Spring Training Follies: Suddenly Wimpy Girardi Bemoans Plate Collision

To many, the reaction was uncharacteristic of a Joe Girardi, who is perceived in baseball circles as a hard-nosed tough guy. To a few, the reaction was justified.  It was, after all, just an exhibition game.  But to me, it was a wimpy cop-out and a highly hypocritical reaction by a manager who likely would have done the same thing when he was a player. So what was the alleged offense in quesiton? Tampa Bay's Elliot Johnson ran over Francisco Cervelli, breaking the Yankee catcher's right wrist. Girardi's "disappointment" was that it occurred during a spring training game. The implication by Girardi is that you don't go all out and play at full speed during a meaningless exhibition game. Try telling that to Pete Rose, whose infamous bowl-over of catcher Ray Fosse during an all-star game effectively ended Fosse's career. Try telling that to Ray's manager Joe Maddon, who called it a "good hard baseball play". Perhaps even more, try telling that to baseball lifer ... (link)