DAVE LA-WHO?

I wanted to post one of those “Year-in-Review” lists, and I still may later this week, but I’ve run out of time for today. There were a lot of memorable moments in baseball this past year, not all of them wunnerful. I can tell you what I thought was the funniest moment of the year: Alex Rodriguez squarshing one of El Duque’s horseshit eephus pitches for a homer at the Stadium.

It was late in the summer, and Duque had been tinkering with the old lob ball for a few games when he uncorked one to A Rod in the first inning of a day game. A Rod was caught off guard, and so was the ump: the pitch looked like a strike, but was called high. A Rod cracked up. Duque tried it again on the very next batter, Raffie Palmerio: the pitch was in the dirt and it skipped away from Posada. The next time Rodriguez came up, Duque threw him another floater, again for a ball. Not willing to let well enough alone, Duque thought he would fool A Rod by trying it again in the same at-bat. (You gotta love Duque’s chutzpah!) That was when Rodriguez popped one out of the park. Joe Torre shook his head and grumbled. It was the last Eephus of the day for Hernandez, who gave up a homer in the next at-bat to Palmerio (fastball).

Those were the only two times Texas scored all day, and the Yanks won the game.

But almost 6 months later, I’m still laughing.

Boy, I’m going to miss Duque when he’s gone. Friggin Screw job.