Manager Matt Williams benched Bryce Harper today for not running out a ground ball. Apparently not every manager has the balls to do this to star players who take there time running to 1st base. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10808419/washington-nationals-bench-bryce-harper-lack-effort
I agree. When I see what Williams did with Harper & Mattingly did with Puig I can only hope that other managers around the league start doing the same thing. Whether its a bench player or a superstar, managers need to start sending the message that NO ONE is bigger then the game.
Unfortunately Robbie would have tossed out the race card, judging from his comments after leaving the Yanks. I also knew a person that used to be in the teams dining & drinking circle....Cano had a black pride thing going on since '08. No one will care if Harper claims he's getting the Tebow treatment, but we've already seen sportswriters begin the apology/forgiveness tour for Puig.
Puid reminds me a bit of former Dodger headcase Raul Mondesi. Dude used to refer to his throwing arm as "El Cannon" or something to that effect. Ended up going to the Blue Jays, and unfortunately the Yankees. Puig will probably end up like Jose Canseco, broke, bitter, and writing books dropping dimes on his team mates.
That would have taken balls. Girardi much like Torre is a players manager. They're more friend then disciplinarian.
Yes, it is great to see ol hard playing Matt Williams take a firm stance. These young kids lose sight of being a ball player first, role model too, and get blinded by thinking they are nothing more than a multi-million dollar commodity. Davey Johnson used to talk how his 86 Mets, (coke heads) would undermine him at every turn, to the GM. Davey once said, "how can I compete with these million $$ babies. Ownership wants them on the field, and I can't bench them, so I have NO control." That is screwed up, when a player dictates to a Mgr. Kick ' those young bucks in the ass, when they need it.