Playing the Field: Thome collects bounty, Amar’e slurs fan
After everyone’s least favorite Irish jig dancer Jonathan Papelbon blew a save for the Phillies Saturday he came back to the dugout and offered anyone $5,000 to bail him out with a walk-off homer.
Jim Thome obliged.
The Phillies led the Rays, 6-4, in the top of the ninth before Papelbon choked and gave up two runs to tie it. But Thome heeded Papelbon’s words and belted his 609th career homer to tie Sammy Sosa for seventh all-time and walk off winners.
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If you watch closely after Thome touches home plate you can see Papelbon give him a hug and presumably give him the thumbs up on the five grand. He would cut him the check right in the clubhouse after the game.
It would make the story even better if Thome just said he was pinch-hitting, walked up to the plate and cranked it out so in the future that’s what we’ll say happened. Agreed?
Speaking of the Phillies, manager Charlie Manuel had a gem off his own yesterday when he (sarcastically) told the media to tweet him some managerial decisions during games. First suggestion, always offer bounties for game-winning home runs.
Dear Amar’e, shut up
Just a couple weeks after we delivered the sweet tale of Knicks power forward/max-contract-salary-cap-albatross Amar’e Stoudemire proposing to his longtime girlfriend in Paris we now have to call him a total idiot. Time flies when you’re insulting people on Twitter.
Apparently, Stoudemire crossed the ultimate line and called a fan a “fag” for criticizing him on Twitter this weekend. The story goes like this. A fan named @BFerrelli tweeted at him to criticize his performance last season:
@Amareisreal you better come back a lot stronger and quicker to make up for this past season mannnnnn deadasss!!!
— B Forreal! (@BFerrelli) June 23, 2012
We’re not sure what “deadasss” means, but suffice to say it didn’t go over well with Stoudemire, who sent a direct message response to the fan.
Just got a DM from @Amareisreal after I told him to step his shit up so the Knicks will get further next season..pussy twitter.com/BFerrelli/stat…
— B Forreal! (@BFerrelli) June 23, 2012
If you’re Stoudemire, you can’t act like that when some fool sends you a fairly innocuous tweet.
Stoudemire did apologize to the fan later, but the NBA has already said they are investigating. The NBA does a great job with social media — far and away the best of any major sports league. I’d expect a fine for Stoudemire in the near future (and deservedly so).
Something tells me Stoudemire won’t be winning any Social Media Awards next year.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. No slurs, but he apologizes for his tweets anyway.
