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Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us The 1992 NL Pennant

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Deeper_Background, Apr 22, 2011.

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  1. Deeper_Background

    Deeper_Background Active Member

    Van Slyke, Bream and Lemke discuss 1992 NLCS game seven on MLB's 20 greatest games on Sunday, April 24 VAN SLYKE ON HIS INTERACTION WITH BONDS IN THE OUTFIELD DURING THE NINTH INNING:

    "In that situation, I have a very aggressive philosophy. If I'm going to lose the ballgame, you're going to have to hit the ball over my head. ... I looked over at Barry, I was telling him to move in, move in, move in because in the pitch count [Francisco] Cabrera had actually taken a 2-0 pitch and lined one foul. He hit it really, really hard. At that point I said, 'Well, [it] looks to me that he's a dead fastball hitter, he's a pull hitter. Hopefully [Stan] Belinda can throw a breaking ball to maybe get him out.' Having said that, he's going to hit the ball either to me or he's going to hit it to Barry if he hits the ball in the outfield. He's certainly not going to hit the ball to right field. So I want Barry to have the best opportunity also, so when I motioned him in, he turned and looked at me and gave me [the] international peace sign. So I said, 'Fine, you play where you want.' http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20110421&content_id=18075966&vkey=pr_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
     
  2. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    tonight we're gonna party like it's 1992?
     
  3. Shaggy

    Shaggy Guest

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    Van Slyke has criticized the shit out of Barry Bonds for years. Wonder why he hates him so much. I guess if this story is true, that's one reason.
     
  4. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    Well, if by "1992 NL Pennant," you mean "opportunity to find a different way to fuck the game up in extra innings," then maybe. But unless Bonds was playing three feet to the right of shortstop, the game's tied anyway.
     
  5. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    Jose Lind cost them by making an error on an easy grounder to second base.

    Jim Leyland cost them by letting Doug Drabek start the ninth inning even though anybody watching that game could clearly see that Drabek was running on fumes in the eighth.

    Stan Belinda cost them by being Stan Belinda.

    Plenty of blame in that game, but Van Slyke wants to put it on Bonds to further the grudge he has and do what he has always done -- try to get more attention for himself.
     
  6. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    A quick look at the record book reveals that the batting stats for Van Slyke and Bonds in that series (which I covered, BTW) are almost identical. The rap on Bonds at the time was about his throw, which wasn't THAT bad.
     
  7. Flying Headbutt

    Flying Headbutt Moderator Staff Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    I saw this being discussed on MLB Network today, rehashing the game on their list of all-time great games or something.

    Of course, this is the ultimate DB. This is a story that's been circulating for YEARS, and of course he posts it here.
     
  8. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    Completely random question, particularly because it's about a different series and a different year. But I was poking around Retrosheet just now and happened to look at the box for Game 4 of the 1991 NLCS.

    http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1991/B10130ATL1991.htm

    Does anyone have any idea why the blue hell Mike Stanton batted for himself in the bottom of the ninth, with the winning run on second? Particularly as he didn't pitch the 10th?
     
  9. Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant


    THIS!!!!

    Except for the Drabek part, 'cause who the hell did Leyland have in the bullpen that could get three outs?



    F.U. Jose Lind. I hope you end up naked in a chicken coop in rural USA!
     
  10. TheHacker

    TheHacker Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    To add one to the list ... Stan Belinda had Damon Berryhill struck out two different times on 2-strike pitches that were right over the middle of the plate and at the knees, and the plate ump wouldn't ring him up.

    And yes, the Pirates lack of a legit closer was costly. Belinda was simply the guy who worked the ninth. If they'd had a real, honest-to-goodness slam-the-door closer there's no way in hell they put Drabek back out there for the ninth. He'd already thrown more than 100 pitches through eight innings and was pitching for the third time in nine days.

    Bonds and Van Slyke? Where's Keith Jackson when you need him? You're talkin' about two guys who flat-out don't like each other. Bonds was pissed because the team took care of Van Slyke's contract before they took care of his. And it probably didn't help that Van Slyke knew how to work the media and turn himself into a fan favorite.

    Yes, I'm a Pirates fan. Yes the memories are vivid. No, I don't need to see that video again.
     
  11. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    In a related development, the sun rose in the East again ...
     
  12. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    Re: Andy Van Slyke: Barry Bonds Cost Us 1992 NL Pennant

    As bad as Belinda was, he was much worse when he came in with runners on base than he was starting an inning. Leyland had to know that. If you're going to go to him, let him start the inning with Bob Walk backing him up (Walk was warming up when Cabrera won the game).

    Hell, let Walk finish it. He was still a decent pitcher at that point and was mentally tough enough to handle the situation.

    But Leyland stuck with his guy, just as he stuck with Smiley for Game 7 the year before, leading to the Pirates being out of the game before the fans even got settled into their seats.
     
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