matter, it’s the rest of the lineup that Terry Francona needs to worry about as the Indians appear poised to reach their first World Series since 1997. 

By Punch N. Judy
BaseballBigMouth.com baseball news 

It took a disgruntled rogue and a Mt. Everest of circumstantial evidence to expose Major League Baseball and the people who cover it for what they are: Hypocrites.

When Jose Canseco first went public with his memoirs, many tried to dismiss the former self-professed “Godfather of Steroids” as some sort of bitter dolt with little credibility. Some of those fingered in the book “Juiced” even threatened litigation. Those threats however rang hollow when several ex teammates – most notably good guy Dave Stewart – vouched for Canseco’s honesty as his only endearing trait.

The fallout from the Barry Bonds march to glory has been a mixed bag of faint praise, honest admiration and wouldn’t you know it, catcalls from the nation’s foremost authority – sports columnists.

The Greatest Hitter of  em’ all Ted Williams used to refer to the media as the Knights of the Keyboard with much derision. The Kid never met a writer he liked, much less trusted, and often lamented that they were nothing more than front runners. If pushed or caught in the wrong mood, Williams would many times speak of Red Sox fans in the same vain. And you know what? As usual, Teddy Ballgame was way ahead of his time.

You see after watching, listening and reading about baseball for the last 30 years, I’ve come to the realization that those who do it for a living are no more knowledgeable than me. In fact, in the case of a guy like Mitch Albom, who rarely even watches baseball, I’d like to think I have a little bit more on the ball. Mr. Bonds got it wrong when he called Bob Costas – a real fan by the way – “a midget who knew nothing about baseball.” That midget actually lives right here in Detroit, Mich. Problem is, after scoring his own talk show, several book deals – many that have nothing to do with his area of expertise – and acclaim as an award winning columnist, Albom, like his fellow national cronies Jon Sarceno and Mike Lupica, have the casual fan’s ear.

When they talk about moral high ground and that cheaters should never prosper, the good folks who buy newspapers sip their morning coffee and agree in unison. Little do they know that these same writers would have to be blind, deaf and dumb to not see the drug use unfolding before their eyes.

I don’t know about you, but when a guy shows up to spring training with 30 brand spanking new pounds of muscle, a red flag creeps up the figurative pole in my conscience. Problem is, in the good ole USA, any story that would remotely accuse a player of wrong doing would be greeted with a libel suit quicker than you can say the word syringe.

This is a reality I can understand. It’s the notion that performance enhancing drugs, or any other kind of drug for that matter, is some sort of new evil that both the media and professional sports owners themselves can’t believe exists within their little world. On the contrary, both sides of this coin know where the bodies are buried. If they don’t, I have the sneaking suspicion – based on Commissioner Bud Selig’s expression when Barry tied the record – that when George Mitchell’s investigation is said and done, a new era of accountability may take hold.

A book by Jeff Pearlman  - The Bad Guys Won – that recounts the Mets and their 86′  World Series season has shed some new light on the drug culture that pervaded Baseball in the cocaine infested era of the 80’s. Look for some interesting tidbits later in the week when I complete the book. By the way, you may remember Pearlman for the piece he wrote on John Rocker for Sports Illustrated.

What’s my take on the new Home Run King? Well to tell you the truth I didn’t even catch the highlight. I was away for that day and night and other than catching the Tigers nail-biter over the D-Rays I didn’t give it a thought. The media coverage, the negativity of it all, ruined it for me. Something did however put my feelings in perspective when I opened up today’s Detroit Free Press. Motown’s Holy Trinity of Al Kaline, Ernie Harwell, and Tiger skipper Jim Leyland all paid homage to the new King with nary a hint of doubt as to his worthiness.

Clown of the Week – Eric Gagne, Boston Red Sox. On a segment of the Best Damn Sports Show, Gagne glowingly spoke of the joy at being traded to a first class World Series contender like the Red Sox. What Gagne failed to mention is that it took Boston ponying up an additional $2.5million dollars this season to consummate the deal. The money apparently represented the incentive that was supposed to kick in had Gagne saved 15 more games this season for the Rangers. The big Canadian was flanked by closer Jonathon Papplebon who went on and on about the sacrifice Gagne was making by becoming Boston’s new bridge to the ninth inning. Ahhh, peeuuke!!!

