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It was bad enough when the umpire missed the call at second on Kenny's hit off the green monster. Manny made a great play on the ball but Pedroia's glove bounced off the second base bag and missed Kenny's hand. The result was Kenny's hand got in under the tag but the ump still gave the call to Pedroia.
Kenny was about to argue but decided that was not in the best interest of his team and gamely got up trotted off the field.
Amazingly enough, as if the baseball Gods wanted to right a wrong, Kenny got on the next time up when Lugo dropped a shallow ball in left field after contorting his body in several different directions prior to attempting the somewhat difficult catch.
So there was Kenny, with a second chance to score the tying run. Franklin Gutierrez obliges the situation with a smoking hit that bounces across the third base bag and smashes against the left field foul stands and rolls in shallow left field. Skinner picks a really bad time to hold Kenny at third. Manny was nowhere near the ball when Kenny was already rounding third and Manny had no intention of throwing home.
What a horrible way to treat Kenny. Let the man run, that's what he does. Even if he somehow would have been out at home, Franklin Gutierrez would have gone to second and still be in run scoring position with two outs.
If Kenny is safe on a throw home, Franklin still goes to second on the throw. Skinner did the same stupid thing at the end of the 2005 season when he held Vic Martinez going around third while Ben Broussard got caught in a run down that lasted 8.5 seconds from the time the play started.
Two of the most critical plays in recent Indians history and Skinner held the runners up, and in essence let the Indians beat themselves.
I like Skinner, perhaps more as a manager than a third base coach with such a big responsibility that he has now failed at twice in two of the biggest games in recent Indians history.
Poor Kenny Lofton, let the man run, what kind of a person is Skinner to take the legs out from Kenny Lofton. Unbelieveable.
(I added the word "was" to the headline of this topic to clear up that Kenny did not cheat but "was cheated".
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 28, 2008 11:41 PM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font>
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This is in response to Bud Shaw....
Mr. Shaw, why do you mention THE STOP if it wasnot worth mentioning?
What you fail to mention is that the Indians had ever so slowly turned the momentum around. Trailing 3-0, Jake Westbrook settled down and began pitching like an ace. The Indians had also scored in two consecutive innings just before the LOFTON STOP.
Bud Shaw mentions the word redemption, did Mr. Shaw ever stop to consider that the dropped fly that allowed Lofton to get on base was redemption for the wrong call made at second the prior time Lofton was up and "thrown out" at second by Manny Ramirez even though Lofton was actually safe?
The Indians coaches over coached in that fateful seventh inning. First it was THE STOP of Kenny Lofton at third base, then it was THE SWAP in which a super sizzling Jake Westbrook was taken out of the game in the bottom of the seventh, just because.
If that had been CC out there, do you think that Wedge would have taken out CC if CC was on a roll? Wedge would have let CC go until CC put a runner or two on base. Yet Wedge did not afford the same courtesy to Jake Westbrook in the bottom of the seventh.
THE STOP and THE SWAP did the Indians in. The 30-5 run Mr. Shaw speaks of is disingenuous since at the time of the Lofton STOP the Indians were actually battling back and had turned the momentum around.
Boston is going to concede the tying run because they are the home team. It was explained why Skinner held the runner, that there was a concern the ball might bounce back to the shortstop in short left.
But Kenny Lofton was already at third when the ball was still bouncing around in short left, it was worth the risk to send Kenny. Just as they say "let Manny be Manny", let "Kenny be Kenny" and let Kenny run.
But it was not to be, the Indians coaches overcoached in that fateful seventh inning. Even if Kenny had been out at home, the runner at first would have still been able to get to second and still be in a position to tie the score on a single.
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What Bud Wrote...
Bud Shaw Sport's Spin
Bud Shaw's Sports Spin
Posted by Bud Shaw [email protected] February 27, 2008 19:06PM
The third degree isn't necessary.
Winter Haven, Fla.-- While it's true Kenny Lofton hasn't been seen in a spring training camp this year, give Joel Skinner a break. He is not a suspect in the case.
Lofton's absence is not because he is still standing at third base in Fenway Park awaiting directions.
Baseball players always get a chance for redemption, whether it's the next inning, the next game or the next season. Third-base coaches don't get credit for being right, just blame for being wrong. For them, redemption doesn't exist.
It's risky enough down there, which is why base coaches will wear batting helmets this season. But the challenges of the job go beyond quick reflexes.
Make a dubious decision, let alone one that backfires like an old jalopy, you have nowhere to turn.
"I can't afford to second-guess myself," said Skinner, who never watched the play again after that night in Fenway Park. "I have to deal in the now."
If you were out of the country last October and didn't visit any of the woe-is-me Cleveland fan blogs on the Internet that strained to compare Skinner's decision to The Drive, The Fumble and The Shot, a recap:
Skinner's last call in the 2007 postseason was to hold Lofton at third on Franklin Guitierrez's single down the left-field line that caromed into short left field. Lofton could've scored to make it 3-3. It was the seventh inning.
"It was still first and third, one out," said Casey Blake, who then grounded into a first-pitch, inning-ending double play.
A 3-2 deficit became 11-2, finishing off one of the memorable crash and burns in postseason memory.
Sorry, Skinner's call was not label worthy. This wasn't Red Right 88 or any of the other disasters. This was a coach trying to protect a big inning in one of the quirkiest parks in the majors.
"There's not many parks like that," said Skinner. "But look, it sounds like I'm making an excuse if I even talk about it."
Over the final three games -- all Boston wins -- the Red Sox outscored the Indians, 30-5.
Blaming Skinner for that series loss is like blaming the use of blow dryers for global warming.
