Watch the video here. And check out the pic to the right. This took place in the bottom of the 10th yesterday, right after he completed his warmup pitches. He's facing away from home plate.
Call me crazy, but it appears to me like Rivera looks up to see if anyone is watching, then looks down and spits right on the ball. Is that the secret to his cutter? Anyone have an alternate explanation as to what is going on?
Holy smokes. I have to imagine we'll hear more about this as the day goes on.
UPDATE: I've had a bunch of conversations with a bunch of people on this in the past hour. Some general observations/questions:
Q: Is Mariano definitely spitting on the ball?
A: Hard to say. Looks like it to me, but the cutaway is quick and the angle could be deceiving. I'm just going with my first impression of what the video and photo show. I'd kill for another angle of this.
Q: Do you actually throw a spitball by, you know, spitting on the ball?
A: It's not the most traditional way -- according to everything I've read merely wetting the fingers is more common -- but it's certainly been done. Really, anything that either (a) adds a viscous fluid to the ball to alter its flight; or (b) lubes it up to decrease friction upon release, thereby increasing the spin and thus the ultimate drop is sufficient.
Q: If it is a spitball, why would Rivera be so obvious about it? He's a smart guy. He'd try to hide it better, wouldn't he?
A: Maybe so. But isn't it just as valid to say that Rivera, one of the most talented pitchers ever, never had to use a spitball before, and thus if he is now, he's less likely to be practiced at it than a guy who had to cheat just to keep his job?
I have no idea what he's doing here -- and I simply don't want to believe that Rivera was throwing a spitter, because I've always admired and respected the guy -- but it doesn't seem satisfying to simply say "Mariano would never do this, so he didn't do it." The video is very, very interesting. It may be completely debunked by another angle -- and if anyone has one, please send it ASAP and I'll update. But for now, it's all we have.
I know I have a reputation for baiting Yankees fans, but I am sincere in asking whether or not Rivera was doing this. I don't know, and I'm open to alternate interpretations and evidence.
(thanks to Jason Epstein for the link)
UPDATE #2:
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that MLB "is investigating video that shows Mariano Rivera spitting toward a baseball before facing his first batter in the 10th inning of Game 3." Sherman notes that "the initial reaction by the league is that the video plus still pictures they have of the incident are inconclusive."
UPDATE #3: As Aaron notes, evidence was found of a spitter, which presumably closes the case.
Here comes the deluge...
Interesting choice of words.
I didn't see that, but I don't see how he could keep that a secret for so many years. However, I have never forgotten a sight caught on TV in 1982. Pete Vukovich, the Cy Young winner that year for the Brewers, spitting a big gob on his glove, then smearing his fingers on it before making a pitch to Rick Miller at Fenway. Bob Montgomery, the Sox' commentator, saw the obvious and says "oh, what's this?" I was amazed that it was so obvious, and that nothing ever came of it.
Yeah, I can't believe he's been doing it forever... So... Why would he do it then? Etc.
Bizarre! I can't wait to see the reaction.
If this is what he's dong it here -- and I'm being totally sincere when I ask for other opinions because I have a hard time thinking that Rivera would be so brazen about it -- it doesn't mean that he's done it before.
Assuming this is a spitball, my guess would be that this is a late career, "I don't have the stuff I used to have" thing as opposed to something he's done for years. Remember that quote in "Major League" "Some day you will too . . "
You know, I pitched professionally for 10 years and knew and talked to guys who threw spitters, scuff balls and all of that jazz. Mariano has been a one pitch pitcher since he bacame a reliever. Ususally, guys who throw "spitters" throw it with a breaking ball or slider or split finger, like Mike Scott used to. But I have watched him pitch this postseason and he had the same type of movement on his cutter than he did during the season as well as during the past 10 or so years. When you throw a "spitter", you hold the ball where the lubrication is, most likely between the seams on the leather. That will create a slippery surface that will make the ball bite a little more because of the kind of spin the ball will have.
The cutter is thrown with the ball being offcenter in your hands and the middle and index fingers on the seams. When thrown the ball will come off the side of the hand creating an offcenter spin. The harder the wrist snaps the fingers through, the tighter the spin and the more movement the ball will have. Spit ball theory totally ludicrous.
I saw this live and he didn't spit on the ball. It came close but it was right passed it. Let's see the video of this and then we can pass judgement.
