Mariotti rips Hawk

[Controlled Chaos]

I wasn't aware broadcasters couldn't talk about it. I never heard of that. Can we as fans mention it? Should we post about it? IMO Jay is really stretching here.

 

Jay Mariotti

Nothing perfect about this game call

 

September 14, 2006

 

BY JAY MARIOTTI SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

 

So there was Freddy Garcia, crusty cap and all, repairing to the White Sox' dugout after retiring the first 21 Angels hitters Wednesday in Anaheim. And there was Hawk Harrelson, trembling in the TV booth like a human California earthquake, committing the ultimate sin in any baseball superstition handbook.

 

''PERFECT THROUGH SEVEN!'' he barked.

 

It's difficult enough tolerating this man's savage butchering of the language, which should be accompanied by subtitles and a ruler-wielding English teacher. But to hear him violate the traditional code that comes with any no-hit bid -- never, ever mention the p-word or the n-word during a broadcast -- basically jinxed any chance of Garcia completing the rare deed. Same goes for a large WGN graphic posted in the top of the eighth inning, which blared this to an afternoon drive-time audience in Chicago:

 

''PERFECT GAME IN PROGRESS.''

 

Of course, Garcia lost his flirtation with perfection in the eighth, only magnifying the decision by Harrelson and the production crew to blurt out the news flash. Why not be cleverly subdued like other broadcast crews in similar situations? Wasn't the linescore enough of an informative guide -- ANGELS 0 0 0 -- to prevent Harrelson from shouting out the obvious after the seventh? Down in the Sox dugout, no one dared to mention Garcia's pursuit of history, with 24-year-old Brian Anderson wise enough to say: ''Obviously people weren't talking about it because that's not a good thing.''

 

But no one told Hawkeroo, the baseball lifer with the stale 1960s shop stories. And no one told WGN, which may have been prioritizing an unexpected quickie ratings grab over a long-running baseball man law. We don't see many no-hitters in this town, with Wilson Alvarez last recording one for the Sox in 1991. Couldn't Harrelson have taken deep breaths and restrained his innards for two more innings?

 

All of which happened on an eventful day and night that finally might have allowed the Sox' stumblebum second half to reverse field, though I emphasize ''might'' much as a meteorologist would. Before the shockingly dominant 9-0 victory by Garcia, who has acknowledged he likely will be pitching elsewhere next year, the Sox' teetering cause was enhanced by news from Minnesota that Francisco Liriano will be shut down after re-injuring his elbow in a loss to Oakland. If Liriano had returned to good health and combined forces with MVP candidate Johan Santana, who has become the biggest lock in sports beyond Tiger Woods, the Twins not only would have caught the Detroit Tigers for the division title, but also might have won the American League pennant. In any postseason series, wouldn't you like a club that went 37-9 in games involving its two aces? But Liriano might be looking at Tommy John surgery, which removes an imposing obstacle from the Sox' stretch run and makes a season-ending series at the Metrodome a little more negotiable.

 

Starting rotation encouraging

 

 

 

Later, the Tigers and erratic rookie Justin Verlander were pummeled by the Texas Rangers, meaning the Sox are three games behind Detroit and only 1-1/2 behind the Twins. Don't count me among those believing this is necessarily the start of a Sox rampage, knowing they've played mediocre-to-lousy baseball the last two months. I still see problems with Bobby Jenks' health -- as Shakira says, the hips don't lie -- along with other bullpen members and two outfielders, Scott Podsednik and Anderson, who already have been told by a finger-pointing, don't-blame-me Ozzie Guillen that they'll probably be replaced next year. I also don't grasp the horrible timing of talk that Joe Crede, now an elite third baseman, might be dealt because Ken Williams would rather swim with stingrays than do business with Jerry Reinsdorf's favorite agent, Scott Boras.

 

But it should be noted the starting rotation, a death march much of the season, has shown encouraging signs of late. Maybe, just maybe, Garcia, Jose Contreras and Mark Buehrle can join Jon Garland in forming a formidable playoff rotation. They have to get there first, I realize, and standing in the way starting Friday is old friend Frank Thomas, who would love to bury their season and push his team toward an AL West title. Should the Sox end the weekend within three games of the Tigers, they can catch them during a three-game series against Detroit starting Monday on the South Side. Officially, the Tigers are choking, with only Kenny Rogers pitching consistently in the rotation, too many big hitters wheezing and striking out (Magglio Ordonez included) and injuries diluting their bullpen. That said, the Sox still haven't played the kind of steady baseball that can overtake the Tigers.

