# A bad pitch becomes a felony charge?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-pitch-becomes-a-felony-charge/457823>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [July 26, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-pitch-becomes-a-felony-charge/457823 "2008-07-26T04:31:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-pitch-becomes-a-felony-charge/457823/21 "2008-08-14T14:30:04Z")

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[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz]  
If that is the case, why doesn’t MLB allow the cops to arrest anyone who charges the mound?  
[/QUOTE]

MLB doesn’t have a choice here - it’s up to the police and prosecutors to decide if charges should be laid in a particular case. MLB can’t say that the criminal law doesn’t apply on a baseball diamond.

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**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-pitch-becomes-a-felony-charge/457823/22 "2008-08-14T19:11:42Z")

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For what it’s worth: A few weeks ago, MLB suspended him for [60 games](http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=15691), which should be just about enough to ruin his career.  
Give the douchebag a thumbs up when you see him behind the counter at Burger King.

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**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bad-pitch-becomes-a-felony-charge/457823/23 "2008-08-19T18:51:15Z")

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[QUOTE=Northern Piper]  
it’s accepted that it will happen - the pro leagues tolerate it, and have drawn up rules that penalize it.  
[/QUOTE]  
I can’t think of any reason to tolerate it. There is no reason to assault an opponent and commit a physical assault on her or him. Are there rules that say “You can wack a opponent after a game became s/he really pissed you off??”

Maybe I just don’t understand the psycholgy of hockey.

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