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Klapisch Facilitating MFY Self Love

G-Fafif Jul 08 2008 03:20 AM

Because All-Star Games are held [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/allstar08/columns/story?columnist=klapisch_bob&id=3471345]primarily if not exclusively[/url] for the benefit of the host team...especially when it's Bob Klapisch's favorite host team in the whole wide world. ]Starting Rivera in Midsummer Classic would be ultimate tribute By Bob Klapisch Special to ESPN.com NEW YORK -- In a world of crazy, outside-the-box thinking, here's one idea that has gained some traction in the Yankees' clubhouse lately: Why not give Mariano Rivera, this generation's greatest closer, a chance to be really appreciated at the All-Star Game? How? Not by letting him get those last three outs; that's too pedestrian. There's no guarantee the American League will need a save, and there's no promise that even if Rivera takes the mound, he'll be pitching in a critical situation. A blowout by either league would render the appearance meaningless. No, the real way to commemorate Yankee Stadium in what could be its final marquee event is to let Rivera start the game: Allow him to bask in the thunderous standing ovation, and let him know what it feels like to have a million flashbulbs go off in his face upon delivery of that first cut fastball. Unconventional? It's almost surreal. But Rivera himself says, "I'm sure the fans would love it. They'd go crazy." The theory behind this heresy goes like this: The 2008 All-Star Game isn't your typical Midsummer Classic. The very reason it's being staged in the Bronx is to bid an official farewell to Yankee Stadium, which is being replaced by a new structure in 2009. All the ghosts are heading across the street -- Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle, among others. Tickets for this event give new meaning to the term "sold out." Some seats are being hawked for almost $10,000 a pop on eBay. This is Yankee-mania at its best (or worst). Either way, the usual protocols don't have to apply: All-Star Games are often awarded to new ballparks, not ones that are about to meet their doom at the wrecking ball. So if celebration will be the working theme on July 15, why not do honor to the single most dominant Yankees figure of the past decade? Derek Jeter has been the marketing equivalent of Microsoft, but on the field, Rivera has been the Bombers' real difference-maker. Jeter himself says, "Mo is the one who deserves the attention. Whether he pitches the first inning or the last, that's not up to me. But one way or another, all the eyes are going to be on him. That's the way it should be." The decision will be Terry Francona's, and there's at least one Yankee who thinks the Red Sox manager is open-minded enough to at least consider the proposition. "I don't think it's that crazy," Johnny Damon said. "I bet Terry would do it. If anyone would do it, it would be him. The guy is awesome." If Francona were to even consider handing the ball to Rivera instead of, say, C.C. Sabathia, it would be as a gesture of respect to the Yankees, and an acknowledgment of the warming relations between the two franchises. Despite their never-ending struggle in the American League East, the hostility in the northeast corridor has clearly diminished in the past two years. Maybe the Red Sox's dominance has quieted the winds of war. Maybe the Yankees don't pose the same threat as they did in the Joe Torre era. Maybe everyone's suffering from battle fatigue. That might've explained why Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein, archenemies in theory, appeared jointly at a seminar at the Yogi Berra Museum over the winter. And it was worth noting that Alex Rodriguez, arguably the most hated Yankee in New England (after Jeter), publicly congratulated Manny Ramirez on his 500th career home run. Even Hank Steinbrenner, who blasted the concept of Red Sox Nation as a creation of ESPN, ultimately admitted the Sox aren't the enemy, after all. "We have a lot in common," Steinbrenner told reporters in March. "Red Sox ownership and Yankee ownership has a lot in common and a lot of common interests. You never know, we may end up being partners outside of baseball." So what would stop Francona from making such a historic decision? Real-world politics, for one: The Yankees have no interest in seeing Rivera start the All-Star Game. Cashman said, "To be honest with you, asking Mariano to be a starting pitcher would be like asking Alex [Rodriguez] to play center field. I don't like it." But Rivera would only throw one inning; that would be the stipulation. One inning, and he gets to stand on the mound and let the ovation cover him like a soft rain. It would be a reminder of better times in the Bronx, back when the Yankees really did rule the world. And, technically speaking, it wouldn't be an entirely foreign assignment for Rivera. He did begin his career with the Yankees as a starting pitcher. The matter of actually finding a closer is just as simple. It could be anyone, and everyone. Francona would undoubtedly pick his own guy, Jonathan Papelbon, even if it comes with the caveat that the final three outs could mean nothing, depending on the score. That's a risk Rivera doesn't necessarily want to take, however. He thought long and hard about the idea of starting, before finally deciding he'd rather close. "The game means something, we have to win [for home-field advantage in the World Series]," he said. "I'd go out there doing this for my team, not just my league." Rivera paused and considered the outside-the-box -- OK, outside-the-brain -- concept one last time. Starting? After 811 consecutive appearances in relief? "Interesting," Rivera said, which is how civilized men put it when they mean, "Don't get your hopes up."

