The Yankees have no class
 

So I'm sure that most baseball fans know that King George and the Spankees were supposed to have a doubleheader yesterday with Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay missed the first game because of the hurricane. Instead of being a good sport and agreeing to a make up game, the Yanks are trying to get a forefit for the first game (they played the second). Bud is going to shoot them down. It's a rare occasion, but this time I applaud Bud.

I'm sure this has nothing to do with the Red Sox breathing down their neck...

Thats ridiculous! How in the world could they call for a forefit in the wake of a natural disaster? They should really be ashamed of themselves

Yea, I was real happy to see the league step-up and tell the Yankees to go shove it. Only the Yanks would try to get a forfeit ruling when everyone else is reaching out a hand of support.

the first game was already a make up game from a rainout...

A little ole hurricane made Tampa bay late? They shudda swum for it :D

Okay, folks. As a Yankee fan, I don't think there needed to be a forfeit, although the rules clearly state that if one team isn't on the field ready to play within 5 minutes of the umpire calling "play ball", the other team wins. Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances here. However, instead of people blindly screaming about how the Yankees have no class (they provided free hot dogs and sodas to 30,000+ fans who spent their entire Labor Day at the stadium, expecting to see a doubleheader, when the visiting team hadn't even left Tampa yet) keep in mind that the Yankees were put in this position by the Devil Rays and Major League Baseball. This whole situation wouldn't have come to this if, when Major League Baseball "suggested" (it's been downgraded by MLB from the earlier "requested") that the Devil Rays leave Tampa on Friday or Saturday to be in New York in plenty of time for the games, the Devil Rays could have been forthright with the league and revealed their intention to stay in Tampa until the last minute. Had that happened, the Yankees would have had time to reschedule the games, everyone goes home happy. Instead, Tampa claimed to be doing all they could to get to New York early, (The Detroit Tigers, in Tampa for a cancelled series, managed to find a way out of town Friday evening) and then played the "staying with our families" card. They knew all along that they had no intention of being in New York on time.

Instead, the Yanks take the PR hit, Tampa gets to look like the victim here, as they were only trying to stay with their families through the hurricane, MLB gets to stick it to the Yankees, and to be fair, the Yankees truly do look like asses in the media. However, it is NOT their fault this situation arose.

Funny, nobody is mentioning last year, when the Yankees were FORCED, under penalty of (gasp!) forfeit, to play in Baltimore during hurricane Isabel. The game was 1-1 after 4 innings and was called. Since it's the Yankees, MLB can put a game on during a natural disaster. But when MLB "suggests" the Devil Rays GET OUT OF THE WAY of a natural disaster, I guess that's a different story. MLB should have laid down the law, like the NFL did with the Dolphins and their EXHIBITION GAME in New Orleans, or at least gotten a clear picture of Tampa's plans so other arrangements that satisfy both teams could be made. The Yankees, on their own, pushed their original 1:05 start back to 3:05 to accommodate the Devil Rays because they took Tampa at their word that they'd be in New York in time for the game. At 3:05, the Devil Rays were still in Tampa.

Obligatory disclaimer: My wife's family lives in the Tampa area, in Riverview. When you live there, you HAVE to have contingency plans for hurricane season. As they put it, that's pretty much the price you pay for enjoying some of the most beautiful weather in the country the rest of the year. Why couldn't the ballplayers have made those same plans and gotten their families out? There was as much as 4 days of warning before the storm reached Tampa. Simple: their owner just didn't feel like paying for the flights, hotel arrangements in New York for an extra 2 days, yadda yadda... It's not like baseball player's families are living in trailer parks. My wife's family has managed to evacuate TWICE this past month and they don't make nearly as much as major league ballplayers. Even Devil Rays.

Finally, as I've heard so many times: It's just a stupid baseball game, this is real life. People's lives are at stake. Right? Absolutely true. However, the Devil Rays don't think so, or they'd have happily forfeited the game and would still be in Tampa with their families.

Anyway, it's a dead issue. The real story here is that MLB doesn't want the Yankees to beat the Sox by 1 game because of a forfeit and I can understand that. As a Yankee fan, I wouldn't want that either.

-Mikey

Maybe Cashman and Levine are grasping at the tiniest of straws to deflect away the fact that their team is going to choke away the pennant.
They should have been spending their time looking for starting pitching instead of trying to get a forfeit from a team who they beat every time anyway.

I would imagine King George is chewing some serious ass every time Esteban 'Batting Practice' Loiza takes the mound.


BTW, the game was a re-schedule of a game that the Yankess cancelled earlier this year on a 'threat' of rain.

Good explanation, Mikey. Unfortunately, it won't stop people from saying the Yankees suck anyway, they just want to cheat, etc. It's convenient for them to do that, and they need to do it. I'm with you, though.

:D :D that esteban line was classic.

