Easter Fun

Rob Neyer drops this little gem on us yesterday...

So I'm watching the Yankees last night, because they're the Yankees. In the second inning, with Baltimore's Kevin Millar on first base, Corey Patterson bunted. Broadcasters Michael Kay and Ken Singleton, take it away ...

Kay: A push-bunt toward third, A-Rod fields, there was nobody covering second, so A-Rod will take the out at first. Sacrifice successful, 5-3, and heads-up by Jeter: third base was not covered when A-Rod fielded the ball, and Jeter darted over to cover the bag.

Singleton: Now I don't know if there's supposed to be somebody at second or not, but when this ball is fielded by Alex Rodriguez, they had plenty of time to get Kevin Millar. He's not the fastest runner. The ball is bunted fairly hard. I mean, a couple hops, and you can see there's a play at second base if somebody's there to cover.

Kay: Robinson Cano never made a move toward covering second. His initial step was to first, because he was backing up the throw, I guess, to first base.

Singleton: No, he is supposed to go over there on a bunt play. If the first baseman charges, he's the one that's supposed to cover first. My question more would be with Derek Jeter, who alertly -- as you said -- went over to third to cover up in case Millar went there. But at first, if he moves over to second, there's a chance for a force play there.

Kay: But Phelps never charged, that's why it seemed strange that Cano didn't move to second.

Singleton: That's my point. When a bunt is laid down, the second baseman, his job is to get to first base and cover. If the first baseman doesn't charge, he lets the first baseman take it.

If you weren't paying attention, it would slip right past you, but Singleton was suggesting, ever so gently, that perhaps Jeter should have covered second base. Singleton also, and again ever so gently, made it terribly obvious that even after all the years Kay's been in the broadcast booth, he doesn't seem to know that the second baseman automatically breaks for first base when the batter squares around to bunt.

I love it.