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Look back at: Divisional Playoffs |
League Championship
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Monday, October 23
If O'Neill's going, it's on a good note
By David Schoenfield
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- He's a jerk. He's intense.
He's overrated. He's an All-Star.
He's a whiner and a crybaby and a helmet-chucking no-good Yankee.
He's a winner.
|  | | Paul O'Neill continued to reverse his late-season misfortunes with three hits in Game 2 of the World Series. |
If you hate the Yankees, you hate Paul O'Neill. If you love the Yankees, you love O'Neill as if he was born with pinstripe-colored blood running through his veins.
In the bottom of the fifth, O'Neill stepped to the plate against Mike Hampton with two outs. The Yankees were already leading 3-0 in Game 2 of the World Series and the Mets had intentionally walked Jorge Posada to set up the lefty-lefty matchup. It was hardly the key point of the ballgame.
But the Yankee Stadium crowd rose to its feet. Chants of "Paul-ie! Pau-lie!" emanated from the upper deck behind third base.
Truth be told, the crowds at the first two games had been fairly subdued, nothing like the raucous noise at Shea Stadium when the Mets clinched in Game 5 of the NLCS or when David Justice blasted his go-ahead home run in Game 6 of the ALCS. Even in the first game of the World Series, with its various layers of drama and stomach-churning plays, the crowd never let loose.
Oh, sure, there was a buzz over the Roger Clemens-Mike Piazza incident in the first inning, but the buzz died down when a brawl didn't break out. However, there must have been more real fans at this game because the chant for O'Neill spread across the upper deck and down into the bleachers, a spontaneous cheer for a player, and on unprompted by the obnoxious Yankee Stadium scoreboard and sound system.
"Paul-ie! Paul-ie!"
O'Neill is 37 years old. His bat speed has slowed and he's lost a step in the outfield. His season batting average of .283 marked another descent downward from his .324 mark of 1997. He's looked feeble at the plate throughout much of the postseason, prompting Joe Torre to drop him from third to seventh in the batting order. True, he's been bothered by a hip injury, but that's what happens when you're 37.
O'Neill is also a free agent after the season. The Yankees are likely to seek someone more powerful and expensive to fill right field next year -- somebody like Manny Ramirez.
So, with that in mind, as O'Neill walked to the plate to face Hampton, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. With the next three games at Shea Stadium and the Yankees on the verge of taking a two-games-to-none lead in the Series, there was a chance this would be the last game of the year at Yankee Stadium. And perhaps the last chance to give a goodbye cheer to O'Neill.
Of course, if you're a card-carrying member of the Yankee Haters Union, the scene probably made you want to throw a fastball near Clemens' chin. After all, throwing is something O'Neill does better than any player in the league.
Throwing his helmet after popping out. Throwing his bat after getting called out on strikes. Throwing a paper cup against the dugout floor after grounding into a double play.
That's essential O'Neill. It's what makes New Yorkers love him and the enemy hate him.
But he's also been a key member of three World Series champions since coming over from the Reds for Roberto Kelly in 1993. He's reliably filled the No. 3 hole in the lineup, hitting over .300 each season from '93 through '98. This season marked his fourth straight year with at least 100 RBI. He's been a four-time All-Star with the Yankees. His defense and throwing arm in right field have always been underrated.
He's a good player, not a superstar. It's more fun to cheer for a player like that. Especially one who practices his swing in the field between innings. So, he has a little attitude to him? Hey, that's what New York is all about.
"O'Neill is piecing it together game-by-game," Torre said after the game. "He doesn't have the hip pointer problem anymore, but you still see some effects from it, like the stretching he always does in the dugout."
O'Neill had the crucial at-bat in Game 1, drawing a 10-pitch walk from Armando Benitez. "It's not always pretty, but it's effective," Torre said.
O'Neill dug in against Hampton. He took ball one. And then Hampton threw a fat pitch over the middle of the plate. O'Neill stroked it down the line in right. It fell fair and only a barehand grab by Timo Perez held him to a single. Tino Martinez scored on the play, making it 4-0. The crowd went loud. "Paul-ie!" they roared, even as the next batter stepped in.
When the inning ended, O'Neill tossed his helmet (gently). He walked out through the grounds crew and to his spot in right field -- where a well-worn patch of grass has long since turned brown. The fans behind him stood and applauded. O'Neill turned and gave a slight nod of appreciation.
And then went about his business and warmed up with Bernie Williams.
After all, he is intense and had a ballgame to wrap up.
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