August 19th, 2006 → 1:50 pm @ Seth Mnookin // No Comments
I’m not unsympathetic to Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay. It’s easy to run out of things to say when working two games for a total of over eight hours. And Kay is one of the better local broadcasters: he’s not a complete homer and he’s fairly knowledgable. But even booth-mate Al Leiter seemed a little confused by Kay’s attempt, in the bottom of the fifth inning of last night’s game, to explain why more pitchers don’t bean David Ortiz.
AL: It’s not that you’re afraid to hit him, but the window is really small.
MK: The question is, Al, are pitchers afraid to hit him? Are they afraid to come inside because they might hit him?
AL: Oh, I don’t think so, no. They’re missing.
ML: It just seems strange that they never miss inside. They always miss, as you said, with the ball leaking out outside.
AL: What’s he gonna do? Hit him, what, he runs out, punches you once? I don’t think anyone gets on the mound and he says, ‘Boy, I’m afraid to come out on the mound because I’m afraid he’s gonna come out and punch me.’
MK: Well, everybody likes him; he seems to be friends with everybody.
AL: That’s his strategy?
MK: That’s what Michael Jordan’s strategy was.
Of course, this could also be the reason teams don’t want to risk just putting Ortiz on base.
(Also: I’m glad someone has finally explained why Michael Jordan was able to achieve as much as he did.)
Post Categories: Broadcasting & David Ortiz
Sully
18 years ago
maybe pitchers are afraid to throw at Papi because they’re scared he’ll throw a bunch of bats at them like he did to that umpire two years ago…
giantglass
18 years ago
I live in New York and so have heard Kay beat this horse 100 times before. He took up the NY Post banner — “ya gotta bean Big Papi” — months ago and has been running with it ever since.
To compare Big Papi’s approach to life or his sport with Michael Jordan’s is to not know either man. I don’t claim to, either, but it’s clear through watching Jordan that he was like a mafia don — he operated on a platform of intimidation, not kindness (just ask Steve Kerr, the teammate whose lip he bloodied). Anyone who took a shot at Jordan on the court risked being ostracized from the NBA fraternity he ran and all the financial rewards therein.
Papi doesn’t have and doesn’t pretend to have that kind of power in the MLB.
Speaking of intimidation, I think the only reason Jim Kaat and Al Leiter haven’t taken Kay apart on the air is because they’re afraid Kay’s uncle, Danny Aiello, might bring some of his friends to the YES booth.