Grant Balfour Does Not Take Kindly to Orlando Cabrera's Trash Talk

by R.J. Anderson on Oct 2, 2008 7:03 PM EDT Comment 65 comments

Grant Balfour likes to get pumped on the mound. The stereotypical flamethrower Balfour always speaks of his ability to feed off the crowd noise and atmosphere. Never before had we seen something quite like what Orlando Cabrera did though.

Balfour entered the game to face Juan Uribe with the bases loaded and one out. Balfour launched four straight fastballs and Uribe would strikeout swinging. Up stepped Cabrera. Balfour promptly missed outside on his first pitch, another fastball. Rather than merely a repeat of the thousands upon thousands post-1-0 interactions Cabrera said something and kicked a group of dirt towards the mound.

Balfour did not take too kindly to this and was encroaching to receive the ball anyhow. Dioner Navarro and home plate umpire Joe West quickly wedged between the two as Balfour said something that looked to be "What's your ___ problem?" After a mini-meeting with West on the mound the at-bat resumed like normal.

Balfour would force his way into a 2-2 count after a questionable check-swing call and blew a fastball by Cabrera for strike three. While walking to the dugout Balfour fist-pumped and extended his arm towards Cabrera while saying something similar to "Sit the ____ down!" Both managers would take the field to prevent more altercation, and smartly Navarro would step in front of Cabrera, acting as a shield to Balfour as Rays players, including the ready to spring Jonny Gomes, watched intently.

It's interesting to note that in the five pitches prior to Cabrera's gestures Balfour averaged 95.04 miles per hour on his fastball, but in the proceeding four Balfour averaged 95.525. Pissing Grant Balfour off has now been quantified: 0.485 miles per hour and one insane Australian with an anti-tank rifle attached to his right shoulder.

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"including the ready to spring Jonny Gomes"

I guess if you dont make the roster theres no reason to not to beat the fuck out of someone. This is seriously Gomes’ most useful capacity.

by Acadien on Oct 2, 2008 7:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He was perched on the dugout railing.

by R.J. Anderson on Oct 2, 2008 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

image if the Rays play against the Sox

and Cocco does something… that magic that could happen, but first GO RAYS!!!!!!

by Underdogs on Oct 2, 2008 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I want to see Johnny Gomes give someone a tbone tazzplex

by HAHAHA OH WOW on Oct 2, 2008 7:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Beat me if you can, survive if I let you!

www.citadel-insurance.com

by SeanDubbs on Oct 2, 2008 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How dare Aussie get excited for doing well at his job?

Orlando Cabrera is a damn punk and getting the K then going “sit the – - – - down” is a instant classic

by joeybw on Oct 2, 2008 7:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Cabrera got punked so f'ing hard.

The crowd at the game was absolutely electric; I’ve never seen so many people worked up into a rabid frenzy as I did while at the game. I’m tired and sore, my voice is coarse, and I’m mad at myself because Longo’s first homer damn near hit me in the face, and instead of trying to catch it, I ended up recoiling from it because I lost it in the lights.

by kericr on Oct 2, 2008 8:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Totally agree. What a crowd....hope the same for tomorrow. It was literally 98% Rays Fans vs 2% WhiteSox Fans.

I hope it’s the same way if we see the Red Sox next round

by TheUltimateBucFan on Oct 2, 2008 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah that 3rd strike was the loudest the crowd got and it was sick. Balfour is a guy that feeds off that energy for sure.

Keri you are a pussy.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 3, 2008 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

by RATW on Oct 2, 2008 8:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

No need....we ain't too happy with it over there either. And this, coming from fans who worship their catcher and all of his asshole-ish antics. This was ugly, even for us.

...and then some depressed fucked-cake eating.

by homesickalien on Oct 2, 2008 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was an ugly moment drawn from the intensity of the game

I’m assuming that you’re not in the Bay Area, and I don’t know how well it translated over TBS, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a Tampa Bay sports crowd that intense, and that includes Bucs playoff games. The atmosphere was absolutely rabid and it obviously phyched up both teams, and I got to be part of an exceptional game as a result.