 

One can only hope they'll be better under pressure than Harrelson. Did he miss the memos about how to handle no-no bids? The golden rule is to hint, not blurt, and the forerunner was Hall of Famer Bob Wolff back in the 1956 World Series. Remember how he handled Don Larsen's perfect-game call as the ninth inning started? ''Yankees lead with a two-nothing score with the only five hits in the game,'' he said. ''But that score is just half of this tremendous ballgame going on today.''

 

Everyone else seems to know

 

 

 

Another great, Mel Allen, handled Dave Righetti's no-hitter with similar restraint in 1983. ''There have been five hits in this ballgame, for those who have turned in late, and the Yankees have had 'em all,'' he said. The subtlety has carried into most booths in the 21st century, with announcers reporting the facts without emotion, as Cubs radio man Pat Hughes did when Carlos Zambrano flirted with a no-no in June. Last season, when Glendon Rusch took a perfect game into the seventh, Cubs broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly were careful not to state the obvious.

 

Even an old sportscaster named Ronald Reagan knew. ''When I'd be calling a game in which a pitcher has not given up a hit and you're getting [into] the sixth or seventh, I never mentioned it,'' he once said. ''Because there's an old superstition that if anyone mentions he's pitching a no-hitter, you'll jinx him and he won't pitch the no-hitter.''

 

Hawkeroo? ''PERFECT THROUGH SEVEN!''

 

Next time, I'm bringing duct tape.

[jenksd]

Shut the f*** up, Mariotti.

 

Sincerely,

 

the universe

[kapkomet]

It's a superstition, nothing more. Good grief. So it's 100% Hawk's fault Garcia didn't get the no no? /rolly

[The Critic]

I didn't read it on the train, and I'm not reading it now.

 

But I'll add my opinion that ignoring a no-hitter is infantile, and has NO bearing on whether the no-hitter happens or not.

It's a harmless superstition, but it's also a useless one.

If someone has the power to negate a no-hitter through their words, what else could they affect, I wonder??

 

"Wow, there will NEVER be peace in the Middle East!"

(The next day, Israel and Palestine share a BIG hug and go out for a cup of coffee)

 

"Gee, that cancer can NEVER be cured!"

(Now available, a grape-flavored pill to cure ALL cancer!!!)

 

[Texsox]

Jay could have said it was great that Hawk said that, and the same people would be saying Jay's an idiot. It doesn't matter what Mariotti says, it is a Sox fans blind obsession to call him a fool. I like tha tradition of not talking about it when done well. Done poorly, it comes off like goofy 13-year olds talking about s-e-x

[DBAHO]

Must be a slow news day.

[AirScott]

Hawk and DJ mentioned it countless times, and Freddy didn't lose it until the 8th. by Mariotti's logic, Freddy should have lost it after the first time it was mentioned. so when they say "Freddy has retired every batter he's faced," is that jinxing it too? what constitutes jinxing it? I won't say the words "no-hitter" or "perfect game" when one's going on, but that's just me. maybe if you mention it and wouldn't normally mention it, then that jinxes it, because then not all is right in the world and therefore the world is not balanced enough to handle a perfect game.

 

whatever. you know you're stretching for material when this is your topic for a column. I remember the 2004 ALCS, when Mussina had a no-no through 7 or 8, and Buck had been saying it for innings. Bill Simmons wrote about it...all of one sentence.

[Controlled Chaos]

First off I'm pretty much in line with most others here that think it's just a superstition, but even so, I was always under the impression that you couldn't mention it to the pitcher. I didn't know nobody could talk about it. What the heck do two schmoos that have nothing to do with the game have to be silent for??

[StrangeSox]

Silly superstitions is all.

 

And I think the WS homepage had something up about it while the game was going on.

[Hangar18]

I dont have a problem with it. I think if he left the personal attacks/name-calling out of the article, it wouldve been regarded as a better piece in my eyes. Mariotti was making fun of Hawk for not following superstition. He made fun of WGN too. Because he dumbed down his article with the name calling, I just laugh at this ........... move on. Think Jay was bored

 

for what its worth, Ed Farmer made darn sure he didnt mention the "No-no" word, until after the hit.

Farmer said afterwards he was very conscious to make sure he didnt say anything about it

[Steve9347]

it's superstition, but why not follow it.

 

if the viewers didn't know there was a perfect game going on, then they obviously didn't care enough. For the sake of superstition alone, Hawk should have kept his mouth shut.

 

we can't place the blame solely on Hawk though, Chris Rongey busted out his own form of jynx...

Edited September 14, 2006 by Steve9347

[Balance]

During Pardon the Interruption yesterday, ESPN broke in in the 8th inning to let the world know that a perfect game was in progress. They cut in just in time to show Freddy go to a full count with Kennedy, who then singled to center. So, if blame goes to Hawk, then blame has to go to ESPN as well.

 

Of course, it's all just superstitious crap.

[G&T]

Hawk's job is to bring viewers in. If I just got home and nobody mentioned that there was a perfect game going on I might pass by the blow out game.

[AbeFroman]

I don't read Mariotti...

 

I don't care what he has to say.

[mreye]

I didn't read it on the train, and I'm not reading it now.

 

But I'll add my opinion that ignoring a no-hitter is infantile, and has NO bearing on whether the no-hitter happens or not.

It's a harmless superstition, but it's also a useless one.

If someone has the power to negate a no-hitter through their words, what else could they affect, I wonder??

 

"Wow, there will NEVER be peace in the Middle East!"

(The next day, Israel and Palestine share a BIG hug and go out for a cup of coffee)

 

"Gee, that cancer can NEVER be cured!"

(Now available, a grape-flavored pill to cure ALL cancer!!!)

 

 

I agree, but I must admit that I thought it was strange how much Hawk was mentioning it yesterday.

[cgaudin]

They need to fire Hawk and DJ since it's all their fault, the perfect game, our pitchers not pitching, our hitters not hitting, and Sox losing ballgames at a record pace........Good grief! Mariotti you're an ass-munch.

[brijames]

This is gonna be fun listening to Hawk respond to this over the remainder of the season.

[Steff]

Mariotti should be fired for writing that article. It has nothing to do with anything, its pointless, its not really about sports, and NO ONE is interested in his opinions on the superstitions of baseball. The whole feud aside, its just really a ridiculous thing to print.

 

 

 

Yet there is a thread on every WhiteSox message board about it...

[mreye]

Yet there is a thread on every WhiteSox message board about it...

 

Just to point out that NO ONE is interested. Come on, Steff.

[kapkomet]

I dont have a problem with it. I think if he left the personal attacks/name-calling out of the article, it wouldve been regarded as a better piece in my eyes. Mariotti was making fun of Hawk for not following superstition. He made fun of WGN too. Because he dumbed down his article with the name calling, I just laugh at this ........... move on. Think Jay was bored

 

LMFAO. Now you're on Mariotti's side?

[Texsox]

Yet there is a thread on every WhiteSox message board about it...

 

Bingo. Why is it that some people just don't get it?

[Gregory Pratt]

I agree, but I must admit that I thought it was strange how much Hawk was mentioning it yesterday.

 

I'm under the impression that Hawk dislikes Freddy.

 

So, naturally, he wants to jinx him.

 

(No, but seriously, Hawk does dislike Freddy, or at least it very much seems like it. I don't think he wanted to jinx him, though.)

[Steff]

Just to point out that NO ONE is interested. Come on, Steff.

 

 

Crap.. sorry. I don't know what I was thinking.

[Hangar18]

LMFAO. Now you're on Mariotti's side?

 

 

NO. But Im not going to just blindly rip every article he writes either. I did come down on him for putting the personal junk in there. Uncalled for and Unnecessary. He turned a potential lighthearted Baseball-is-Superstitious piece into a Hawk-is-a-jerk-cant-believe-he-blew-nohitter-for-Garcia piece.

 

Believe it or not, when Mariotti is isnt being LAZY, he can write a pretty hard-hitting article. In 1994, he torched MLB and the owners when the strike happened, and he also pointedly ripped Jerry Reinsdorf. Of course, that was 12 years ago.

[Harry Chappas]

Did Bob Uecker talk about the Ben Sheets perfect game?

 

Also did harrelson talk about Alvarez no hitter?

 

Was he around when Cowley had his?