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He broke bats, kicked walls, and nothing prevented him from doing what he had to try to do. He got mad at himself and didn't care if people knew it. He made one of the great catches of all time to save a World Championship and won another World Championship the night of the day that his father died. He had his priorities straight. He was Paul O'Neill. He was criticized by those who want everyone to be nice to everyone. Face reality. Everyone is not nice to everyone and even if they were, you can't be nice to someone you are trying to beat. You just don't win that way. It was Game 5 of the 1996 World Series. I had "retired" from baseball after the 1994 strike because some people thought other things were more important than trying to win the World Series. The players went out but make no mistake, it was the owners who caused the strike and who exploited the players and fans. Yes. A player who makes in excess of $17 million can be exploited. You think how it can be done because it is being done. It is also being done to you and you probably make less than $17 million. I ignored
the 1995 season. I ignored the 1996 season. But being a
baseball fan, an intense fan, is an addiction. That is not
nice to say but it is true. And sometimes there is nothing
bad about being addicted. It brings pain but it also brings
pleasure. We have the right to choose our addictions.
David Cone won a gutsy Game 3 in Atlanta but after five innings of Game 4, the Braves and Denny Neagle, who never wins big games, led by 6 runs. True to form, Neagle let the Yankees get close and then Bobby Cox, a vastly underrated manager, fell prey to the modern school of managing. The Yankees had cut Atlanta's lead down to 6-3 in the sixth inning and were threatening to make it closer. Terrell Wade relieved Neagle but could not put out the fire. Mike Bielecki, whom Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone had brought back to life, did. With Charlie Hayes on second and Darryl Strawberry on first, Bielecki struck out Mariano Duncan swinging, Paul O'Neill looking, and Tino Martinez swinging to end the sixth. The former Cubs starter retired the Yankees in the seventh. But the New Book On Modern Managing has a formula. It says that you bring in your "closer" regardless of the effectiveness of the "set up" man. That is idiotic, as Jim Leyritz proved when he tied the game with a three run home run against Mark Wohlers who relieved Bielecki. What would have happened if Bielecki had been allowed to pitch the eighth inning? I'm glad we will never know. The Yankees won Game 4 in extra innings, which brings us to the catch that saved Game 5. Going to the bottom of the ninth inning, the Yankees were leading 1-0 with starter Andy Pettitte still on the mound. Chipper Jones led off with a double on a 1-2 pitch. What a place for a bunt, but the New Book On Modern Managing eschews the sacrifice, especially since modern players don't want to learn to bunt because home run hitters drive Mercedes (It used to be Cadillacs, as Ralph Kiner used to say, but in modern times, the symbols of crass consumerism are the Mercedes and the BMW). Fred McGriff was the batter. McGriff is a powerful left-handed hitter who once was Yankees' property---a long time ago. McGriff is a professional. He hit a ground ball to first baseman Tino Martinez that moved Chipper Jones to third with only one out. That was it for Pettitte. John Wettland came in to face Javy Lopez who could not get the run home. Lopez grounded out to third. Two outs, Jones on third, and a 1-0 lead. Andruw
Jones, who had hit two mammoth home runs in Game 1 was the
scheduled batter. No way. Jones batted from the right side
and Wettland threw from the right side. Lefty Ryan Klesco
pinch-hit for Andruw Jones.
Luis Polonia, who would be a Yankees hero in the World Series victory against the Mets four years later, pinch-hit for the Braves. Wettland got two quick strikes on Polonia, and then neither would give in. Polonia fouled off fast ball after fast ball. Wettland couldn't throw the ball past Polonia, and Polonia couldn't quite catch up to Wettland's speed. Then came the final and deciding pitch of the sequence. The short but powerful Polonia blasted a line drive towards right center field. O'Neill broke quickly and, straining against the pain of a pulled hamstring that had hampered him for weeks, stretched his right hand as far as he could to make a game saving catch at the edge of the warning track. O'Neill simply did what he had to do. He made the play. Paul O'Neill has been criticized for being too intense. Tim McCarver has said that if O'Neill hits a single he wants a double, if he hits a double he wants a triple, if he hits a triple he wants a home run, and if he hits a home run he wants it to go farther. McCarver can criticize all he wants. So can anyone else. It doesn't change the fact that there is nothing wrong with being intense. If Paul O'Neill weren't so intense, he wouldn't have had the career he had and he wouldn't have made the catch his team had to have. His intensity carries beyond the field. O'Neill has refused to wear any cap other than the traditional Yankees cap and until recently, would not even wear a Yankees World Series cap. He is a Yankee to whom winning and loyalty are more important than money. Intensity, temper, and self-criticism are positives. In order to win, one must risk losing. Yankees radio announcer John Sterling paraphrased the old Abbott and Costello routine about playing craps. Abbott explained which numbers resulted in winning and Costello got happier and happier as he listened. Finally, Abbott pointed out a combination that would result in a loss. The surprised Costello said, "You mean you can lose?" Yes folks, you can lose. That is why Paul O'Neill did what he did. If temper tantrums, breaking bats, and kicking dugout walls helps win, then do it. The kids have parents for role models. References:
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Web Links: Yankees Fan Network UltimateYankees Fast Facts: Betcha' didn't know On May 24, 1936, Lazzeri became the first player in history to hit 2 Grand Slams in one game. He did it against the Philadelphia A's in a 25-2 win while driving in 11 runs for an American League record. On June 17, 1978, "Louisiana Lightning", struck out 18 against the California Angels, setting an American League record for a left-hander. "When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and join the circus. With the Yankees I have accomplished both" Graig Nettles Reggie Jackson, upon signing with the Yanks in 1976 Trivia: Joe Torre is the 4th man to manage both the Yankees and Mets. Name the other three. Answer In Next Issue Have a trivia question? Email it to us and maybe we'll use it in an upcoming issue. Fan Feedback: Cartoonist Wanted! We have received several emails suggesting the addition of jokes and baseball cartoons. |
