Unwritten Rules Violations

I thought that this was very entertaining, especially Goose Gossage's commentary. He sounds like an ornery cuss.

about 2 years ago vonde6 36 comments 3 recs |

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I love that they had no problem

with bunting to break up a no-hitter.

There is no such thing as an ugly female breast

by Worf on May 5, 2010 2:46 PM CDT reply actions

Why should they

A hitters job is to get on base and they know that.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim

by Doggie Stalker on May 5, 2010 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Brenly had an issue with it

Even though the game was 2-0, IIRC.

I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on May 5, 2010 3:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Brenly should stick to announcing and not

auditioning via television for a managerial position.

"I don't know what the big deal about Crackerjack is"

by theGraceyslumpbuster on May 8, 2010 7:56 PM CDT up reply actions

That was the Curt Schilling game

There is no such thing as an ugly female breast

by Worf on May 5, 2010 7:42 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree, but there has been a lot of bitching about it

Drives me up a wall.

There is no such thing as an ugly female breast

by Worf on May 6, 2010 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions

agreed.

pitcher’s job is to get the hitter out. hitter’s job is to get on base. no matter how, when, or where PERIOD

by AzzurriBearsFan on May 12, 2010 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions

When I saw this post, I thought it was to this article

that I read an hour ago on this same topic. Heck of a coincidence.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-Code-Ten-unwritten-baseball-rules-you-mig?urn=mlb,238853

by Neifi Puppy on May 5, 2010 2:54 PM CDT reply actions

Great Read

Goose reinforcing his ill tempered persona is a bit over the top – but don’t tell him I said that.

Hearing their reaction to A-Rods mound trot is more telling than any of the other articles I’ve read.

"There are no curses here...Games are won and lost on the baseball field" - Lou Piniella

by El Borto on May 5, 2010 3:03 PM CDT reply actions

"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk

by vonde6 on May 5, 2010 4:29 PM CDT up reply actions

If they had interviewed Bob Gibson

He would have made Gossage sound like a pushover.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim

by Doggie Stalker on May 5, 2010 3:06 PM CDT reply actions

Very true.

When I hear Gibby interviewed, he hasn’t toned it down one bit at all.

Interesting that Palmer sounds a lot more reasonable out of the bunch. Then again, I don’t know a lot about him other than he was a good pitcher and liked showing off his Jockeys.

"Everything has an end, except a sausage, which has two."

by Sandberg's evil twin on May 5, 2010 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Favorite Bob Gibson story:

Gibson was struggling with command for a couple pitches and Tim McCarver was behind the plate. McCarver got up to talk to Gibson on the mound. But before McCarver got halfway out, Gibson shouted from the mound, “sit back down, McCarver! The only thing you know about pitching is you can’t hit it.”

"It's Spring Training. You know how many home runs Barry Bonds hit off me? One - in Spring Training." - Big Z

by Phubbies on May 18, 2010 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Good read. Thanks for sharing.

by chilango2 on May 5, 2010 3:50 PM CDT reply actions

Believe it or not I'm more of a traditionalist,

but I thought a majority of their comments were idiotic. No wonder why baseball can’t get the young demo. to watch on TV; this kind of thought is completely geared towards 50 year old men. “Drop your bat and run the bases.” The game has evolved, much like other sports have. I’m not advocating you stand there and watch in the box as the ball falls onto the track, or even watching it clear the fence. But seriously, come on. This game is so different then it used to be. God forbid players show a little excitement and emotion. You hit a walk off HR in a competitive race go ahead and show a little. Attention Pitcher: You gave up the HR, live with it!

As far as guys wearing the armor. Hey old boys, you weren’t a $55 million investment. If you can get away with wearing the armor and take away the inside strike by crowding the plate then I have no problem with it. It’s a game of advantages. Pitchers will take every advantage they can take as well. Do I respect a guy like Kendall, you damn right I do, but the hitters are just taking advantage of what they can.

Lastly, the most preposterous parts of the article were the 3-0 HR swing and the Winfield. part. I’ve never understood a Pitcher getting angry that a guy comes out of his shoes on a 3-0 pitch. They say in the article that they didn’t care if guys bunted because “It was their job to get on base.” Well idiots, it’s your job to get ahead in the count. What, a batter is supposed to feel sorry for you and just take a pitch? How about you don’t fall behind 3-0!! I don’t care if the score is 77-2, don’t fall behind! No kidding the players will pad their stats, its called incentives. As far as Winfield is concerned, why in the hell would you feel the need to brush a guy back because he took a HR swing after you served up a HR to the previous batter. Here is a word for you: accountability. Quite complaining because you’re falling behind and getting shelled.

