So is the rulebook’s definition of the batter’s box.
Every balk deceives the batter or runner, intentional or not. Every balk has an effect on the opponent and on the game. This incident did not.
Ahem. Sportsmanship is based on the *spirit *of the rules, among other things, not the letter. They’re not the same thing at all. Yes, following the letter of the rules without regard to their purpose and meaning can be unsportsmanlike. See “pine tar”.
I can’t find anything with Google, but I am almost 100% sure that Frank Robinson made the same mistake as Don Mattingly did during Robinson’s first year managing the Indians. I believe Robinson did have a pitcher warming up in the bullpen, however.
Anyone remember this?
Looks like the Ump’s did screw up last night when they forced Broxton out and forced a cold pitcher to take his place. The Dodgers could have protested the game, but didn’t, and it would likely have had to be replayed. I guess it’s too late now? When does a protest need to be filed?
Nice win for the Padres this evening. Tied it up with an RBI double in the ninth, then won it with a 2-RBI double in the twelfth. Giants and Rockies both lost, so San Diego’s lead is back out to 4 games.
The Padres are 19-12 in 1-run games, suggesting they’ve been a bit lucky, but their Expected W-L actually has them at 56-37, 1 game above their current position. All the good pitching has certainly been a factor.
Ralph Houk, who succeeded Casey Stengel as manager of the Yankees in 1961, and later was Roger Clemens’ first big league manager with the '84 Red Sox, passes away at age 90.
Well they say death comes in 3s. So in a very short time period the Yanks loss the Voice of Old Yankee Stadium, the Boss and one of our managers and players from the past. Houk did a very good job following Casey Stengel but with his hands tied by management and the new draft rules did not do so well as a GM. Overall he was a very good manager in my opinion in his stints with various teams.
I barely remember him as manager of the Yanks in his second stint in the 70s but I do believe he was George’s first manager to be fired.
I’m pretty sure the protest has to occur as soon as the incident happens.
It would have been interesting to see if the protest would have been upheld. The rules are not exactly consistently worded. I can’t recall the last time a protest was actually successful, but the dodgers would have had a legitimate case.
I was watching the crazy Yankee game last night. It was a sloppy game that included Derek Jeter’s second inside the ballpark homerun; the first coming in 1996 against the KC Royals also. A-Rod hit his 599th and oddly hit his first and his 500th against KC too. With 3 more games in the series he is likely to hit his 600th off of KC. He also picked up 2 doubles and 4 RBIs.
The YES network had a 3 man booth last night again. It is Michael Kay, Paul O’Neill and Ken Singleton. This is a great team especially for a long and sloppy game. They did a great job covering the game and had a lot of casually funny moments during the broadcast. Having Paul in the booth seems to keep Kay in check from talking too much on non-game related things. Anyway it was a very enjoyable crew. I hope they can persuade Paul to do a lot more games. Singleton has really improved over the years. When he first arrived I did not like him doing the games but he does a very good job on the road with Flat doing the B games and a fine job in the booth when it is not just him and Kay.
The Tigers are in contention for the Central, but despite that, they should sell everything on the roster not named Cabrera, Jackson, Verlander, Boesch, Valverde, and Zumaya. Before Inge went down at third base, the Tigers needed a starting pitcher, a shortstop, and a catcher. Those three things are out there for the trading, but it’s a seller’s market there, especially with the Tigers not making a play for Cliff Lee (supposedly the Mariners wanted Brennan Boesch, which is a non-starter because it takes a bat away from the lineup, which severely needs it) and last year, they didn’t pay the asking price (Porcello and Perry) for Roy Halladay, which was a huge mistake.
The best available for pitching? Ben Sheets? Dan Haren? I like Dan Haren, but everyone wants to make a move for him. Ben Sheets was acquired in free agency (for one year, mind you) by the A’s almost just so they could sell him at the deadline like this and get more prospects. Ted Lilly is another possibility, but nobody says “we’re making a deep run into the postseason” like Ted Lilly.
Shortstop is even more thin. Stephen Drew is available, but with the asking price of Haren already so high, getting the two of them would take more than it should. There’s some talk about trading for Jose Bautista, which would “solve” the 3rd base problem we have, but then muddle it and the crowded outfield we already have. (Right now, we’re starting a rookie at third base, but, don’t tell anyone, there isn’t much of a difference at all. Inge is a pretty bad hitter but an excellent fielder, just like Don Kelly in there now.)
Catcher is available, with Jack Buck, and for relatively cheaply.
When it comes down to it, there are too many holes, and I simply don’t think the Tigers front office has the stones to make the moves to get it done. I have all the confidence in Kenny Williams for the White Sox to make a move and for the Twins to make the decision to fish or cut bait very soon as well. I’m not saying the Tigers CAN’T do it. They surely can, but if they’re making the postseason, they’ve GOT to win the division. Maybe Haren and Drew come at a decent price, but with other teams sniffing around to drive the price up (White Sox included), I don’t see it happening.
