Keith Hernandez’s ‘dead soldier’ comment ill-timed

Keith Hernandez has been a television analyst for the New York Mets since 2002. And while the 11-time Gold Glove Award winner is considered one of the best defensive first baseman of all-time, it's hard to defend a seemingly innocuous statement the veteran broadcaster made during a Memorial Day Subway Series game.

With one out in the bottom of the first inning and no score, New York Yankees starter Phil Hughes induced Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy into a broken bat ground out to first. Here's how Hernandez described a shot of the busted lumber on the field:

"That is a dead soldier right there folks laying on that infield dirt. That's what we call getting sawed off. And that's nothing to be ashamed of. It happens."

Sure, referring to a broken bat as a "dead soldier" is a well-known figure of speech in baseball parlance. But to casually drop the reference on a day meant for remembrance of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in battle shows an unfortunate lack of sensitivity by the five-time All-Star. Coincidentally (or not), the unabashedly outspoken commentator (whose turn on Seinfeld is one of the all-timers) said nothing of Vernon Wells' broken bat in the top of the second. Perhaps someone said something to him. Either way, the common baseball cliche of referring to a piece of broken equipment as a fallen enlisted person is played out.

[Fantasy Baseball 2013: There's still time to join a league today!]

Tony Parker scored a career postseason-high 37 points in the Spurs' 93-86 victory over the Grizzlies in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. San Antonio swept Memphis to reach the NBA Finals for the fifth time in franchise history.

In women's basketball news, Brittney Griner became the first player in WNBA history to dunk twice in the same game. The No. 1 pick in last month's draft finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds in her professional debut as the Phoenix Mercury lost to the Chicago Sky 102-80.

H/T: Larry Brown Sports

Follow @YSportsMinute on Twitter along with the Yahoo! Sports Minute Facebook page.