One of the only truly annoying and less-than-stellar habits of the great Derek Jeter is his tic-like predilection for constantly stepping out, adjusting his forearm equipage and gloved accouterments and otherwise diddling around while everyone waits. He’s not the only one by far, but he is the most prominent. Let’s put it this way: I’ve seen my kid’s Little League teammates ape the famous Jeter right-hand calling time while he gets himself set – as if the great Yankee shortstop is somehow in charge of the pace of the game.
Perhaps it works in throwing the pitchers off. Perhaps it helps Jeter’s timing Perhaps it’s just an annoying habit like Gary Sheffield’s spitting.
But by God, Cowboy Joe West has seen enough! Emboldened by MLB directives to speed the pace of play – and by Angel Hernandez’s refusal to grant time in the Sox-Yankees series – West let loose on both teams. “This is embarrassing, a disgrace to baseball,” he roared. More Cowboy:
“They’re the two clubs that don’t try to pick up the pace. They’re two of the best teams in baseball. Why are they playing the slowest? It’s pathetic and embarrassing. They take too long to play.”
Ted Berg, for one, agreed: “Either way, West’s probably right. I’m not sure if the Yankees or Sox step out of the box or more frequently than any other teams, but if he and his crew are under the gun to speed up games, then by all means, deny Jeter his precious batting-glove adjustment time.” Benjamin Kabak at River Ave Blues also concurred, though he pointed a finger at – uh – a different star player: “After all, we want to see game action and not David Ortiz spitting on his batting gloves for the fourth time in three pitches.”
Picking on the Yanks, meanwhile, got under Mo Rivera’s skin, big-time: “He has a job to do. He should do his job,” Rivera said. “We don’t want to play four-hour games but that’s what it takes. We respect and love the fans and do what we have to do and that’s play our game.” Will be interesting to see if Rivera gets any calls on the corner the next time West umpires a ninth inning.
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