# Tony LaRussa is (being) an idiot. (Re: Yermín Mercedes) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [May 20, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559 "2021-05-20T15:48:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/142 "2021-06-15T03:25:38Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > “The Yerminator” is a great baseball nickname. Perhaps, but chess grandmaster Alex Yermolinsky was already the Yerminator when Mercedes was still germinating: [`THE YERMINATOR' IS RELENTLESS WHEN VICTORY IS IN SIGHT](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-04-06-9704050256-story.html) . ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/143 "2021-06-15T16:59:07Z")
A Yerminator in every sport, I say. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/144 "2021-06-15T19:28:13Z")
But Yerm mileage may vary. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/145 "2021-06-16T01:25:48Z")
But no athlete can serve as his sports’ Yerminator for more than eight years. Yerm limits. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/146 "2021-06-16T17:48:29Z")
You want to eliminate beaning? Stop this stupid retaliation, “if you hit my guy, I’ll have my pitcher bean your best hitter”. What good does that do? Bean the pitcher! That’ll make it stop. (YMMV if your team is AL). Also, make suspensions for picters actualy games played, not games. A five day suspension for a pitcher might mean he doesn’t miss a single game. And TLR is an ass. He was hired to do some magic for the Diamondbacks, he was going to do…something. Something good. About the only magic I could see was that he made the team’s bank account decrease for two years. ---
**Author:** ![LauderdaleFort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@LauderdaleFort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LauderdaleFort)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/147 "2021-06-17T00:55:19Z")
First bean: 80 games Second: Life ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/148 "2021-06-17T16:14:42Z")
Also, when a batted ball hits the pitcher: First time: 80 games Second: Life ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/149 "2021-06-17T16:58:54Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Also, when a batted ball hits the pitcher: That’s not at all related. While many “bean balls” are accidental, it’s easy to hit a player on purpose. I’d say a pitcher could hit a batter on purpose at least 95% of the time even if the batter is trying to get out of the way. A batter who can reliably hit the pitcher with a batted ball is superhuman. I’m not exaggerating here. It is not physically possible for a human being to control a batted ball that well. It’s difficult enough to just get a regular hit 25% of the time you are at bat, let alone hit a human-sized target on the mound. That’s absurd. 🙄 (If that was meant to be a joke I don’t get what the joke is supposed to be.) ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/150 "2021-06-17T17:02:48Z")
Agreed. Not sure what the joke, if any, was supposed to be. I’d agree to the following though: When a thrown bat hits anybody First time: 80 games Second: Life ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/151 "2021-06-17T18:45:14Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > (If that was meant to be a joke I don’t get what the joke is supposed to be.) Not really a joke, just pointing out the futility in determining intent (in many instances). Compounding the problem: accidental beanings and headhunting that misses. Last season, Aroldis Chapman threw a 101 MPH pitch at Mike Brosseau’s head. It missed, thank God, but I’m nearly certain it was intentional. But was it? Pitchers miss their targets badly all the time…they bounce balls three feet in front of the plate, or throw so far outside the catcher can’t reach it, or throw so high the catcher couldn’t nab it with a lacrosse stick. When a pitcher misses inside, intent is always assumed. Anyhoo, simplistic solutions like 80 game suspensions aren’t the ideal way to counter a complicated problem, imho.\* \*Yes, I probably should have made my point without using sarcasm. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/152 "2021-06-17T18:53:00Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > When a thrown bat hits anybody Now we’re talking. That’s a much closer equivalent. 🙂 (Though I don’t know of a person accidentally throwing a bat at someone, as opposed to accidentally being hit by a pitch which does happen by accident now and then; I’d like to think _most_ of the time someone is hit by a pitch by accident.) > [@BlankSlate](#): > > Compounding the problem: accidental beanings and headhunting that misses. Last season, Aroldis Chapman threw a 101 MPH pitch at Mike Brosseau’s head. It missed, thank God, but I’m nearly certain it was intentional. But was it? Pitchers miss their targets badly all the time…they bounce balls three feet in front of the plate, or throw so far outside the catcher can’t reach it, or throw so high the catcher couldn’t nab it with a lacrosse stick. When a pitcher misses inside, intent is always assumed. Anyhoo, simplistic solutions like 80 game suspensions aren’t the ideal way to counter a complicated problem, imho.\* I think we already have a solution though. We have these supposed “unwritten rules” in place. We know when presumably a pitcher might hit a player on purpose as retaliation. It’s a simple matter of declaring that if it’s a situation where you would think a pitcher would be expected to retaliate, and a player is hit (or has to duck to avoid being hit), assume it’s on purpose. If it’s a coincidence and it was truly an accident, too bad. Be mindful of when scrutiny is going to be on you as a pitcher and take extra care not to lose control of the ball or throw it in too close on purpose. Think of it this way… If someone sleeps with your spouse, and you have a public fight about it where things get heated (even violent), and then later that day you accidentally hit and kill them with your car, do you think any jury will believe that’s an accident? Even if it was an accident, you set yourself up with too much motive. If players and analysts are able to tell when a pitcher is beaning someone on purpose, you’d think an umpire would be able to do that. I’d say it should be reserved for the most obvious situations though. Because accidents do certainly happen, and I expect they are the norm. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/153 "2021-06-17T20:35:55Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s a simple matter of declaring that if it’s a situation where you would think a pitcher would be expected to retaliate, and a player is hit (or has to duck to avoid being hit), assume it’s on purpose. If it’s a coincidence and it was truly an accident, too bad. Be mindful of when scrutiny is going to be on you as a pitcher and take extra care not to lose control of the ball or throw it in too close on purpose. Yup, this is realistic and is already done. When the pitcher threw behind Mercedes the day after the incident that prompted this thread, he was immediately ejected along with the Twins’ manager. The umps have shown willingness to make assumptions; MLB just needs to make the penalties something that actually has an impact. 80 games/life is hyperbole, but 1 game is useless. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/154 "2021-06-17T20:41:48Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Yup, this is realistic and is already done. When the pitcher threw behind Mercedes the day after the incident that prompted this thread, he was immediately ejected along with the Twins’ manager. The umps have shown willingness to make assumptions; MLB just needs to make the penalties something that actually has an impact. 👍 I thought so but I don’t watch baseball as often as I watch football (it’s my second sport as a fan). That’s always a big problem though, isn’t it? MLB slaps people on the wrist. How much did the Astros suffer after being shown to be cheaters? I think a couple of managers lost their jobs and then everyone else got a memo. The players cheating got nothing. I would hope that if by some miracle the MLB grows some teeth and enforces infractions, then the players won’t feel as much of a need to punish each other in the game. Going back to the Astros, I think in Spring training games a couple of Astros batters got thrown at, just making the point that nobody appreciates what they did. I bet that wouldn’t have happened if those players faced significant suspensions or other punishment that actually stung. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559/155 "2021-06-17T23:46:43Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > …Though I don’t know of a person accidentally throwing a bat at someone Excepting batters who can’t hold onto their bats, sending them flying at and potentially injuring players in the dugout and fans. The latter seems less of a thing now that there’s all that extra protective netting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-larussa-is-being-an-idiot-re-yermin-mercedes/942559.md?page=7)