Big Lead Sports Bar

10/07/2006

Joe Beimel Can Spin a Tall Tale

Joe Beimel was a nice story a few years ago. He was a product of Duquesne, he grew up in PA, and he was pitching for the Pirates. Unfortunately for Joe, the Pirate years were not insanely productive, as he was shuffled between starting and relieving. From 2001-2003, Beimel compiled a 10-18 record, 5 blown saves, no actual saves, and ERAs of 5.23, 4.64, and 5.05. He was cut loose prior to the 2004 campaign. And when the Pirates cut you, that's not usually a good sign.
Since then, he's bounced around from Minnesota to Tampa Bay to Los Angeles, where he signed for 2006. Beimel seemed to find his niche this year, going 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA and 2 saves in 62 games. He had become the Dodgers' top left-handed reliever. And then he went to New York.
Beimel was removed from the Dodgers' playoff roster on Tuesday after telling the team he'd cut his hand in his hotel room. I can tell you, I've been in many hotel rooms in my life, and this has happened to me probably a dozen times. Ever see those ice buckets? Gideon Bibles? Hotel menus? These are all security risks. Honestly, I can't believe Beimel's gone this long without cutting his hand in his hotel room.
But it turns out that he didn't cut it in a hotel room. He cut it on a broken glass in a New York City bar. Now THAT sounds more reasonable, especially considering Beimel is an athlete, and these are the things athletes do.
His teammates were pretty ticked, most notably Nomar Hamm and Brett "AJ Pierzynski Still Hates Me" Tomko. But their anger is displaced. If I were a Dodger, I would be more upset at other teammates, like the collective group that scored one run against a guy named John Maine in game one. Think about this...they have the luck to face a team without Pedro, they luck out again when avoiding injured playoff legend El Duque, and they still can't pull out a win. I'd also blame Nomar for the untimeliness of achieving the all-sports record for career injuries, passing Ken Griffey Jr. and Grant Hill in the process.
But back to Beimel. It was a silly injury, a silly story, and I'm sure he regrets it, looking back now. I also think if the series really came down to a guy who was let go by the Pirates AND Devil Rays, maybe the Dodgers didn't deserve to advance?

3 comments:

vinnie said...

Did Tim McCarver just say that if the Dodgers win tonight, Oliver Perez will start for the Mets tomorrow?

So let's list all the players in the 2006 post season that used to play for the good ole Buccos...

Ollie
Brian Giles
Sean Casey
Jason Kendell
Kenny Lofton
Jeff Suppan
Esteban Loaiza
Roberto Hernández

...and that's just off the top of my head!!!

vinnie said...

And of course that's not to mention the ENTIRE Tigers coaching staff!!!!

Steeltown Mike said...

I would have enjoyed seeing Oliver Perez pitch in the postseason had the Dodgers won tonight.

He'll probably have to pitch in the NLCS, though. That may make for more entertaining baseball, especially if it's against Pujols and the Cardinals. In St. Louis.