In terms of Cabrera, I really hope that this moment doesn’t carry beyond this season for two reasons: First, if this is the climax highlight for the Rays season, I’ll be dissapointed and second, ChiSox fans are good, smart, solidary fans who support their team even though they are forced to constantly live in the shadow of the Cubs, and that’s not fair to you guys.

by kericr on Oct 2, 2008 11:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope you mean "media shadow of the Cubs," which is true. We are always the better ball club, whose fans actually give a shit and know a shit about the game...those North Siders are a buncha drunk tourists.

And fairness? meh. We don’t care. We just want to watch our team – in fact, we prefer to be left alone. Let the tourists go to Wrigley, so we can focus on the game at Comiskular.

And no, not in the Bay area. I am a Chicagoan, freshly moved to Seattle. Was listening to the radio feed of the game at work, no mlbtv due to restrictions….
So I didn’t get to see all the gestures and exchanges, but it sounded bad.

All OCab did was charge up Balfour, the team, and the fans.
Big mistake.

In all actuality, OCab will most likely not be on our roster next year. Don’t think he wants to be, and squabbles in the clubhouse lead us to believe management doesn’t want him either.
Too bad – he’s a damn fine SS. But dispensable.

...and then some depressed fucked-cake eating.

by homesickalien on Oct 3, 2008 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

so he is moreless a delmon young of last year?

YOUR 2008 AL EAST DIVISION CHAMPIONS.... THE TAMPA BAY RAYS!!!

by RaysOfHope on Oct 3, 2008 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually the Delmon Young of this year is...

Delmon Young!

It’s buried in the article, but:

Just one Twin — Delmon Young — doesn’t fit the club’s personality, but it will be hard to find takers for him this winter in exchange for a power-hitting third baseman.

by kericr on Oct 3, 2008 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha. Troof. I wouldn't even want a shred of Gomez' egomaniacal 'tude, for that matter.

If you’ll notice, even the aging big name veteran, future HOFers on the Sox are of a modest nature…

AJ? yeah. We call him Chicago Tough.

hahahaha. still an asshole. but we love him. :)

...and then some depressed fucked-cake eating.

by homesickalien on Oct 3, 2008 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope you mean "media shadow of the Cubs"

I meant it both in media attention and in sheer size of fanbase. Dumb fans are still loud.

by kericr on Oct 3, 2008 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, no doubt. Cubs fans have forever been the bane of my existence. But I like that they are their own culture in the city, and we have ours all the same. Adds a great element to the deep-rooted rivalry.

You go to Wrigley, and it’s all a bunch of rich kids sitting in daddy’s company seats, getting wasted and waiting for homers to throw back on the field.

Exceptions exist, of course. But this is the gist of the North Side. It’s a disgusting culture for anyone who really loves the game.

I give them credit for having a great year (it’s about time, they have so much money, they should always have a great team, imo)…but I will root against them til the end. I loathe no team greater than the Cubs (Twins aside, of course).

...and then some depressed fucked-cake eating.

by homesickalien on Oct 3, 2008 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

1) There are far more “real” Cub fans in Chicago than there are "real"+"tourist" Sox fans. And it’s not even close. Look at the TV ratings. “Tourists” don’t watch Cubs games on TV.

2) True, Wrigley is not full of the Lee Elia-type slackers any more. But it is pretty much full of actual baseball fans. Non-poor ones, yes. But generally baseball fans. $45 bleacher seats change things. But the whole Wrigley-as-Disney bit, while the Sox Fan’s go-to move when angry about seeing another Cubs story on the ESPN.com front page, is just not true.

3) Do Sox fans really have an issue with Cabrera kicking some dirt around? No. Of course not.

4) Yes, I have been to many, many Sox games. 2-for-1 Monday nights (with a Mountain Dew can). Bringing in the best of the southwest suburbs. The Real, Not-Toursist fans. The Flashing-The-Cleveland-Bullpen-For-A-B.P.-Ball fans. And not at all upset about Orlando Cabrera kicking some dirt around.

by calmer than you are on Oct 3, 2008 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know, this whole schtick is so tiresome coming from Sox fans. They see a couple of tank tops in the bleachers and all of a sudden they’re goddamn Eugene V. Debs, even with their $100-million big-market payroll.

by calmer than you are on Oct 3, 2008 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yawn

by kericr on Oct 3, 2008 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you are being very un-dude.

...and then some depressed fucked-cake eating.

by homesickalien on Oct 3, 2008 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I can't generalize about Cubs fans, then maybe you shouldn't take the same approach to Sox fans.

