MLB’s Unforgettable Moments of 2010
Friday 23 July, 2010 at 1:47 pm Featured, Just for Kicks, MLB 0
B.J. Upton is very accomplished at swinging and missing.
Every baseball season is filled with its special moments that live with us for years to come.
Then, there are other moments that cause us to simply shake our heads.
Take a wild guess which moments this post is about…
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The Johnny Kemp Award (Former “Just Got Paid” One Hit Wonder) – Armando Galarraga
Yes, we were all wondering how Galarraga would respond to his one-hit performance. After tugging on the heartstrings of baseball fans far and wide with his perfect game that was erroneously taken away by the bold, overzealous Jim Joyce, the Tigers’ hurler has been a disappointment. Since that infamous outing, Galarraga’s ERA has climbed almost two full runs (from 2.57 to 4.50) including a stint in which he was sent down to Triple-A Toledo. He recently returned to the bigs and loss in his first start, yielding 4 ERs in 7.1 innings. He’s only in his third season – but there’s still a hung jury on this guy.
The Drew Gooden Award (for an individual who gets traded almost every year) – Cliff Lee
The fact that a skilled pitcher such as Lee – a left-hander – can be traded so frequently baffles me. The 2008 American League Cy Young winner has played for four teams in the last two years. Lee is at it again with his latest club, the Texas Rangers, giving them a superb game-winning performance on Thursday night – putting them ahead of the Los Angeles Angels by six games in the AL West.
Maybe, somehow, the Rangers will realize what they have and keep him around for a while. That’s what most good teams teams do with good pitchers. Or at least that’s what they’re supposed to do, right? Somebody told me that good lefties are hard to come by, and I would have to concur with that.
Zambrano's temper has been known to get out of control.
The Mike Tyson Award (Potentially Lopsided Fight) – Evan Longoria & B.J. Upton
So, Tampa Bay centerfielder B.J. Upton leisurely tracked down a shot in the gap (that ended up being a non-factor when the next batter stroked a long ball)…but what ensued in the dugout was the bigger story. Longoria didn’t appreciate his lackidasical effort, and let Upton know about it. Then Upton got irate, yelling at Longoria just inches from his face. The two were nose to nose before they were separated.
If I had to choose, I’d put my money on Longoria. He has a better connect percentage (Upton has struck out over 26% of the time this year, compared to 20% for Longoria), and more power when he connects (Longoria – 14 HRs, Upton – 8 HRs).
The Milli Vanilli Award (“Blame It On The Rain”) – Carlos Zambrano
Or for that matter, we could call this the “Blame It On Anyone Except For Myself” award. After getting tagged for 4 runs on 4 hits in the first inning, ”El Toro” decided that he wanted to put the responsibility on someone else. He was seen shouting something in the direction of 1B Derek Lee, reportedly for not giving what he would describe as 100% effort on a ball that was rocketed down the first base line by Juan Pierre. And I mean that ball was screaming , and there was no way that the ball was going to be stopped. Another Zambrano pitch was roped down the third base line by Alex Rios, getting past Aramis Ramirez. But regardless, Zambrano gave up a three-run blast to Carlos Quentin moments later.
Big Z was sent home immediately following his blowup, and has not pitched for the Cubs major league team since. And that was one of the all-time greatest moves ever by skipper Lou Piniella.
Galarraga was robbed of a perfect game, and has failed to impress ever since.
The “Oh No He Didn’t” Award – Hanley Ramirez
Earlier in the season, the Marlins’ shortstop was chastised for not hustling after a ball that got by him. As he was jogging after the ball, opposing runners were circling the bases. So, naturally, the Florida skipper at the time, Fredi Gonzales, called out Ramirez. But Ramirez didn’t take it lying down. He fired back at Gonzales, saying:
“That’s OK. He doesn’t understand that. He never played in the big leagues.”
Ouch! And now that the smoke has cleared, Gonzales didn’t last in the big leagues as a manager either.
The Weirdest Fans Award – Phildelphia Phillies
Two distinct incidents have left a stain on the image of the Phill fathful. First, there was the case of the streaking fan who eventually had to be tasered in left-center field. Then, there was the fan who threw up on people sitting next to him (one of them happened to be an off-duty cop).
Those occurrences easily cover both ends of any spectrum, so…sorry Philly fans…but you guys comfortably win this award.
T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com. All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this authorTags: Armando Galarraga, B.J. Upton, Carlos Zambrano, Cliff Lee, Evan Longoria, Hanley Ramirez, Philadelphia
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