Spring Training Follies: Suddenly Wimpy Joe 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, the reaction was hypocritical and a wimpy cop-out because the move was one the manager likely would have made when he was a player. So what was the alleged offense in question? Tampa Bay's Elliot Johnson ran over Francisco Cervelli, breaking the Yankee catcher's right wrist. Girardi's "disappointment" was that the accident occurred during a spring training game.  His implication of course was that that you don't need to go all out and play at full speed during a meaningless exhibition match. 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." And, perhaps with even ... (link)