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I probably would have scripted it this way in order to avoid Shelley sliding late, spikes high. Have Heath drill the batter so that there is no doubt, instead of kissing his shirt with a high and tight one.

Either way, the message is clear now. The Yankees respond when Girardi is the skipper. Nice !

Peter, who are you praising here? Giardi, the same man who uttered this when asked by a Yankee minor leaguer this spring if it was ok to have a collision at home plate: “I said absolutely not. I’m all for playing hard, but I don’t think it’s the time where you run over a catcher.”

Duncan did something about it. Then again, so did Giardi in your mind. Which method is proper?

I am interested to see what his (Giardi's) reaction would be if a youngster was rounding 3rd and pulled up to avoid a collision at home. Is that rookie soft? What exactly do you expect out of a player?

This is Spring Training, players are trying to land major league jobs.

I appreciate your acknowledgement that sticking spikes into an opposing players thigh is wrong. I guess my major issue here is just what does Joe Giardi want?

On the one hand, a collision at home is bad, but plunking a player is ok. But Joe, it's Spring Training. Personally, I would say "Absolutely not. I’m all for playing hard, but I don’t think it’s the time where you hit a player in retaliation.”

I said before I had no problem with Johnson's play, but I am also happy to see the Yankees do something about it. I don't think those are contradictory positions.

Also, you keep shorting Girardi a "R"

Whoops, you're right, I have been missing an 'R' for Girardi.

Wait, when did you say Johnson's play was ok? Not on a post, right? Maybe a comment?

So if it was an ok play, why the retaliation? Usually a slight deserves a retaliation, not a clean baseball play.

It was in a comment the other day, we had a nice discussion over who should throw the beanball.

The retaliation was simply a pitch up and in, grazed the jersey. Just a message which I am fine with. Duncan took things way too far.

And on a completely separate topic - this coming from Peter Abraham:

"Kei Igawa threw a bullpen before the game and wanted somebody to stand at the plate and pose as a batter.
His interpreter, Yohei Fukuda, volunteered. You can guess what happened. Yes, Igawa hit him with a pitch."

Iggy is quite the control pitcher, no? Can you imagine this guy ever living that down ??? Never ...

I saw that, I especially liked Abraham's suggestion of who to use next time instead of the interpreter.

Be a good use for The Carlapalooza or as he is sometimes known, the Rajah of Rehab.

with suspensions handed down from the incident and the AP account of "Duncan, thrown out by at least 10 feet" is interesting.

If indeed he was out by that much and slid hard in anyway, he deserves to be suspended.

Now I am guessing that is insignificant to the team, but Cabrera being suspended for "violent actions" will impact the first few games. The Yankees open with Toronto before hosting Tampa Bay.

IMO the suspensions should have been for the series between the two teams instead of the first series.

Make no mistake, Duncan deserves to be suspended. I am still unsure what Melky did. I have to see it before I react because I didn't see it in the initial coverage.