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June 04, 2007
Oh, Now, It's A Good Thing?
From Bob Herzog -
See if you can identify this player from these clues, Yankees fans.
He expects to get a hit every time up and is known to fling his batting helmet or bat in disgust any time he makes an out. He plays with an inner fire that burns outwardly. He'd trade any of his hits for a win any day of the week.
Paul O'Neill, you say? Partial credit. The correct answer is O'Neill and his Red Sox clone, first baseman Kevin Youkilis. "I hear it all the time," said Youkilis, who entered last night's game leading the team with a .350 batting average.
Youkilis is from Cincinnati, where O'Neill began his career, and they have the same agent, Joe Bick. "To be compared to Paul O'Neill, to be put in the same sentence with him, I've just got to say, 'Thank you,"' Youkilis said. "His teammates loved him."
Everyone who loves the Red Sox loves Youkilis, especially this season, his fourth in the majors but just his second as an everyday player.
"He's very, very intense -- very high-strung and emotional," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "We saw that when he first got here [in 2004], but now we understand that's his outlet. He's turned out to be a very good team player. That's the way he lets go of that last at-bat. He doesn't let it stay with him."
That's the way O'Neill did it during his Yankees years, and Joe Torre sounds as fond of the bearded Red Sox first baseman as he was of his former rightfielder.
"Not only the way he plays, but the ability he takes to the ballpark. He's special. He's a good hitter, legitimately a good hitter," Torre said. "He's a Paul O'Neill type. He's got a lot of intensity inside."
Let's step back for a moment and think about how Red Sox fans viewed Paul O'Neill. Let's use "Fire Joe Morgan" as an example:
I forget who made the following point about Paul O'Neill, but it's a fantastic one. Paul is a no-doubt cry-baby. A whiner. I know we've talked about how much a DVD of nothing but Paul O'Neill being called out on strike 3 would sell for in Red Sox Nation.
Further, Bill Simmons, an ESPN.com writer and Red Sox fan, once called O'Neill a "dick" during an ESPN online chat.
So, this now sets it up for Red Sox Nation: If Youkilis equals O'Neill - and O'Neill was a whiner and a cry-baby - then what does that make Youkilis?
Tough one, huh?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at June 4, 2007 10:38 AM
Comments
Typical RSN-think. They're nothing if not ridiculously inconsistent. To paraphrase the great philosopher Luis Polonia: Red Sox Nation only wants to do one thing...and they don't know what it is.
Posted by: JohnnyC ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 4, 2007 11:16 AM
Youk = O'Neill?
Maybe I haven't seen Youk play enough, but I don't see it.
Posted by: Raf at June 4, 2007 12:15 PM
"Typical RSN-think."
Kind of like loving arods elbow but calling lowell's play dirty? I got ya Johnny.
Posted by: xxxdanxxx at June 4, 2007 01:22 PM
No one "loves" A-Rod's elbow. It happened, and it didn't really affect anything. And it was a baseball play. Lowell's shoulder shove into Cano was fine--it was the push afterwards that I had a problem with. And it was also the fact that he was already tagged out. At least A-Rod could reaonsably claim that he was getting up from his slide. Lowell visibly pushed him. And no one has gotten a concussion from one of A-Rod's "dirty" plays.
Posted by: snowball003 at June 4, 2007 01:31 PM
Steve, you're spending too much time worrying about these things. Too much time.
Posted by: Don at June 4, 2007 02:03 PM
"At least A-Rod could reaonsably claim that he was getting up from his slide."
Reasonable? Only if you don't have eyes, or throw out common sense. He popped up at a different angle and threw an elbow. He even apologized to pedroia. Honestly, if you want to say anything goes fine. Part of the play though, that's comical.
"Lowell visibly pushed him."
Yep, and visably pushed his shoulder into him. Why would he hide it? Completely legal play. He was in the baseline.
"And no one has gotten a concussion from one of A-Rod's "dirty" plays."
For a second I didn't even know what you meant. If you're talking about the play at first, calling lowell dirty, that's an idiotic comment. If you think lowell meant to do that you really need help.
Posted by: xxxdanxxx at June 4, 2007 10:54 PM