Strange, Arod hits 599 with little attention. He may become the all time home run hitter, but the stain of steroids just takes all the fun out of it.
You are pushing the panic button. All teams are flawed . The Central more than most. The Twits are playing without Morneau . They lack front line pitching depth. Yet they and the Tigers are 2 games back. There are plenty of scenarios where the Tigers win without making a move. Everybody is 1 serious injury away from disaster.
First, i question your definition of “little attention.” Rodriguez’s 599th homer is in the headlines of a whole lot of new stories today, and was the focus of some attention on Baseball Tonight. When he actually hits 600, there will no doubt be even more fanfare.
Second, even if #599 attracts less attention than one might expect, there might be a good reason for that: Rodriguez reaching 600 has been considered virtually inevitable for at least the last five years, probably longer. He’s one of the best players ever to play the game, and everyone knew that, barring a career-ending injury, getting to 600 homers was a sure thing.
But he has a point about home run totals perhaps not meaning as much to the average fan anymore, since the steroid scandal finally popped open. Maybe that change of attitude started with people being reluctant to adulate Barry Bonds?
Plus we’ve had several players pass 600 quite recently - Griffey, Sosa, and before them Bonds - thereby doubling the membership in what was once a three-guy club.
Aside from being tainted by steroids, I think maybe there’s just some home run milestone fatigue. Jim Thome recently became the all-time #10 home run hitter and the general reaction was “huh, isn’t that interesting - Jm Thome’s still around, eh?”
You have to know when to hold them and when to fold them. It’s not the panic button, it’s the realistic scenario button. I think that the Tigers are going to react to others in the Central, even though they should be driving the pace instead. If the White Sox stand pat and so do the Twins, so do the Tigers. If the White Sox start acquiring pieces, at least the Twins or the Tigers must also do the same. If the Twins get pieces after the White Sox, the Tigers will (should) start selling a few things.
Let them pay the bad prices. We have a LOT of money (Dontrelle Willis, Magglio Ordonez, Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, Gerald Laird, Brandon Inge) either coming off the books finally or their contracts finally expire at the end of this season, so if the free agent pool is deep, I say we make our splash there instead of overpaying now in a shallow pool.
If the Tigers need a starter, a shortstop, and a catcher, they have nothing in the farm system for catcher or shortstop, really. They have a bevy of arms in the minors, though.
Too late to edit: About a Dan Haren Deal from ESPN’s Insider-
Or it could be performance, because quite simply, the Diamondbacks have seen up close that Haren has not performed anything close to All-Star caliber in 2010. “His stuff seems really flat,” said one evaluator.
Let’s face it – it could be that Haren, like a lot of players in his situation, is suffering from a case of second-division blahs. The Diamondbacks have struggled all year, and maybe with the benefit of some pennant-race adrenalin, he would go back to being the guy who was the best pitcher in the majors for much of the first half of 2009.
But Haren’s performance should at least raise questions, because his numbers are jarring.
Haren’s ERA is 4.60, which is the worst of his career in any full season.
He’s on pace to allow 39 homers, more than his career high of 31.
The OPS against him is .792, which is 157 points worse than in 2009.
“Who knows, they might know something about him that nobody else does yet,” said one GM. “Maybe they’re trying to sell high while they can.”
Put it this way: If the Diamondbacks don’t trade Haren in the next eight days and he pitches poorly in the last nine weeks of the season, his trade value will probably be markedly less than it is now.
I have more confidence in the White Sox making that deal to get him. The Tigers would have to give up Porcello and a couple other things for Haren and Stephen Drew. If the Twins get in on it, the price may just be too high. It may be best to NOT make the deal for Dan Haren. I don’t think he’s finished, but for this year, it may hamstring your ability to win the Central and get into the postseason if he doesn’t pull out of his funk.
Haren’s still a first rate pitcher; his being hit hard is at least half just luck. He’s leading the NL in strikeouts (141) and has walked only 29 men all year.
It’s certainly possible he hasn’t been as sharp with his breaking stuff, but it’s hard to explain how he’s punching out a man an inning. I’d be thrilled to get him; I think he’s still an ace.
His ERA has gone up in the second half in every year except 1998. If you (the GM) think he’s the guy to get you over the hump, then you pay the price and get it done. If not, then don’t.
Supposedly, the price Arizona wans from the Tigers is Ryan Porcello, Ryan Perry, and Jacob Turner.
When Hinch was managing the D-backs, they made all sorts of mental errors and played stupid baseball. You’d see outfielders playing too shallow or too deep and people throwing to the wrong base. Some of this type of baseball has contributed to Haren’s dropoff in the past year or so.
He’s still a fine pitcher. With the D-backs horrible bullpen, I don’t think he has any interest in staying here. The bullpen has cost him many games.
I haven’t heard anything on Brandon Webb. If he could ever get healthy, he’d be trade bait as well.