The Futility Infielder

Moving Along

I can't presume to speak for the moronic radio shock-jocks or the rabid Roger-hating Red Sox fans out there, but the rest of us baseball fans are happy that the Clemens@Shea affair is in the rearview mirror. No, the Mets didn't exact the kind of eye-for-an-eye revenge that the most bloodthirsty zombies who walk among us would have liked--newsflash to the zombies: if you're clamoring to dine on Clemens' brains, you're bound to be disappointed by what a meager meal they make. And yes, Shawn Estes looked somewhat ridiculous for throwing at Clemens and missing him.

But the Mets did hit Roger where it hurt, beating him like a rented fifth starter. Clemens brainlocked on a misplayed Estes bunt, failing to cover home and allowing the first run of the ballgame to score. Then he gave up a two-run homer to Estes, the first time he'd surrendered a gopher ball to a pitcher in his Hall of Fame career. When Roger looked to exact some amount of retribution by poking a double of his own down the leftfield line, his ample posterior clogged the basepaths and took the Yanks out of a potential rally. Clemens also slightly injured himself running the bases. And for the coup de grace, he surrendered a homer to Mike Piazza, an outcome which is exactly what this earflap-dusting flap was all about in the first place. On top of that, he was treated to a Shea serenade as he left the ballgame trailing 4-0. If you're a Mets fan who actually cares about winning a ballgame here and there, what the hell more could you ask for?

None of the Mets had any complaint with the outcome, at least publicly. But that didn't stop the ESPN knuckle-dragger Rob Dibble from finding fault with the team's reaction. D(r)ibble--who if he ate brains for breakfast would at least then be able to claim temporary possession of some--questioned Estes' toughness and surmised that his teammates felt their pitcher had let them down. Manager Bobby Valentine fired back at Dibble, calling him "the most unprofessional player to ever play, or one of them." Piazza was equally unequivocal: ""I just wasn't impressed [with Dibble's remarks]...if you're going to respond to him you might as well sit by talk radio and analyze every call."

Dibble, of course, wasn't the only media personality to open his mouth and remove all doubt as to how bright he is. Joe Morgan, who had a reputation as the smartest player in the game but whose intelligence seems to age like a vat of mayonnaise in the hot sun, showed he wasn't above calling for blood: "I believe the Mets' pitchers are obligated to retaliate for what happened two seasons ago...Piazza felt Clemens threw at him; that is all that matters."

New York Daily News media critic Bob Raissman does a good job of calling out some of the flame-fanners, including Dibble, Morgan, and Fox's Joe Buck. Raissman writes:

"In the third inning, after Tim McCarver said he thought Estes did enough to appease Mets fans and 'everybody is satisfied,' Joe Buck said fans were 'almost' satisfied. 'They'd like to see him (Clemens) in pain and they'd ike to see a bruise.'

"Shortly after that exchange, a botton-screen crawl, for Fox Sports' Internet site, asked fans to vote on whether they would like the Mets to continue to try nailing Clemens. In the fourth inning the results were posted, showing 84% of the fans wanted to see a Mets pitcher dust the Rocket.

"'How do you know about the 84% of the people we are dealing with here?' McCarver said. 'It could be 84% of the people who thought 'Gladiator' was a comedy.'"

That may well be the most perceptive thing McCarver ever said, but he showed admirable restraint for a Foxie during Saturday's broadcast. Buck, whose father (broadcast legend Jack Buck, who passed away Tuesday) undoubtedly taught him better, didn't come off nearly as well. Raissman doesn't indicate it, but Buck kept pressing the issue while the rest of the game (i.e., situations which didn't involve Roger) unfolded. Let's hope his old man didn't roll into his grave over that one.

Because it makes for good theater, some desperate members of the media will continue to fan the flames. But this is the last you'll hear from me on the matter. Like most sane human beings, I'm ready to move on.