I agree completely. Did you happen to notice that his velocity is way down in his last few appearances? As I was watching the last 2 games, he was topping out consistently at 89-90mph, considerably down from the 92-93 he was throwing at as recently as the Division series against the Twins.
I think that if he was indeed throwing a spitter, it is probably due to being tired. Perhaps Girardi's questionable use (overuse?) of him and the rest of the bullpen has a role here.
get a life craig. start doing articles on subjects other than your opinion.
you have to be kidding me craig...you are clearly hoping the yankees lose--possibly a redsox fan i dont know but i would love to know how you actually have a job doing this
"notocraig
get a life craig. start doing articles on subjects other than your opinion. "
Oh you poor child. Clearly, the video above - about which Craig asks a question - is an example of his OPINION.
...wait... it's real? It's not just in Craig's head?
Why don't you think it was a spitball? Do you have another video? Did you see something? Do you have any real thoughts at all?
Yo Craig...."viscous." Not "viscious."
In the video is Rivera on the mound or is he in the bullpen? From the look of it, I would like to know if he is in the Bullpen. Do you realy think no one would have seen him do that on the mound? Especially the man on second base? Come on.
Yeah. As soon as I saw the video of Mariano Rivera spitting a huge gob of Craig Calcaterra's opinion onto a baseball, I knew Craig would be the first guy to come out and trumpet it.
Craig is not a Red Sox fan, though I imagine "notocraig" and "areyou kidding" are Yankees fans.
Craig is raising a legitimate issue, based on the video he linked to. The cut-away and angle make it quite difficult - if not impossible - to tell where the spit is going. Maybe it hits the ball, maybe it goes past, maybe that's the white stripe on Scioscia's sleeve in the cut-away that I'm seeing. I don't know, but it's certainly worthy of mention.
I noticed the spitting incident in the live broadcast. He was definitely on the mound and not in the bullpen.
Seems like a really risky venture to pull out a spitter in the middle of a playoff game and try to place it for effect since the conventional wisdom is it's not something he would have a lot of experience throwing. Chalk it up to an optical illusion that provided fodder for the blogsphere.
I can't believe that you get paid to write a column. I have only read your posts a handful of times and I have to say that they are the dumbest articles I've read in a long time.
It's tough to see, but if you go frame by frame on the video you see the spit going towards the ball but not to the ground. Leads me to think it must have landed on the ball. It would have been nice if they didn't cut away right away though.
Spitter or not you still have to get the ball over the plate.
I've seen Rivera pitch hundreds of times and he did throw one pitch that I thought "never saw him throw that before" It looked like it dropped off a table.
But like I said you still have to get it over the plate doesn't matter.
Scuffed balls would be an issue because any jackass can make work.
If MLB really wanted to investigate, I'm sure they could get the tape of the footage we didn't see when the FOX feed broke away.
What was your signature again? Oh yeah, that's right.
Anybody who watches Rivera pitch every day knows that he chews sunflower seeds or something like that and frequently spits out the seeds while on the mound. I suspect that is what he was doing here.
Get real. Nobody throws a spitball by actually spitting on the ball. Rivera's been around long enough to know how to do it if he wanted to. You see pitchers (and everyone else for that matter) spitting on the mound all the time. It's just the camera angle folks.
He throws one pitch.. a NASTY cutter and with that amazing control of it... if you watch any of the slow motion video of him the rotation on his pitches is tight and has that 'football' spiral of sorts...
i had the fortune of pitching for 10 years professionally and there is no WAY he is spitting on the ball.. if he would do anything it might be scuffing to get the extra bite on his cutter...
Taking another look at it, I'm going to have to change my mind. I don't see the spit going past the ball, but it's possible that it just blended in with the background. What you can see clearly, however, is that he is holding the ball off the the side when he spits. Compare where the ball is when he's looking at it to where it is after he pulls it away and then brings it back up while spitting. It's pretty clear that he pulls it away from the camera (notice how the ball looks smaller from when he looks at it to when he spits).
This is a ridiculous topic. So what if he spit on the ball? Is a little spit (or tobacco juice, or a nick on the ball) equivalent to someone who hit about 300 extra homeruns, or won an extra sh*tload of Cy Young awards, because he used steroids? If no one did anything about guys juicing themselves up, then no one should even care if Mariano or any other pitcher puts a glob of something on the ball.
