Yankee fans are still squawking about Michael Kay. Besides him jinxing A.J. Burnett’s potential no-hitter, many take issue with his negative reaction to Nick Swisher actually – shudder – enjoying himself when pitching during Monday’s loss.
Baseball Think Factory featured my post yesterday about how Kay said what Swisher did while pitching was “not cool.” The Yankee broadcaster/radio host suggested that Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter should have a talk with him about “the Yankee way.”
Speaking of Jeter, a reader on Baseball Think Factory found this quote from Jeter after the game:
“You get a chuckle out of it just because it’s him, and he’s not going to stop talking about it,” Jeter said. “I guess that’s the only way you can look at it. It doesn’t look good and it doesn’t feel good when you get beat by that many runs, but if you’re going to make light of the situation in any way, who better than Swish?”
Talk about a backhanded compliment. Meow!
I’ve heard fans suggest that this quote meant Jeter was okay with what Swisher did. Maybe because I lived in the South, where passive-aggressive little digs are common, but I read it differently, and more negatively. And given Jeter’s history with little digs – “they’re not the same team” is the most famous one – I give him very little benefit of the doubt on this one.
You know, the more I think about it, the more I think that the Yankee way is really the Jeter way, where every player is expected to act like he does, and have his personality. Talk about a recipe for failure.
Fans like players with personalities, though. There’s a reason so many, including myself, were bummed by the death of Mark Fidrych. Yesterday I watched his 1976 game against on the Yankees on the MLB Network, and it was thrilling to see somebody who enjoyed pitching so much, instead of acting too cool for school.
The Yankee clubhouse dynamics are going to be interesting to watch this year. I can’t help but think of the Billy Joel line about how he’d “rather laugh with the sinner than cry with the saints/The sinners are much more fun.”
What do you think? Leave us a comment!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
