Post-script on Saturday's game

I missed most of the games this weekend; the weather was gorgeous and we had a ton of outdoor activities to attend. I fine trade-off, if I do say so.

As a result, I missed seeing the 9th inning meltdown on Saturday and the comeback win on Sunday. I did, however, hear the cries of "disrespect" being showered down on Girardi as a result of having Mo intentionally walk Evan Longoria.

My two cents: Oh, spare me, will ya?

Yes, Mo wants to attack every hitter. But sometimes, a manager wants to play the odds. That Girardi had Mo walk Longoria intentionally is not disrespectful. It was strategy and while Mo didn't want any part of it, those are the breaks.

"He's pitched Upton tougher than he's pitched Longoria during the course of his career," Girardi said. "That's why I made the move."

That being said, I think the decision to walk a hobbling Longoria was indeed a bad one, but it wasn't disrepectful. There were two outs and Longoria wasn't beating out any throw. But that's secondary to this discussion.

"If it were me, I would have pitched to [Longoria], but I'm not the manager," said Rivera, who yielded an RBI single to Upton that prompted Girardi to pull him. "[Why?] Because that's what I do; I don't go out there to intentionally walk guys.

"I think I have good stuff to get people out, but it's not my decision."

That's right; he's labor, not management. Management makes the decisions for labor to execute. That's just the way it is. We can then look and point fingers at management for making a poor decision, as I think this one was.