Really? This is the stupidest thing I've ever read. I can't even believe I'm responding to it other than to say that this is the stupidest thing I've ever read. Mo is always spitting...just like 99.9% of baseball players ages 8 and up. This is just stupid. Yankee fan or not...you know he's not throwing spitballs. Spitballs? Really? REALLY!? You're a jerk. Write about whatever team you're a fan of...most likely one WATCHING the ALCS/NLCS on TV. Hater.
Take another look at the video. If you pause it at the moment of the cross-disolve fade between shots you will see what I believe is the spit missing the ball. If you were to imagine the ball as a clock face, the spit looks to pass the ball at 3 o'clock as he pulls the ball to his left and toward his body. The angle and the depth of field contibute to the optical illusion that he is spitting on the ball when in fact I think that he was spitting beyond the ball to his right. As the cross fade occurs, you can see Sciocia's white tag on his jacket which adds to the illusion that the spit hits the ball.
I'm a pretty big Red Sox fan and I have to tell you, to me this is a load of hooey. Mariano Rivera looked the same yesterday as he always looks. Tough, and plenty of it. He's the best reliever in the game and has been for a number of years. I've always thought the small amount of success the Sox have had against him over the years spoke well of them. Whatever else Mariano might be, stupid he's not. It's hard to think of anything more stupid in these circumstances than spitting on a baseball in playoff game in front of tens of millions of people.
Wow. What a pile of steaming crap. It's utterly amazing to see this sort of incompetence linked to a reputable (somewhat) news organization.
Hey genius, did you even bother to watch the video? You can CLEARLY see Rivera move his right hand, the one with the ball, out to the right, away from the front of his body where he spits. It's impossible to miss if you're not completely and utterly incompetent.
What's your excuse?
Screen Grabs you might be interested in viewing!
http://www.halosheaven.com/2009/10/19/1092390/mariano-rivera-caught-doctoring
very interesting
More importantly, if you focus on his right hand throughout the incident, you can see that he started moving it off to his right side before he spits and continues moving it that way right up until the video cuts away.
He CLEARLY did not spit on the ball.
Why don't you look at how the position of his right hand changes between pics 3 and 5 of your little collage. Does that tell you anything, Einstein?
I saw it live and Mariano Rivera definintly spit on the ball ! Are you people blind. Everybody gets caught eventually, And he just did!!I m not a sox fan or an angels fan,, I'm a PHILLIES FAN And Yankees are going down, spitballer and all !!
Why don't you look at how the position of his right hand changes between pics 3 and 5 of your little collage. Does that tell you anything, Einstein?
Hey Greg !
Your right ! Yankees might as well not even show up..THEY WILL BE ASCARED!! we are gonna repeat,,,GO PHILLIES
Was Mariano Rivera in Dealy Plaza when JFK was shot???. If you look closely at the trees behind the fence on the grassy knoll you can see Mariano spitting on the Magic Bullet. Geez!!!
Seriously? Video proof and people are still defending him. He was a great pitcher for years but the spit clearly lands on the ball. Hey Lucasjackson...maybe you should get some glasses buddy cause his right hand in comparison to the fence in the background and his jersey is extremely consistant through frames 3-5. He was on the mound, turned his back to the plate, and looked up to see if the 2nd base ump was watching, then he spit. Not very hard to follow.
Where's the "video" proof? All we see here is a still picture at a bad angle. You guys are really reaching trying to do something to defame the Yankees. let it go.
go to You Tube..you will see your boy got caught... sorry ,, it happened... and its probubly been happening,, he just got caught,, simple as that cant deny it !! :(
What sheer and utter stupidity. Honestly, I have no need to argue with someone who's either delusional, willfully lying or dumber than a box of rocks.
The video and pics are there for all to see. You do realize that, right princess?
I'll never get the masshole mindset...
And just for the record, ANYONE who believes that Mariano Rivera would stand on a field, with thousands of cameras with telephoto lenses zoomed in on him and multiple video cameras and angles, and just hock one on he ball, need some serious help.
The stupidity of all this is frightening.
He was looking at the 2nd base ump, huh? He couldn't have possibly been looking up into center field at the scoreboard...maybe a bird...maybe Jeter was standing there and said something to him? None of that is even remotely possible? And if he spit on the ball that blatently, we'd be reading about this elsewhere...not on some stupid blog. If ANY pitcher is going to cheat...they are not going to be that obvious. Let's be real about this.
