A's Robbed in Ninth Against Rivera, Yankees; Geren Doesn't Say Boo

The A's were swept out of New York by the Yankees, with a little help from their friends. Meanwhile Oakland Manager Bob Geren sat on his hands and watched helplessly from the safety of his dugout. Greg Peterson witnesses the larceny.

by Greg Peterson (Scribe)

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Game Recap

July 20, 2008

Apparently Las Vegas isn't the only town in America where athletes from Oakland get mugged.

Derelict, cross-eyed, slope headed, incontinent, suspected terrorist, and animal abuser, second base umpire Mike Winters handed the Yankees and Mariano Rivera two critical outs in the ninth inning of a 2-1 game against the Oakland A's in dilapidated Yankee Stadium on another miserable, sweltering armpit day in New York.

Perhaps the greatest closer in baseball, Mariano Rivera has been plagued by the Athletics, the League's worst hitting club. Indeed, Rivera is Oakland's pinata and needed every bit of the extra help at home from Winters to prevent his first blown save on the season.

Television replays showed that Winters blew both close calls at second base that ended the A's bid to rally against Rivera yet again.

With one out and speedy Ryan Sweeney on first, Bobby Crosby hit a fly into right field that Bobby Abreu lost in the sun. Sweeney, forced to go back to first if Abreu makes the catch, had to scramble to second to avoid being forced out at second when Abreu couldn't control the ball.

Abreu overthrew second and backing up Yankee third baseman, Alex Rodriguez had to hustle a flip to shortstop Derek Jeter who was covering the bag. Sweeney was called out at second by Winters who was seen quickly leaving the field with a dark stain on the crotch of his soiled trousers.

Replays showed the ball and Sweeney getting to second at the same time for what would have been a close play if Derek Jeter hadn't missed the base with his foot. Replays clearly showed Sweeney sliding into Jeter's foot off the bag.

A's Manager Bob Geren was seen shivering in the Oakland dugout, apparently muttering to himself.

With two outs, pinch-runner Rajai Davis came in to run for Bobby Crosby, who was safe at first. On a 1-0 count to Emil Brown, Davis got a jump and took off for second.

Jose Molina's throw was accurate and in time to catch Davis according to stuttering, slobbering, bleary eyed, staggering, incompetent, wino/umpire, Mike Winters.

However, replays clearly show Davis sliding under Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano's tag. Shown from two angles, Davis' hand reaches the bag before Cano tags Davis' shoulder.

As with the second out, milquetoast Oakland manager, Bob Geren made no argument or appeal whatsoever to either play at second base.

Geren did give a half-hearted, ineffective attempt to argue Rodriguez' sacrifice fly that scored Jeter for the Yankees first run in the third inning. Geren appealed to third base umpire James Hoye that Jeter left the bag early when he tagged up.

But apparently Hoye said something so emasculating to Geren that the A's manager could only return to the dugout and sulk for the remainder of the game.

Rivera is expected to bring a nice bottle of Chianti when he picks up Winters for dinner and a Broadway musical after they shower.

Game Recap

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reply to comment by susan
about 1 month ago

Abreu actually caught the ball but let it pop out of his glove. The plague Rivera experienced yesterday was something different. Jorge Posada can't throw, has a shoulder that requires surgery, and everyone knows it. Therefore, teams who don't normally steal many bases, like the A's, run freely against him. He should not be in the lineup but they can't use Molina everyday. I saw the tv replay from today and saw what you saw. I don't know what the umpire saw.
1. by Greg
  from about 1 month ago
  
  Thanks for the comment susan. I've had time to settle down since I wrote this, and by no means is this a retraction, but I've remembered that umpires are just umpires, sub-human and pitiful, and deserving of our compassion for their condition.
  I've also remembered that its better to lose gracefully, even to the Yankees. Mike Winters didn't beat the A's today, the Yankees did.
  Bob Geren still populates my s#it list though. Until Billy Beane hires a manager with a spine or testicles or both the A's aren't going anywhere no matter how many players Beane trades away before the new stadium is built. Whenever that is.
  It kills me to admit this but Mike Scioscia would never cower in the dugout while his team was getting drilled in a close game. There I said it.