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Today’s Edition Of “Baseball Is A Slow Game”: Relief Pitchers Impersonating Each Other

Look, we know baseball not having the fast-paced action of other sports is by design, having no clock is part of the game’s charm, etc. But sometimes the games get a little too slow, and you might tune out the game entirely in favor of something where something, anything, is happening. And sometimes, even the players themselves will seem to say, “Look, we get bored out here, too.” We recently saw what happens when a broadcast team starts looking for ways to interrupt the monotony of an uneventful game, and yesterday, we got a first-hand look at what happens when the players themselves get a little desperate to amuse themselves.

Fox, during Saturday’s Mets-Brewers tilt, threw it down to Chris Rose to interview Milwaukee relievers Francisco Rodriguez and John Axford in the team’s bullpen. And…Rodriguez was pretending to be Axford, and Axford dressed up as Rodriguez. Despite the limitations inherent in the impressions – Axford is 6-5 and white, Rodriguez is 6 feet even and Latino – credit must be given for trying. Here’s how it looked:

You know, you really haven’t lived until you hear a guy express his appreciation for the way an organization stuck by him and the emotions of coming back to compete against that same organization…all while wearing tape on his face. And the funny part of it is, this ended up being a great game. The Mets stormed back from a 7-1 deficit with eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings (thanks in part to scoring three runs off Rodriguez, who was no longer wearing the tape), only for the Brewers to score four of their own in the top of the ninth and hold on for an 11-9 win. Axford picked up the save, but after that rough outing, we’re afraid K-Rod might retire his impersonation.