Quote of the Week – “We were throwbacks man. We were like “gimme a steak, gimme a f***in’ beer, gimme a smoke and get the f*** out of our way.” – Mets pitcher Bobby Ojeda on the World Champion 86’Mets.

Editor’s note - Baseball and Eggs will appear every Thursday, and serves as a form of self–therapy for this clinically insane baseball fan. The baseball part is self–explanatory. The eggs however, could pertain to just about anything on Punch’s mind from Thursday to Thursday.

CLICK HERE to read what Baseball Big Mouth thinks of Tony “The Town Drunk” LaRussa

CLICK HERE to read about Boras’ proposed Best-of-Nine World Series

CLICK HERE to read about former Detroit Tiger/New York Yankee Cecil Fielder’s latest gig

CLICK HERE to read what Baseball Big Mouth’s really thinks about ESPN’s Joe Morgan

By Punch N. Judy
BaseballBigMouth.com baseball news

After wrestling to and fro with the whole hoopla of Barry Bonds and the number 755, I think I may have reached a level of that too much used, 2000 era term, “closure.” It was a recent article I read by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated that made me realize that to bedamn Bonds and his impending record is to pretty well cast a pall over the last 20 years of Major League Baseball. And to do that you must also call into question other factors that over that period were perhaps equally as scandalous.

Collusion

Although the old reserve clause bounding a player to a franchise for eternity does in fact fly in the face of the term democracy, I gotta say I wish free agency never happened. Even though my Tigers and Red Sox do rank in the halves portion of the equation, the economics of the game dictate that ultimately, you and I foot the bill for salaries that eclipse the term exorbitant. Yeah, when a team performs well the fans show up, the owners make a mitt full, it trickles down to the players, and we’re more than happy to pay for a winner. But when the chips are down, the owner cuts his losses by slashing payroll, yet somehow we’re left holding the bag by still over paying at the gate for a diminished return. I’m no curmudgeon here, just another sucker stating the facts.

When the Tigers signed Fat Evans in 84’ it marked one of the few such impact free agent signings that I can remember from that era. In fact, it was Tiger ace Jack Morris who I remember more for peddling his services in a gaudy fur coat, only to have the door slammed in his face repeatedly by the likes of even George Steinbrenner, who at the time let the cat out of the bag by telling Morris’ agent that he would love to sign Jack, but his “hands were tied.”

When Morris and a host of others were later compensated in a billion dollar payoff, it wasn’t long before the Twins of all teams, ponied up $3 million a year for Kirby Puckett. Basically it turned the game of halves and have-nots over to the clubs who had the moolah, rather than the team with the savviest GM and scouting network. Call me a commie, but I think were it not for a few loose lips, collusion was a scandal that would have worked.

The Strike

Let’s face it; were it not for the labor stoppage in 94,’ MLB wouldn’t be in this steroid scandal in the first place. Even though Jose Canseco was obviously on the juice to anyone halfway in the know – I still remember the right field fans at Fenway chanting S-T-E-R-O-I-D-S while Jose laughed and flexed a bicep in the playoffs – during his 40-40 year in 88,’ a blind eye was more easily cast when the game didn’t need “saving.” It was the Sosa – McGwire home run race in 98’ that pissed off Bonds enough to enhance the frame of the game’s best everyday player to a point where a slump was 0 for 1 with three intentional walks.

Did ‘94 strike eventually cost Maris’ his record? Ask Punch

I’m no Bonds apologist; I just believe he’s one of the all-time greats regardless. Those journalists like Reilly, who now act like a smoking gun was recovered in a manhole, are either blind or downright stupid. It’s easy to stand on a soapbox when the facts of a grand jury enquiry are leaked, but where were the lily white journalists when the better story was the pursuit of Roger Maris’ record? Shhh, I’ve got a secret guys, the reason NFL players have put on more than 30 pounds a position (including kickers folks) over the last decade isn’t in the water. However “clear” it may be.

For more on the Rick Reilly story be sure to check out Baseball and Eggs which — for this week only — will appear on Friday as opposed to Thursday. Calm down! It means ya get more coverage, not less! Easy Tiger!! - Editor

CLICK HERE for The Heckler’s first baseball game at Tiger Stadium

CLICK HERE for more on The Hecklers’s first baseball game at Tiger Stadium

Maris photo used with permission of Early Era Baseball Photos.com

Tigers photo copyright BaseballBigMouth.com and the Heckler
- All rights reserved -