I'm not going to start bashing any other team like some people on this thread no matter how badly I'd like to. I doubt any team that's made it this far is going to be "ASCARED" (Nice spelling, Steve. And are you referring to Greg's comments as if he were correct or are you telling him to look to his right? You probably have no idea what I'm talking about anyway.) Der.
your right he spit on the ball,, yankees fans should not be callin you names,, they are just upset, and think there team is to good for that,, it happened... he is a good pitcher and a cheater,,
Bruins girl, huh! Unless your from U.C.L.A. I'll take it that you're also a red sox fan. So your opinion is probably a little biased. Since my opinion that Rivera is not spitting on the ball is also probably biased lets just take everything into account. First the angle of the camera does skew the view, you can't tell if the spit hits the ball or how close the spit comes to the ball. Also if he is being so secretive by checking on the umps from 2nd to 3rd and blocking the homeplate ump's view... WHY doesn't he look at the ump down the right field line or the one at 1st base? Also if you were a pitcher and you were going to spit on a ball would you face the only place on the field where a member of the other team is standing. This takes place when Rivera came in... THERE WAS A RUNNER ON 2ND BASE. Even if Mathis wasn't looking would someone really take the chance and spit on a ball facing a member of the other team. I don't know... but these are just some other factors to think of!
if it walks like a duck , what is it ? I will give you the answer.. a duck,, anyway good luck tonite against the Angels. we want to play the yankees as it would make a great world series... greg :)
It has been illegal in MLB since the 1920s. There is a reason.
Craig, I like your contributitons in The Hardball Times and you're better than this. This is absurd, but I'm not surprised that it's being discussed as people love conspiracies. No pitcher trying to cheat would act in such a non-chalant, obvious manner. It would be akin to a steroid user taking out a syringe from his back pocket in the batter's box. A pitcher is really going to spit two feet away to a ball in front of 40,000 people, multiple high-definition cameras, and SIX umpires?
This is a guy who has been the greatest at his position for 14 postseasons, 28 series, 125 postseason innings. He's pitched in six world series, completely blew game 7 of a world series and is still idolized as superhuman. I can't fathom how he would pick game 3 of an ALCS in which the yankees are up 2-0 in the series to commit one of the gravest sins possible by a pitcher.
Rivera spits a lot... he has always. This is nothing more than a telephoto lens compressing depth to create an illusion. "Spitballs" are not caused by pitchers actually hocking spit onto the ball anymore than koala bears are actually bears.
Please keep replying to all of this, Steve. I'm way beyond reading what you think because your grammar is MUCH funnier.
I think BruinsGirl should compile all of her evidence against Mariano Rivera, present it to MLB, and see how far that gets her. Steve can help. Just don't let him write anything.
If anything, you're all just looking for future excuses in case the Yanks and Phillies meet in the world series and the Phillies lose.
I'm not even wading into this pool of stupidity, but honest question for Greg and Steve:
Steve
First, it's you're or you are. Not your. This is 4th grade English.
Greg
Second, what's with the weird use of commas as ellipses? You don't even use the ellipses right, and then to top it off you use commas instead of periods. Why? Are you two the same commenter?
Mo cheatin, mo cheatin. You guys have to be kidding me, no way is that video of Mariano spitting on the ball proof that Mariano cheated. IT obvious the ball was dirty and he was just cleaning it with his holy saliva. he hand moves so no way he spit on the ball. Hahaha its funny how yankee fans grasping at straws for "reasons" and proof Mariano never would....Denial is a river in Egypt
Allusive as the communion in my mouth.
Soon enough I'll learn to...
Pitches rub the sweat off their heads all of the time. If the spitter is thrown with something as simple as sweat or spit, then they all throw the spitter.
Geese walk like ducks too but I'm glad you cleared that up for me because I would have never guessed the answer to be a 'duck.'
VERY good point.
Yes this is what hes doing, he just never got caught in the 13 years hes been pitching with every camera on him until now..
This is just a stupid stupid blog.
I think if you want to learn about spitballs, look at a guy like Joe Blanton. It looks as if it's sliding on butter, then suddenly (sharply) zig-zags down and across. The best way to throw one is to make it so obvious that people focus on one thing (under the hat, wiping uniform, hair gel). While, in the meantime, the pitcher may be chewing bubble gum. Bubble-gum juice is one easy way.
