Steinbrenner complaining about no DH in NL

[namichael]

Yanks’ Wang expected to be out until September

By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer 59 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AP)—Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang is expected to be sidelined until at least September after injuring his foot running the bases, prompting club co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner to chastise the National League for playing without a designated hitter.

An examination in New York on Monday showed Wang partially tore a tendon and sprained his right foot Sunday during the Yankees’ 13-0 interleague win at Houston. He will be on crutches and wear a protective boot for a minimum of six weeks, the latest blow to the team’s banged-up pitching staff.

“My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century,” Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. “They need to grow up and join the 21st century.

“Am I (mad) about it? Yes,” Steinbrenner added. “I’ve got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He’s going to be out. I don’t like that, and it’s about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s.”

Making a rare appearance on the bases at an NL park, Wang pulled up rounding third and hobbled home on Derek Jeter’s single. Wang doubled over after scoring, pointed toward his right foot and was helped off the field.

“This is always a concern of American League teams when their pitchers have to run the bases and they’re not used to doing it,” Steinbrenner said. “It’s not just us. It’s everybody. It probably should be a concern for National League owners, general managers and managers when their pitchers run the bases. Pitchers have enough to do without having to do that.”

Wang is 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA in 15 starts after winning 19 games each of the last two seasons. The right-hander will join injured Yankees starters Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy on the disabled list.

New York reliever Brian Bruney has a similar injury to Wang’s and it is uncertain when he will return.

Steinbrenner said for now, the Yankees probably will have to look within the organization to find a replacement in the rotation for Wang. Right-hander Dan Giese is one possibility.

Several attractive pitchers, including Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia, could become available as the July 31 trade deadlines approaches.

The Yankees were off Monday and start a series Tuesday night at home against San Diego. Their win in Houston kept them six games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.

The sinkerballing Wang has been the most consistent Yankees starter over the last couple of years.

Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte remain in the rotation, and Joba Chamberlain recently was converted from relieving to starting. Right-hander Darrell Rasner has been in a slump lately.

Wang was well on his way to helping the Yankees finish a three-game sweep in Houston when he was hurt. He’d pitched five strong innings, and scored during an eight-run burst in the sixth that put New York ahead 11-0.

Wang is 5-0 in seven road starts this season.

“It’s a manager’s worst nightmare when a pitcher’s on a basepath,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after Sunday’s victory. “It’s unfortunate.”

After the game, Mussina summed up the problem that AL pitchers sometimes face at NL parks.

“We don’t hit, we don’t run the bases,” Mussina said. “You get four or five at-bats a year at most, and if you happen to get on base once or twice, you never know. We run in straight lines most of the time. Turning corners, you just don’t do that.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns

What are your thoughts on the DH rule?

[DTCromer]

What are your thoughts on the DH rule?

If you like the DH, you must hate how the game is supposed to be played.

The DH is for Little League, not MLB.

[Trackman20]

The American League isn't real baseball...there isn't much strategy involved to play in the AL.

[NorrisHopper30]

I laughed during this whole article.

This is what I got from it:

[cry][whine]Our 200 million payroll team can't handle injuries so i'm going to make myself look like a bigger idiot by complaining about it[/cry][/whine]

Apparently a 76 million infield payroll isn't good enough. It amazes me how a team with so much money could not win the world series every other year.

[namichael]

Originally Posted by DTCromer

If you like the DH, you must hate how the game is supposed to be played.

The DH is for Little League, not MLB.

I agree. I think it's funny that most of the AL thinks it's out of the question for a pitcher to run. I always thought that running was a big part of being a baseball player.

[Grande Donkey]

Awwwwww, rounding a base was to tuff for his lil pitcher. I'm sowwy. If that kind of thing is to tough for you to do then you shouldn't be a professional athlete.

[HeatherC1212]

If your pitchers aren't decent enough athletes to handle running a couple times a year, and that's only if they're lucky enough to get on base, then maybe you better get them on a healthier program and prepare them better for interleague play. I'm sick of hearing that man whine about everything when his team's payroll could pay about a dozen other teams payrolls with room to spare. :thumbdown

[Blue]

"That was a rule from the 1800s."

As are most of the other rules.

[justincredible]

Steinbrenner is an idiot. The DH rule should go away, I hate watching AL baseball because of it.

[BoCcc2832]

The Big Boss needs to realize that true baseball is played where the pitchers hit and play the same game as the other eight men on the field. The only reasons the DH was implemented in '73 was because the American League needed more offense and better attendance numbers. This need has obviously passed as the AL is (unfortunately) arguably the better league now. The American League should realize this is the 21st Century and revert back to the way of the hitting pitcher.

[Gizmo]

Maybe they shouldn't have anyone run the bases... just use designated advancement depending on where the ball is fielded, then use ghost runners. How many times has an all star gone down to some fluke baserunning injury?

Hell, lets eliminate the defense too, way too many injuries happening by running around the outfield or diving for a ball, or running into another player. Just put nets in the areas covered by fielders and small fences up in strategic locations. if the batted ball lands in the net, it's a flyout. If a batted ball hits a fence, it's a ground out.

But what about the injuries occuring on the mound? Kerry Wood ring a bell? Too many pitchers can't take the stress of pitching. There goes our ace. Easily fixed: have the batter toss the ball into the air and hit it that way! No more injuries on the mound.

That almost takes care of any possible injuries taking place on the ball field, the only area that could possibly hurt a stud player now is batting. But assuming you don't toss the ball up and have it come down on your own body, there should be no hit by pitch injuries. Likewise, if every player is using a thick board rather than a bat, they can just hold the board at an angle and toss the ball in a way that it can come down into the angled board, thus making contact, rather than risking injury whilst swinging! Be careful of splinters, MLB studs!


I can see these rules being implemented in the near future... or maybe athletes can continue to just play the damn game the way they have the last 150 years.

[killuminati35]

When I heard about the injury I wondered how long it would take for somebody from the Yankees to start complaining.

That didn't take long.

[George Foster]

If you can't run the bases don't call yourself a professional athlete. God, Steinbrenner would of had a better argument if his pitcher would of gotten hit by a pitch, but running....please.

[PTI (pti)]

^^

He didn't get hurt running......he got hurt JOGGING.



Jesus christ, if a grown man can't even JOG around the bases without getting hurt - then he has no business being a professional athlete.

And I have a feeling that Hank Steinbrenner may become even more hateable than his father - which is really saying something.

[Moosie52]

Heck, the Reds use pitchers as pinch runners. Why is a fluky injury somehow the fault of the DH rule?