This type of attitude has driven me nuts for years. It seems like they don’t want the game to evolve and it should be stuck in the 70’s. Nothing stays the same fellas.

Its funny, you spend most of your life gripping a baseball. And in the end, its almost always the other way around.

by TCobb1911 on May 5, 2010 4:04 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

the 3-0 big swing question

was when the other team had a big lead. Showing some sportsmanship in a game that is over, for all practical purposes, is a good thing.

by TC Cubby on May 5, 2010 4:30 PM CDT up reply actions

Agreed.

Incentive clauses may have something to do with this, but showing up the other team is never a good idea, whether it’s the Pirates or the Yanks. Chances are you’ll have to face them again. I recognize that the culture has changed to a me generation…with salaries and constant media attention, but don’t applaud that type of behavior.

I would say that criticizing body armor is old fashioned and out dated thinking. If you can prevent injuries, you should…I wouldn’t be worrying about someone getting upset, I’d worry about making a living.

"Everything has an end, except a sausage, which has two."

by Sandberg's evil twin on May 5, 2010 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions

I know that was the point

but to me it doesn’t matter. There are a couple of ways you can look at this. You could say that in most cases you’re probably doing a struggling pitcher a favor. On the other hand 3-0 in a lot of cases is the best pitch you’re going to see. I throw sportsmanship out of the question. You’re in the Bigs, don’t fall behind, and when you do, don’t go looking for sympathy. I’ve never, ever understood why 3-0 is any different then 1-0. Where did the expectation come from that you’re supposed to just let the Pitcher back into the count by taking a get me over fastball. That is nonsense. This is by far, in my opinion, the dumbest unwritten rule in baseball. Bunting a runner over to third with no one out in the 9th and being up 15 runs is showing them up. They have no control over that. But falling behind 3-0 is a Pitcher’s problem.

The Pitcher is still trying to get you out, therefore you shouldn’t lose the right to do what you’re job is at the plate- get on base whether it be 1-0 or 25-0.

Its funny, you spend most of your life gripping a baseball. And in the end, its almost always the other way around.

by TCobb1911 on May 5, 2010 6:55 PM CDT up reply actions

OK....under this condition

If your exceptions, all geared towards more offense, are to be taken as acceptable to pitchers, then the flip side of that is that when balls are routinely buried into the ribs of hitters for whatever reason the pitchers wish, the hitter agrees to get their ass to 1B and don’t look twice. If they do look, they wear another in the ribs…and another…and another…until they no longer look on their way to 1B. The rationale? The pitcher is just trying to “take advantage of what they can” and if that means dotting a guy with regularity to get him off the plate, then that is what has to happen.

This isn’t a one way street for hitters and video-game offensive fireworks and NFL-style showboating aren’t everyone’s idea of baseball “evolving”. I don’t need to see or hear Muhammad Ali to tell me he’s good. If he is good, show me…regularly.

"When the day comes with that last winning run and I'm crying and covered in beer. I'll look to the sky and know I was right to think someday we'll go all the way." - Vedder

by krummy12 on May 6, 2010 8:57 AM CDT up reply actions

That's not taking advantage of something to give you leverage.

That is being an idiot and dotting someone repeatedly and putting extra men on base. If you wanna work inside, go ahead. But dotting guys for old fashioned reasons isn’t taking advantage of anything. Its not doing your job as a pitcher in getting guys out.

I’m not talking about crazy, elaborate celebrating. But if you hit a ball 500 ft to walk off in a tight race taking a 1 second peek isn’t killing anyone.

Your last point just may explain it all. Complain about NFL style showboating all you want; last I checked no one cares, the NFL is king. Baseball could use the flavor.

Its funny, you spend most of your life gripping a baseball. And in the end, its almost always the other way around.

by TCobb1911 on May 6, 2010 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions

As an ex-pitcher (for many years)

“dotting” a guy was one of the most effective tools that I had to keep people off base. Did you ever play the game, Ty? Not being a jerk, really asking. Hitting against a 90+mph fastball is an exercise in controlling your fear. By “dotting” a guy now and then, I was reinforcing that he really should be afraid. I threw 92 mph my senior year of high school. My catcher knew that when I was warming up, I would give him a sign and throw one as hard as I could to the backstop, really wild. For most of the other team, this was all they needed to see to make the severely uncomfortable in the box. However, if I had a guy that was really digging in or a guy that showed me up after a hit, I wouldn’t hesitate to buzz him and re-instill that fear of getting plunked. I would hit guys on purpose now and then (always aimed at the back of their back just above the belt, not the head, don’t worry.) A tool for the pitcher that has been totally taken away in today’s game.