Greg Maddux used to PRETEND he was doctoring the ball to interrupt timing! Then, if asked to show the ball, it would totally disrupt hitters.
The Mariano cutter behaves a bit like a knuckleball. Sometimes, his warm-up pitches may alarm fans... way outside. I don't know if this would be a reason though. That signature pitch kind of acts like a spitball. Mark DeFilice of the Brewers, pre-injury, threw a beautiful cut fastball that had the "look" to it. My question; Was this photoshopped? I do find it to be believable that any pitcher would do this under stress, but this sure circulated quickly. I was doing a search on Joe Blanton, and Mariano is popping up everywhere! I'd wager "yes," but I don't think he should be 'banned'. We see a lot of unfair things, and I'm sure those of you who are into learning about this have seen pitchers do it. The key is not to get too worked up. Someone will mention it if they feel their team is being slighted, or the umpire will give a quiet warning. Unfortunately, it seems low on the priority list for a player or coach to address this during play. Scioscia, out of anyone, would be one of the first to point it out, though! He points everything out.
p.s. I've seen the SF Giants' bullpen spit on the ball. That looked alot like water from Rivera. Somehow, I don't think he's done this often, and it probably doesn't help him much with the type of pitch he uses. The spit looked too clear.
yes...i need to spit because my velocity, as has been pointed out, is all the way down to 90 and my frail aging arm is tired. it is no longer enough to rely on the most lethal combination of control, command, movement and velocity in the history of relief pitching.
you people on the "spit on the ball" side of this are first, morons, second, know little to nothing about baseball, third, have clearly never watched Rivera's pre pitching routine (after warm ups but before his first pitch).
yes, i am sure MLB is ready to reach out to all of you "journalists" to lend your piercing observational skills and fearless intellect to get to the bottom of this scandal. I also am sure that Mariano will become a shell of his former self as his humiliation becomes complete.
why dont you all just go back to stawking celebrity nip slips
It's "PROBUBLY" the same guy! hahaha! The only reason I've continued to read this is because of STEVE/GREG. My only hope is that they really are 4th graders who are skipping school,otherwise, this country is doomed.
"When no one is watching?" you've got to bit insane.
This.
Craig, I understand that people that do nothing but call you an "idiot" need a beat down reply.
But here is a well thought out comment that I think deserves a reply from you.
what about when he throws that pitch and it is fouled into the seats for strike 1... does he spit on every ball in order to be the dominating closer that he is?
I'm a Red Sox fan and I would have have every reason hope Moe is cheating but I don't believe it for a second. First of all, what does he do for every other pitch besides his first pitch? Second, Moe thows a cutter. Lubricating the ball decreases the spin on the ball leading to less cut and more drop. It seems to me that the spitball would resemble a forkball in trajectory: A fast pitch with much less spin, creating less lift, thus more drop. This is not a cutter. A cutter requires a lot of spin.
I hope he had his H1N1 shot. lol.
C'mon, be fair - when these kinds of things are 'out there', it's so hard to retract them, so responsible behavior should require A WHOLE LOT more evidence than this for NBC to pick up on this. Should I go on-line with some theory about how Pujols or Mauer or Howard might be cheating? Also, Tomas Ortgea is right on target - "when no one is watching" is totally absurd in these high-tech days, so that quote alone tells us that the author has an agenda.
I agree. Most "spitballs" don't use actual spit. Head sweat (from wiping ones brow, or hair when adjusting cap) works really well and is most often used. Legend has it that Perry put Vaseline on his cap headband, or used "hair tonic". The point is, pitchers of this caliber are smart and wouldn't actually "spit" on the ball; especially when they don't have to.
Mo freaking spits all of the time but not on the ball! This pic is probably completely deceiving based on the direction he is actually spitting. He could literally be spitting a few inches to the right and you would never be able to tell in a pic like this. Are you joking me??? Do you think he would stand out there on the mound for all to see including the Angels and umpires and spit directly onto the ball like that? Give me a freaking break! People are just trying to stir something up to unravel the hated Yankees - GO YANKEES AND GET THIS THING OVER WITH IN FIVE!
