Tough guy reporter thinks the Rays should throw at Derek Jeter
By Craig CalcaterraSep 17, 2010, 12:58 PM EDT
Doug Fernandes of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune has some advice for Joe Maddon and the Rays when they face the Yankees next week:
Joe Maddon has an answer for everything, so I'm sure the
Tampa Bay skipper doesn't need any advice on how to handle the fallout
from Knobgate.
However . . .
This one time, an exception will be made. If I were Maddon, I'd have
Matt Garza deliver the pitch heard 'round the Bronx, and felt in the
general rib-cage area of Derek Cheater, eh, Jeter.
Darn straight. Monday night at Yankee Stadium, the start of the
four-game rematch between two teams with another reason to amp up the
dislike, I'm ordering Garza, the scheduled Rays' starter, to plunk the
New York shortstop the first time he comes to the plate.
Nothing too injurious, certainly nothing around Jeter's head. But a
fastball buried somewhere in his side, according to baseball's unwritten
code, is in order.
Then, as Jeter shakes off the pain–which I hope is considerable–and
trots to first, Garza, normally a fiery sort anyway, needs to shout
something to the effect of "that base you deserve."
Wouldn't that be fun?
If, outside of the sports world, someone suggested a course of action with the purpose of inflicting "considerable pain" on a person and then called it "fun," that person would be considered a sociopath or worse. But this is baseball, so it's perfectly acceptable. Oy.
Stepping off my hitting-players-on-purpose-is-lunacy soap box, I'll note that it's stupid for another reason too: Derek Jeter ain't hittin' all that well these days, so plunking him in the ribs and awarding him first base is to do him a favor.
Other than that . . .
O'Day retires following 15 seasons for 6 major league teams
ATLANTA (AP) Right-hander Darren O'Day, who posted a 4.15 ERA in 28 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2022, announced Monday he is retiring after 15 seasons for six teams in the major leagues.
O'Day said on his Twitter account "it's finally time to hang 'em up."
"The mental, physical and time demands have finally outweighed my love for the game," O'Day said.
O'Day, 40, featured an unconventional sidearm delivery. He was 42-21 with a 2.59 ERA in 644 games, all in relief. He made his major league debut in 2008 with the Angels and pitched seven seasons, from 2012-18, for the Baltimore Orioles.
He posted a 4.43 ERA in 30 postseason games, including the 2010 World Series with the Texas Rangers.
O'Day also pitched for the New York Mets and New York Yankees. He pitched for the Braves in 2019-20 before returning for his second stint with the team last season. He became a free agent following the season.
He set a career high with six saves for Baltimore in 2015, when he was 6-2 with a 1.52 ERA and was an AL All-Star.