"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray

by Archie on May 6, 2010 4:22 PM CDT up reply actions

As much as I hate the "I played" garbage talk,

Yes, I did, and still do play. I play semi-pro baseball and see 90 MPH fastballs. Here is the thing, when you throw 90 in High School when you’re facing kids you can do that junk. When you’re my age, and the age of professionals, you’re not scared of it. That throwing to the backstop trash doesn’t work with men.

Also, you’re missing my point. Using armor is leverage to crowd the plate. There is an advantage in that. There is no advantage in braining a guy every time up. You’re just putting guys on base and will probably be tossed.

I see the point that you have to hit a guy to get him off the plate. But most hitters aren’t going to do that. They know, the next time up, if you get hit again that pitcher is most likely done for the day. Is that fair? I never said it was. But it’s an advantage you take as a hitter. I don’t care what any old boy says, if they had the protective devices of players now day they would have done so.

Again, let me reiterate another point. Those players back then weren’t $50 million investments. When you make that kind of cash you want to preserver your career. Why wouldn’t you wear it if you crowd the plate?

Also, if you were warming up why the hell did you give your catcher a sign?

Its funny, you spend most of your life gripping a baseball. And in the end, its almost always the other way around.

by TCobb1911 on May 6, 2010 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions

One more note on that...

I never understood why pitchers throw to the backstop like that. It doesn’t work. As soon as the game starts and you don’t hit anyone that fear, if there was any, would completely go away because obviously you’re commanding your pitchers. The only seed of fear comes when you throw 90 MPH and have hit about 6 guys and clearly have no idea where the ball is going. But that isn’t enough to make a grown up change his stance or approach the plate.

Its funny, you spend most of your life gripping a baseball. And in the end, its almost always the other way around.

by TCobb1911 on May 6, 2010 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Are you complaining about the way the game actually is played today?

From what I see, you already have everything you want: Instant warnings on any brushback; batters charging the mound if they get hit; NFL-inspired styling on home runs; 3-hour-plus games.

As has been said by many others, it’s a 19th century game that can’t easily be adjusted to meet today’s short attention spans. You might even agree with me that baseball also is an acquired taste that’s tough to appreciate unless you grow up with it. Most of the action rests in the viewer’s imagination, especially in the late innings of a close game.

Why not let the circus that exists in any ballpark or on any broadcast today be enough to feed the interests of those viewers who really don’t like or understand the game itself?

"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62

"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64

by ernaga on May 6, 2010 9:23 AM CDT up reply actions

I couldn't agree more

It’s a game played by little children. Well, at least that’s how they act when one of these instances pops up. It’s beyond hypocritical to believe it’s ok to bunt for a hit during a no-hit bid, but the batter can’t swing for the fences on a 3-0 ball? That’s BS.

''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou

by propheteer on May 8, 2010 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions

I think my favorite Gossage-ism from that was

When Buck Rodgers was managing in Montreal, they used to step out to break up my timing because I worked fast. I didn’t go after the hitters. I walked off the mound, threw the rosin bag down and motioned with my finger for Buck to come on out. I was going to kick his ass. I heard later that the hitters told Buck they didn’t want to do it anymore.

"It's been my policy to view the Internet not as an 'information highway,' but as an electronic asylum filled with babbling loonies." - Mike Royko

by DTJchris on May 5, 2010 5:40 PM CDT reply actions

I just think that it is hilarious

This 60-year-old guy talking about kicking everybody’s ass. He would have to be played by Clint Eastwood in the movie, if only Clint wasn’t too old to play 60-year olds now.

by vonde6 on May 6, 2010 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions

with Cub Power

by vonde6 on May 6, 2010 10:23 AM CDT up reply actions

Yahoo had a great article.

I wanted to post a fanpost, but someone beat me to it with a similar one….
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/The-Code-Ten-unwritten-baseball-rules-you-mig?urn=mlb,238853

by Lweb23 on May 5, 2010 11:32 PM CDT reply actions

Nice article!

Thanks for sharing! (And glad to know ol’ Goose is still ornery as ever.)

"With Chance on first, and Evers on third,
Great things from the Cubs will soon be heard."

by LeSaboteur on May 6, 2010 12:53 AM CDT reply actions

The description of Al Bumbry is hysterical. Mean-spirited, sure, but funny.

"Enough foreplay- let's get crackin'"- Fred Garvin

by davidalanu on May 8, 2010 5:51 AM CDT up reply actions

The unwritten rules thing

annoys the heck out of me, and is one of the negatives about the game. These things are only big-deals if you yourself make a stink out of them. The only one that bothers me is adoring your own HR; in this case I think the pitcher has a very good reason to plunk him the next time up.

''I'm really not a Facebook or Twitter guy. I'm a prime rib and baked potato guy.'' - Sweet Lou

by propheteer on May 8, 2010 3:36 PM CDT reply actions