This is dumb, he doesn't throw spit balls, get over it. He could just be spitting on the ground, the pic proves nothing. Sports media is slowly becoming crappy political media
YANKEES FANS ARE STILL THINKING THEY ARE ABOVE THIS.. ITS STILL CHEATING. AND HE GOT CAUGHT. LOL. GOOD LUCK TONITE AGAINST THE ANGELS. I HOPE MARIANO DOES NOT SPIT ANYMORE,( ON THE BALL) LOL
I am a RED SOX FAN and I don't believe that picture, people can make you think you see something by altering the angle of the shot or just editing it all together. Mariano Rivera is one of the greatest pitchers of all time and someone is just looking for another story to smear a great player who has been on the up and up for years. I wouldn't believe it a picture but if it was caught on tape and there was clear evidence then I would be shocked. He is a class act unlike some of those guys caught up in steroid crap.
Red Sox fan here - and no Rivera doesn't throw a spitter (IMHO) but what would bother me if I was a NY fan is the way Giradi seems to micromanage. Christ, how many times does he come out to the mound, or change pitchers, batters, etc. I thought Francona didn't do it enough but Giradi should get out of the way and let these guys play. That lineup speaks for itself.
Craig Calcaterra consistently posts the STUPIDEST things here, but MSNBC continues to carry his drivel. Other than the fact that one does not throw a spitball by spitting on the ball but by licking one's fingers, Craig contends that Rivera waited "to see if anyone is watching"....other than 50,000 fans, 6 umpires, 30+ people on the Angels bench and a few million TV viewers.
More disturbing than Craig's idiotic column even raising the question, is MSNBC SPORTS carrying his columns. It's like he's a 9 year old fan who gets to write whatever he wants on the Internet. He claims to be a lawyer, but I think he is a 9 year old based on the ridiculous nature of what he posts.
The more I read things on MSNBC (including travel columns by another idiot, Christopher Elliot) the more I think there is hope for printed newspapers. If I am going to read "news" I want it to be intelligently written and (hopefully) truthful, not stupidity such as what was posted here by Craig Calcaterra.
Uh, besides being a really stupid blog idea, my recollection is that older pitchers who need to load up a ball because their velocity has tanked, are a bit more creative than what Rivera seems to be doing. As has been said before on this thread, there's little "spit" on a spitball. The term "spitball" is now a generic term for a pitcher who tries to apply some advantage to a pitch. Whitey Ford, a Hall of Fame pitcher, acknowledged that he kept a nail file or a piece of sandpaper or whatever else was in his toolbox to mar the ball to make it do odd things on the way to the plate. I've watched Rivera pitch for years. His motion is never different. He's a pitching machine. Same pitch everytime. With pinpoint control. A true spitball, even one loaded with actual spit, can look like a bobbing and weaving knuckleball because its aerodynamics have been tampered with. Get a life, all you Yankee haters. Mariano and the Yanks are the real deal this year.
Unfortunately, the immutable laws of physics contradict the whole thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkCQ8qR5-i0
Craig - get a job. You sound like a tea bag hysteric.
Must be nice to be a perfect speller! you are not a nice person for picking on somebody. I hope it makes you feel good. ;
Oh another bully.. real tough guy.. must have short comings and own a big truck, huh
Crazy? Maybe. An idiot? Definitely! The film clearly shows Rivera looking up. Not checking out three umpires who would have a clear view of his activity, not too mention voluminous cameras. Clearly your motto is: "Haven't got story, invent some Yankee controversy."
The official statement from MLB which viewed the footage, probably using much better equipment than some of you knuckleheads, says that Mariano did NOT spit on the ball. So there you go. Debate it all you want. The verdict is in. Mariano is innocent and those of you who think they KNOW that he's not are a bunch of dopes.
....26 and counting!
another bully ! I will bet you have a big truck and small other things , huh lol
What a load of crap. You can clearly see he does not spit on the ball. It always has to be something with you non Yankee fans. They are playing great so of course this is a reason right?
Hey! You spelled everything correctly! Good job! I bet you proofread it before you sent it, didn't you? You get a gold star for the day, Greg!
Are you the Rainman? Why are you repeating yourself?
Jeopardy starts at 7:30 on the east coast, Dude.
another bully to add to the list.
I am only 12 years .old pick on somebody your own size,, dude
You have a list of bullies? I feel bad now. Sorry, Man. I'm not going to be ONE more person who picks on you for whatever reason. Something tells me, though, that you give people a reason!
