It is nice to see the little guy win

Sometimes it is nice to see the little guy win. In the recent “David vs. Goliath” type feud between New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden, it was Braden who got the last laugh, for now anyway.

Here is what started the whole mess: Rodriguez was off and running when a foul ball was hit off the bat of teammate Robinson Cano. On his way back to first base, Rodriguez trotted right over the pitcher’s mound, which upset Braden.

Following the final out of the inning, Braden started yelling at Rodriguez, who said that he didn’t know that he did anything wrong.

“He just told me to get off his mound,” said Rodriguez. “I was a little surprised. I’d never quite heard that. Especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career…I thought it was pretty funny actually.” A-Rod said later that he did not want to extend Braden’s 15-minutes of fame by continuing to talk about the incident.

Braden later said that he was surprised that Rodriguez didn’t realize that you are not to cross the pitcher’s mound during the game and then added that he was surprised that someone of A-Rod’s stature let it slip his mind.

“I don’t care if I’m Cy Young or the 25th man on the roster, if I’ve got the ball in my hand and I’m on the mound, that’s my mound,” Braden said.

One sportswriter took exception to Braden’s action and said that he should know his spot in the game and needs to earn enough capital to run off at the mouth like he did over something “so petty”.

I disagree. As a veteran of the game and a superstar in his own right, whether it is for his play on the field, love life or steroid use, A-Rod should have known better. Let the kid spout off, apologize, and move on. But then again, if you are A-Rod, you have your image and ego to protect.

I agree that you should “know your place” and not overstep your bounds. On the other hand, it isn’t as though Braden was out there mocking A-Rod. He did not bring this on himself; A-Rod did with his own actions, whether accidental or not.

Very few people ever heard of Dallas Braden until his public spat with the Yankee slugger. That is, until he pitched a perfect game on Mother’s Day against the Tampa Bay Rays, which was the first of its kind for the Athletics in 42 years.

What made the moment even more special was the fact that Braden’s mom, Jodie, passed away of cancer when he was a senior in high school. Braden’s grandmother was in the stands and, following the game, she took a shot at her grandson’s nemesis. Telling A-Rod to “stick it”, grandma may have ended the chatter, if only for a while.

When asked to comment on the comments by grandma, A-Rod respectfully declined, but he did take a different tone when talking about game itself. “I’ve learned in my career that it’s always better to be recognized for some of the great things you do on the field,” Rodriguez said in a brief statement during batting practice. “Good for him. He threw a perfect game, and even better, he beat the Rays.”

Ironically, last Mother’s Day, Braden was hit by a line drive off the bat of Vernon Wells.

No matter what side you stand on, Braden’s perfect game, the 19th in Major League history was quite a feat and, if you are not a fan of A-Rod and his antics, the moment was truly golden, even if the game wasn’t against the Yankees.

The other perfectionists: Lee Richmond (1880); Monte Ward (1880); Cy Young (1904); Addie Joss (1908); Charlie Robertson (1922); Don Larsen (1956); Jim Bunning (1964); Sandy Koufax (1965); Catfish Hunter (1968); Len Barker (1981); Mike Witt (1984); Tom Browning (1988); Dennis Martinez (1991); Kenny Rogers (1994); David Wells (1998); David Cone (1999); Randy Johnson (2004); Mark Buehrle (2009).

Submitted by Mark McGlothlen