Old Dog, New Trick
Yadier Molina told a rookie to try to steal second and then threw him out by a country mile
It was a busy weekend in the wide world of sports. Bryson Do-you-even-lift-bro claimed another dubya. Steph Curry put on a performance for the ages at the MTN Dew 3-Point Contest, a mere aperitif for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game and Dunk Contest hours laters. Across college basketball, conference tourney seeding was decided and Josh Gordon (yes, THAT Josh Gordon) caught two touchdowns, including a hail mary, in his Fan Controlled Football debut. Not bad for a single 48 hours in pre-madness March. But while you were liquefying your eyeholes with all of that, it was St. Louis Cardinals legend Yadier Molina who provided the highlight of the weekend in the seventh inning of a completely meaningless spring training game on Sunday. Take it away, Yadi.
A pro tip for all the cocky rookies out there: You DO NOT come at Yadier Molina. You may think you’re fast. You may think he’s old. But this isn’t tennis. Baseball is a grown man’s game, and you gotta earn the right to even call the basepath dirt a peer. Jose Siri learned that the hard way on Sunday, taunting Molina on an attempted pick off before being thrown out by a country mile while attempting to steal second. First mistake, last mistake, as they say.
Now you may not like Molina that much. You may remember a blocked pitch sticking to several inches of gloppy pine tar on his chest protector. You may be a Cubs fan. Maybe just don't like his face (it’s not a terribly likeable face, to be fair.) But no matter your disposition towards Yadi and the Self-Righteous Cardinals organization as a whole, you simply can’t deny the greatness of this clip. The bottled rage, the absurd laser, the sweet revenge. Watching Astros bros get embarrassed. It’s Hollywood-level entertainment straight out of Jupiter, Florida. What could be better than that?