Vince Coleman Firecracker Jul 08 2008 04:41 AM

Klapisch to Lee, Duchsherer, Halladay: Fuck you.

AG/DC Jul 08 2008 05:53 AM

Me to Klapish: ...shut up. I'm going out on a limb and saying the starter won't be Sabathia.

Fman99 Jul 08 2008 06:08 AM

This article made me throw up in my mouth.

metsguyinmichigan Jul 08 2008 06:25 AM

Bob is one step away from saying, "Why do we need players from other teams at all? Just make it Yankees vs the National League. Or better yet, why not Yankees vs the American League, that way there won't be any Mets involved. "Then, we should let Derek Jeter keep swinging in each at bat until he gets a hit. People aren't paying $10,000 a ticket to see Derek ground out. "But ARod has to earn his hits. He's not a True Yankee, you know."

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2008 06:54 AM

I hope the game is tied going into the ninth inning, thereby making it unclear which is going to be the "last" inning. The National League then scores in the top of the ninth, on a run-scoring play that also involves the third out being made on the bases. The AL goes scoreless in the bottom of the ninth, ending the game before Rivera ever gets a chance to appear. THAT would be a perfect All-Star game, especially if you include a few key errors by Jeter.

Vince Coleman Firecracker Jul 08 2008 07:03 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: THAT would be a perfect All-Star game, especially if you include a few key errors by Jeter. More perfect: a flock of Pterodactyls swoop down on the stadium, grabbing Rivera, Jeter, ARod, Guiliani and a few Steinbrenners in their talons and fly them back to their aeries to regurgitate them for their young. Maybe they could grab Wagner while they're at it.

seawolf17 Jul 08 2008 07:07 AM

Problem is, of COURSE it's about the Yankees, because they're obviously the ones to whom it will matter when World Series time comes around. And wouldn't they want Mariano Rivera to be the one who decided home-field advantage? I don't even know why they play the World Series any more. Haven't the Yankees won it more times than anyone else? What's the point?

Fman99 Jul 08 2008 10:05 AM

I hope to hear more about the Yankees and Red Sox and their storied rivalry. Man that just never gets old. And playing in the same infield? OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS I JUST THREW UP ON MYSELF.

G-Fafif Jul 08 2008 01:45 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 08 2008 02:10 PM

Revisiting this column hours later...yeesh. ]In a world of crazy, outside-the-box thinking --Do we really live in that world? ]here's one idea that has gained some traction in the Yankees' clubhouse lately --Well, if it's gained traction there, it must be solid as granite. ]Why not give Mariano Rivera, this generation's greatest closer, a chance to be really appreciated at the All-Star Game? --I do believe Klapisch is angling to show his appreciation in a very intimate manner, in full view of 56,000 ]How? Not by letting him get those last three outs; that's too pedestrian. --Yes, allowing Rivera to do what he has become famous for isn't nearly enough of a tribute to him for doing what he became famous for. ]A blowout by either league would render the appearance meaningless. --This-time-it-countsery notwithstanding, almost everything about everybody's appearance in an All-Star Game is meaningless -- except that it's an appearance in an All-Star Game. ]No, the real way to commemorate Yankee Stadium in what could be its final marquee event is to let Rivera start the game --So if the hook is "final," and Rivera's whole thing is getting final outs, why would starting be "the real way" to commemorate any of this? ]Allow him to bask in the thunderous standing ovation, and let him know what it feels like to have a million flashbulbs go off in his face upon delivery of that first cut fastball. --If the crowd (obviously every one of them a good and loyal Yankees fan, not corporate who-cares? types or people who scalped tickets because it's a big baseball event or, heaven forefend, fans of other teams) is that anxious to take a picture of Mariano Rivera, why wouldn't they save a little battery life for a later inning? ]But Rivera himself says, "I'm sure the fans would love it. They'd go crazy." --Especially if this were a Yankees home game...which it's not. ]The 2008 All-Star Game isn't your typical Midsummer Classic. --True enough. This will be the first in recorded history in which a national baseball columnist will be waiting on the mound in the ninth inning on his knees to offer his tribute. ]All the ghosts are heading across the street -- Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle, among others. --Relax, fans. If you thought the end of Yankee Stadium II was an end to all the hoary cliches, it's not. Other teams' new facilities start fresh. Yankee Stadium, no matter how many they build, maintains the exact same aura. ]Tickets for this event give new meaning to the term "sold out." --"The official sources who sell the tickets have none left to sell you" is indeed a startling new definition to the term "sold out". ]This is Yankee-mania at its best (or worst). --And by "worst," Klapisch means the ghosts won't actually suit up. And it makes him sad. ]Either way, the usual protocols don't have to apply --You mean the Yankee players won't get all the calls? Great! ]So if celebration will be the working theme on July 15, why not do honor to the single most dominant Yankees figure of the past decade? --Why not just let a checkbook start? ]Derek Jeter has been the marketing equivalent of Microsoft, but on the field, Rivera has been the Bombers' real difference-maker --Bob Klapisch is going against what he believes to be conventional wisdom. Watch out, he's a pistol. ]"I don't think it's that crazy," Johnny Damon said. "I bet Terry would do it. If anyone would do it, it would be him. The guy is awesome." --Johnny Damon has a warped sense of what awesome guys do for players who, whatever their stats, are not Cal Ripken in public esteem. ]it would be as a gesture of respect to the Yankees, and an acknowledgment of the warming relations between the two franchises. --Because merely holding the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium is a slap in the face to the Yankees -- and goodness knows the rest of baseball and America is concerned that the Vanderbilts speak to the Rockefellers. ]Despite their never-ending struggle in the American League East, the hostility in the northeast corridor has clearly diminished in the past two years. Maybe the Red Sox's dominance has quieted the winds of war. Maybe the Yankees don't pose the same threat as they did in the Joe Torre era. Maybe everyone's suffering from battle fatigue. --How are the Twins and White Sox getting along these days? What's that? Nobody cares except when they play each other? Hmmm... ]That might've explained why Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein, archenemies in theory, appeared jointly at a seminar at the Yogi Berra Museum over the winter. --Theory...as in fevered imaginations of sportswriters who forget that all these guys traditionally show up at the same offseason events and occasionally make trades with each other, no matter how loud the winds of war. ]And it was worth noting that Alex Rodriguez, arguably the most hated Yankee in New England (after Jeter), publicly congratulated Manny Ramirez on his 500th career home run. --I'll go on record as saying this is not worth noting. Three years ago, the Yankees stood respectfully in their dugout while the Red Sox received their World Series rings. That was a class act. One player saying "congratulations" to another player in the same union? That's just business as usual. ]Even Hank Steinbrenner, who blasted the concept of Red Sox Nation as a creation of ESPN, ultimately admitted the Sox aren't the enemy, after all. --Was this before or after he was digging up $40,000 worth of construction and threatening lawsuits over the buried Ortiz jersey? ]"We have a lot in common," Steinbrenner told reporters in March. "Red Sox ownership and Yankee ownership has a lot in common and a lot of common interests. You never know, we may end up being partners outside of baseball." --Are they buying a country together or something? ]So what would stop Francona from making such a historic decision? --This is a sign to the reader that Klapisch has been figuratively jerking you around. ]The Yankees have no interest in seeing Rivera start the All-Star Game. --So much for that think tank they started in the Yankee clubhouse. ]Cashman said, "To be honest with you, asking Mariano to be a starting pitcher would be like asking Alex [Rodriguez] to play center field. I don't like it." --Oh what does Brian Cashman know? ]But Rivera would only throw one inning; that would be the stipulation. --Rewrite protocol. This is beloved Mariano Rivera we're talking about. From Maine to California people are entranced by him. ]One inning, and he gets to stand on the mound and let the ovation cover him like a soft rain. --And Bob Klapisch will be his umbrella-brella-brella... ]It would be a reminder of better times in the Bronx --Ah, the good times, back when the Yankees were able to afford the most expensive roster in baseball, back when they could build a palatial new Stadium, back when they had going a thirteen-year streak of playoff appearances, back when they sold out every night, back when they approach the All-Star Break in reasonably good shape for a second-half run...where did those halcyon days of early July 2008 go? ]back when the Yankees really did rule the world --Springtime for Jeter and Yankees fans! ]And, technically speaking, it wouldn't be an entirely foreign assignment for Rivera. He did begin his career with the Yankees as a starting pitcher. --And, technically speaking, Bob Klapisch used to write about baseball, not Bob Klapisch's wet and disturbing dreams; a soft rain? ]The matter of actually finding a closer is just as simple. It could be anyone, and everyone. Francona would undoubtedly pick his own guy, Jonathan Papelbon, even if it comes with the caveat that the final three outs could mean nothing, depending on the score. --So the special skill sets Mariano Rivera brings to the ninth inning...they're not indispensable, anyone could deliver what he does. Gotcha. ]That's a risk Rivera doesn't necessarily want to take, however. He thought long and hard about the idea of starting, before finally deciding he'd rather close. --The choice, after all, is Rivera's. Francona would surely agree. He's awesome! ]"The game means something, we have to win [for home-field advantage in the World Series]," he said. "I'd go out there doing this for my team, not just my league." --Even though the good times are over for the Yankees. ]Rivera paused and considered the outside-the-box -- OK, outside-the-brain -- concept one last time. --Aw, pshaw, Bobby knows it was silly, but he brought it up at length anyway. ]Starting? After 811 consecutive appearances in relief? "Interesting," Rivera said, which is how civilized men put it when they mean, "Don't get your hopes up." --Somewhere in Bergen County, a small boy with an ESPN platform cries himself to sleep.

themetfairy Jul 08 2008 01:52 PM

]--Springtime for Jeter and Yankees fans! I'm dying here <g>

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2008 01:54 PM

That 'soft rain' thing was especially puke-worthy. I wonder, is YES going to provide live coverage of the ghosts moving their stuff into the new stadium?

themetfairy Jul 08 2008 01:55 PM

No, but Steve Phillips will have another faux ESPN press conference reporting on the move.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2008 02:06 PM

I'm looking forward to the Bill Gallo cartoon that shows Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle as putrid zombies rising from the dirt of the old Yankee Stadium and mindlessly lurching towards the new ballpark.

G-Fafif Jul 08 2008 02:12 PM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm looking forward to the Bill Gallo cartoon that shows Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle as putrid zombies rising from the dirt of the old Yankee Stadium and mindlessly lurching towards the new ballpark. While a superimposed face of Joe Girardi exclaims in comic ballon, "The Yanks Are Coming!" It will be titled "REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED". Nothing's as scary as Gallo's Humor.

Frayed Knot Jul 08 2008 02:25 PM

]Despite their never-ending struggle in the American League East, the hostility in the northeast corridor has clearly diminished in the past two years. If by "diminished" you mean "reversed", then yeah.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2008 02:31 PM

I think, to honor Hank Steinbrenner, every non-Yankee player in the All-Star Game this year should wear Toledo Mud Hens uniforms.

TheOldMole Jul 09 2008 03:15 AM

]Tickets for this event give new meaning to the term "sold out." Like Klapisch?

metirish Jul 09 2008 10:01 AM

This is hilarious from Klapisch , I bet anything he was jerking of while typing this.