I'm out! Go Yanks!
If that's the case then I apologize! If it's not, then I don't! You should be in school anyway.
You can see the spit bounce off the ball when you pause it at the 6 second mark. I think that should be conclusive enough, especially when you can tell from one angle on YouTube that his stream of spit hit the ball. Nice work by the camera crew to immediately cut to Mike Scioscia though...
Ya Go Yankees,, Phillies are waiting for you!!
home sick today... :(
Youtube...now THAT'S conclusive evidence. You're a jerk just like everybody else. I hope somebody spits on your forehead and posts that video on youtube.
I saw it live and rewinded it it with my DVR. He Did NOT spit on the ball. The spit wnet by the ball on the ground. Live it looked suspicious, but dvr helped me see that it didnt really happen.
I know some good websites you can go to if you wanna see some chicks clearly spitting on somebody's balls.
Thank you deadspin for the still frames that show the spit not hitting the ball.
http://deadspin.com/5385945/spit-takes-debunking-the-mariano-rivera-loogie-accusations/gallery/
Yankee's and going to lose against the Angels tonight and the next game in the OC. Yankee's suck! get some younger players!!!
The kind of crap in these comments is why most of America loves to watch the Yankees lose. (My favorite was when the Yanks got slaughtered in Game 6 of the 2001 Series, and ratings went UP as the game went on.)
Deadspin showed SOME spit below the ball, not THE spit below the ball. But because Gawker is always the arbiter of what's a scandal and what's not (e.g., Josh Hamilton), I guess their ruling must stand.
Get your facts straight dumba$$ before making such a claim.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4580781
I'm a lifelong Red Sox fan, but these accusations are ludicrous. For one thing, a spitball very seldom has anything to do with spit. Vaseline is universally preferred; spit just doesn't weigh enough to have much of an effect.
@ Craig:
You're a big jerk and have proved it time and again by questioning the sanctity of A-Rod (real YANKEES fans would never do so). But to question Mariano Rivera based on video evidence (which was obviously purposely manipulated by Red Sox Nation) is crossing the line. I can't wait til NBC fires you and stuff.
You are so funny, lol. Did you mean The Nile?
BruinsGirl, I think you need to get better glasses. And what do you know? With all due respect, what makes you such an expert? Take another look and then you will see.
wouldn't he have to spit on EVERY ball that was used ? ... it's not like one ball stays in play for more than a few minutes
SO CRAIG, HE NEVER GOT CAUGHT UNTIL THIS, 13 YEARS, WOW.
SO CRAIG, HE NEVER GOT CAUGHT UNTIL THIS, 13 YEARS, WOW.
thanks to Jason Epstein for the link
Theo Epsteins little bro ??? this is where you get info from Craig.w
too bad, i could careless as long as it can't be hit
It would be more interesting if it was VOMIT.............
I hope Jorge washes his hands before he eats a Post Game meal .....
Seriously, Craig, I think this was one of your weakest posts and one which was poorly thought out on your part. Anyone who believes they can conclusively tell what happened from that angle should go back to geometry class. Everyone gets educated about TV angles each Saturday and Sunday during football season. How many times do you see a player cross the goaline and you can't tell from one angle but it is decisive from another angle. This video gives no depth perspective and is no different than those replays we see in football. For some reason you are writing a biased article against Mo and here are my reasons for giving him the benefit of doubt:
1) Your essetially saying he would risk getting caught and suspended during the PLAYOFFS, for that matter, to throw ONE spitter as the first pitch of the inning. I would hope, from watching Mo pitch, you would understand that he is the best closer ever because he is one of the smartest pitchers to ever play the game. If he spit on the ball that had to be one of the most bone head plays even for the Milton Bradley's of the world. I believe he is smarter than that.
2) ARE YOU NUTS saying Mo has "lost some of his stuff so he might cheat". He had one of his best years ever. He looked like "Jake Taylor" out there. Give me a break. While his velocity has declined from his peak he has used experience and perfected pitch location to remain the game's elite closer.
When the Michael Jordan's. LeBron Jamee's, Tiger Wood's of the world are playing in front of our eyes we should all enjoy their feats and soak in the great sports moments they give us. Don't try to tarnish them with petty allegations like a manipulative camera angle.
seems the PROOF is in the pudding,or as Gaylord used to tell us down here in Texas........smile ya'll