Let's see, Kevin Brown hits the wall and breaks his hand (non pitching), and now they wanted a forfeit ruling.

That's not a team about to self destruct before the post season, that's a team in full destruct mode in every way, PR, ego, players not caring... game's over in NY.

BTW Mikey to some degree Tampa should have said something HOWEVER, NY should have known they hadn't left and just cancelled the games knowing there were problems that neither team could feasibly control.

look at it this way Yankee fans, when King George starts building the new park, you all won't have to pay any of that foul luxury tax and can spend as much as you want on players. Maybe even buy a real team by then.

You know, this is the same organization that tried to cut dental coverage to its employees to save money.

Steinbrenner wouldn't know class if it walked up and hit him with Babe Ruth's bat.

What a great guy King George is...

Well MLB in advance made plans to postpone the Marlin games.
They had to have known that the Devil Rays were from Tampa. They could have made plans for them to leave the state earlier to go to NY or post poned their trip to NY in advance.
But they didn t do it. Doesn t take rocket science to prepare for both teams instead of just one.

The ball was in MLB and Tampa's court and they dropped it with poor planning.

I can't blame the Yankees on this one.
And yes at this point in the season I would do everythign I can to preserve my win record. and just about every owner in baseball if in the same situation would attempt to do the same.

I have to agree with Mikey on a lot of his points.

And if they are able to get the forfite Awesome anything and I mean anything to make the RedSox cringe.
The biggest mistake the baseball gods ever made was to create the Red Sox, might as well try to torture them in the mean time :)

Nothing against the Devil Rays by the way, In my Opinion they have one of the best managers in Baseball

honestly I didn't care either way. if they got the forfeit ok..if not..then play. it's not going to make that much difference.. what's great to me is the fact that Boston is a way better team than the yanks :thumbsup:

Gucc that would be a good point, but they aren't a better team. Maybe now, but come postseason they'll choke. They always do :P.

The media is totally painting this wrong, they are TRYING to make the Yankees look as bad as possible. When, in fact, the Yankees are correct in their demanding a forefeit. They had 30,000+ fans in the stands expecting a game to be played, when in fact there wasn't going to be one. Mikey explained it great, everyone else can go touch emselves :P.

C,mon, sure the Yanks deserved a forfeit. Actually they should get a forfeit for all the remaining games this season. Why should they have to actually play and risk losing, when everyone knows they deserve to win the division based on payroll alone. :lol:

That they would even consider asking is unbelievable to me.

The doubleheader today that included the makeup for Monday's first game was...you guessed it, RAINED OUT!

I guess when you call a game due to the THREAT of rain, and try to get the rescheduled game forfeited when the opposition is delayed by a hurricane, the baseball gods do try and smite thee.

I sense I'll be very happy following this weekend's series ;)

Now there are reports that the Yankees want MLB to investigate DRays owner Vince Naimoli for possibly misleading the Yankees re: the Rays travel plans.

I went back and read the news articles leading up to and including the event. If you read between the lines it sure seems that Naimoli had something to do with the Yankees believing that the Rays would be there for the game on time. I would not put it past him at all. The guy is a total asshole. I don't know about the other owners but there cannot be any worse than Naimoli. The guy has the lowest payroll in the league (28MM) and they made a profit of 7.5MM last year. He is surly, treats his front office like whipping boys, and bitches out loud at the fans for not showing up to the games. I can definitely see him leading the Yankees on and making them believe that 'we are trying as hard as we can' to make the game. GM Chuck LeMar said that the manager and players decided on Friday that they would ride out the storm with their families and leave as soon as they could on Monday for the game. If Naimoli would have been up front with the Yankees, told them the situation and what they intended to do, the Yankees could have made whatever arrangements they wanted to re:the fans and the later start.

You notice George has not had any comment. He is probably so pissed at Naimoli that he really wants to fuck with him now. George doesn't get mad, he gets even.

There has been no mention of the MLBPlayers Association in all this but I think it would really come down to them if this goes any further. If Naimoli would have picked up the phone and said 'George, my manager and players have decided to come up on Monday' what would George have done? He could have complained to the commissioners office who would go to the MLBPA. I think the MLBPA has enough clout and the circumstances were complelling enough that the commissioners office would just fine the MLBPA some token amount and say 'Clear it with us first next time'. But instead Naimoli lies to the Yankees, leads them on and then says 'Tough'. Once again, totally in character for Naimoli.

This doesn't mean that the Yankees are still not the 'evil empire' :), but I think the blame for this whole situation should fall right where it belongs, not on the DRays players, not on the Yankees, but on the ASSHOLE owner of the Rays, Vincent (Do you know who I am?) Naimoli.

they are the better team right now..and I'm going to say it... the Yanks rule of terror is over..

Just like last year. The Yankees will own the Sox as long as the teams exist.

-Mikey

Well said Mikey.