05/21: Yankees Hold First Kangaroo Court Since 1995; The Honorable Mariano Rivera Presiding
Posted by: Patrick
MLB.com's Bryan Hoch and Tyler Kepner of the Times both report on the Yankees holding their first kangaroo court in 14 years.
Apparently, Xavier Nady has been collecting violations reported by Yankees players for the past two months and they finally pulled them out on Wednesday with players, coaches and staff on hand. Nady acted as the secretary and stenographer with the Honorable Mariano Rivera (how awesome is that?) presiding. Derek Jeter, A.J. Burnett and Johnny Damon served on the jury. Andy Pettitte turned down a spot on the panel, as he felt he wouldn't be funny enough.
Here are the violations that were highlighted in the articles:
Phil Coke was fined $30 for actions relating to the Joe Mauer home run he allowed on Friday. Apparently, Coke pointed to where the ball was going, implying that Brett Gardner would be able to reach it. But, the ball left the ballpark and Coke was making this gesture while he was also running to back up third base. A misjudgment that did not go unpunished. "You can get fined for pretty much anything," Coke says.
Nick Swisher was fined $20 for doing a TV interview after a game - without wearing a shirt. Burnett reported that one.
Brian Bruney was fined for having a haircut while the Yankees were playing in Toronto and he was on the disabled list.
Third base coach Rob Thomson was fined for pushing Nick Swisher back to third base.
Anyone who was late to court received a $100 fine - this included Johnny Damon.
Alex Rodriguez was penalized for not showing up until May 8. Of course, he was injured, but that didn't stop Mo from banging his gavel and upholding the decision - as the assembly laughed. "Mo was quite tough on some people," Joe Girardi told Hoch.
It's not clear who took the biggest fine, but Girardi said that "it was between two guys that throw left-handed." That would leave Coke, Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Melky Cabrera, Damon, Gardner and Swisher.
The last time the Yankees held one of these was in 1995, according to Pettitte, when Wade Boggs was the judge. Burnett and Nady came up with the idea of reviving it.
"It was a lot of fun," Nady told Kepner. "It brings guys together. It's just entertaining how people plead their case. I'm sure it'll get better, too, the longer we have it."
Apparently, Xavier Nady has been collecting violations reported by Yankees players for the past two months and they finally pulled them out on Wednesday with players, coaches and staff on hand. Nady acted as the secretary and stenographer with the Honorable Mariano Rivera (how awesome is that?) presiding. Derek Jeter, A.J. Burnett and Johnny Damon served on the jury. Andy Pettitte turned down a spot on the panel, as he felt he wouldn't be funny enough.
Here are the violations that were highlighted in the articles:
Phil Coke was fined $30 for actions relating to the Joe Mauer home run he allowed on Friday. Apparently, Coke pointed to where the ball was going, implying that Brett Gardner would be able to reach it. But, the ball left the ballpark and Coke was making this gesture while he was also running to back up third base. A misjudgment that did not go unpunished. "You can get fined for pretty much anything," Coke says.
Nick Swisher was fined $20 for doing a TV interview after a game - without wearing a shirt. Burnett reported that one.
Brian Bruney was fined for having a haircut while the Yankees were playing in Toronto and he was on the disabled list.
Third base coach Rob Thomson was fined for pushing Nick Swisher back to third base.
Anyone who was late to court received a $100 fine - this included Johnny Damon.
Alex Rodriguez was penalized for not showing up until May 8. Of course, he was injured, but that didn't stop Mo from banging his gavel and upholding the decision - as the assembly laughed. "Mo was quite tough on some people," Joe Girardi told Hoch.
It's not clear who took the biggest fine, but Girardi said that "it was between two guys that throw left-handed." That would leave Coke, Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Melky Cabrera, Damon, Gardner and Swisher.
The last time the Yankees held one of these was in 1995, according to Pettitte, when Wade Boggs was the judge. Burnett and Nady came up with the idea of reviving it.
"It was a lot of fun," Nady told Kepner. "It brings guys together. It's just entertaining how people plead their case. I'm sure it'll get better, too, the longer we have it."