I can’t tell you how many uninformed die-hard Cubs fans I’ve run into in my lifetime – people who couldn’t name three players on the team. And these are more frequent than the ones who can hold up a conversation about baseball.

There are exceptions to everything, and I know there are loyal Cub fans too. Seriously, I do.
But don’t act like Wrigley isn’t a tourist trap, full of people who have no concept that a game is taking place.

...and then some depressed fucked-cake eating.

by homesickalien on Oct 3, 2008 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are a Chicagoan and you really think that that doesn’t-know-three-players Cub fans are the rule, not the exception?

by calmer than you are on Oct 3, 2008 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It translated over pretty well to TBS

That crowd looked great.

"Now, this is the dumbest thing I've ever heard [Hank Steinbrenner] say, and this is the third time I've said that this season."

by kishi on Oct 3, 2008 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Another note

I would have liked to go and respond to the posts that your patrons over at South Side Sox had, but that site has an absurd 24 hour lurking policy. This has nothing to do with goading the Sox or your fans and everything to do with this team being disrespected for it’s entire existance. It doesn’t matter what team it is, this organization’s team refuses to allow it anymore; they’ve already proven it to the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles.

by kericr on Oct 2, 2008 11:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm still amused at the Orioles' persistence.

by R.J. Anderson on Oct 2, 2008 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

they are showing a highlight of the rays game right now on espn

YOUR 2008 AL EAST DIVISION CHAMPIONS.... THE TAMPA BAY RAYS!!!

by RaysOfHope on Oct 2, 2008 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This one.

by R.J. Anderson on Oct 2, 2008 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i bet if cabrera was a couple of more steps closer gomes wouldve came out lol

that was an amazing game and the balfour vs cabrera made me jump and yell screw you cabrera, and then when balfour struck him and and told him to sit the f**k down i was loving it!

YOUR 2008 AL EAST DIVISION CHAMPIONS.... THE TAMPA BAY RAYS!!!

by RaysOfHope on Oct 2, 2008 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pissing Grant Balfour off has now been quantified: 0.485 miles per hour and one insane Australian with an anti-tank rifle attached to his right shoulder.

haha

by walkoffwalk on Oct 2, 2008 9:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i think o-cab's check swing was called a strike because he was acting like a douche bag.

by walkoffwalk on Oct 2, 2008 9:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

this was my favorite part of the season so far.

balfour embodies the whole “we aren’t gonna take your shit” attitude that the rays have developed this season

by mittens on Oct 2, 2008 10:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Australia was a prison after all

the whole game was really great, but yeah, this was really one of my favorite moments all year

by free hotdogs on Oct 2, 2008 11:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey watch this prison talk...

… you don’t want to get me fired up.

Am I a bad Rays fan that I was yelling for Balf as he was throwing in the dugout, even though Shields only had one on? I was pretty surprised he didn’t come in to face AJP to be honest. He’d have plunked him harder than Shieldsy did, that’s for sure.

Gotta tell ya, from where we were sitting we thought Balf was having a go at the ump for balls and strikes. Wasn’t until we were in the car on the way home did we know something had gone on between him and Cabrera. White Sox need to do a better job with their scouting reports: “Grant Balfour – wicked fastball, swears at himself a lot; don’t kick dirt at him else he will embarass you”

Oh and, Evan Longoria, thank you and I have seen the light – I shall forever attend Rays’ games with your name on my back.

by AussieGriff on Oct 3, 2008 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

no I absolutly do not....

want to get you fired up. Number 1 lesson today: do not piss off an Aussie…..ever

by free hotdogs on Oct 3, 2008 3:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're fine mate

I’m a lover not a fighter. Besides we’re (generally) proud of our convict heritage….

Saw plenty of pissed off Americans in my section though… the Ray on Ray violence was the one blemish on the afternoon.

by AussieGriff on Oct 3, 2008 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What a game

That was the best sporting event I have ever been too…the crowd was amazing all day. The camera flashes during the first pitch were awesome, the first out sounded like a world series victory and, well, I have man crushes on Longo and Balfour…Sit The Fuck Down!

Then I went to the USF game….ugh. They can’t ruin this perfect day though. Hopefully, tomorrow will be just as fun. Go Rays!

by steve-o1285 on Oct 3, 2008 12:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs