Baseball talk
 

cue ilpadrino:

What do you think about A-rod yelling "HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" as he ran by the thirdbaseman of toronto causing the 3rd baseman to drop the ball?

is that bush league or good strategy?

Torontos third baseman said he thought it was the shortstop, i know when i played ball that never yelled HAAAAAAAA, when i called for the ball, usually it wa Mine or I got it.

No wonder this guy has been in the minors for 16 years.

Bush league all the way. Classy players (e.g. Ripken, Aaron, etc.) won playing straight up. ARod is out of control - see his photos in Toronto going into a strip club with an unknown blonde. His wife left shortly thereafter.

Requiem speaks the truth.

That is bush-league all the way. Not professional at all.

Did he break any rules by yelling at the guy?

The guy is a dipyewt for falling for it.

Win at all costs without cheating. I don't see a problem with it.

Yelling Haaa? Look, I hate the Yankees and Arod as much as anybody else. But yelling seems to be within the scope of what's fair. Besides there are 50,000 fans who yell at the opposing team every game. What's one more voice?

I respectfully disagree. Sports is about more than winning - it teaches such life lessons as integrity, teamwork, respect for opponents, etc. You have unwittingly identified the conundrum faced by pro sports. In the name of winning at all costs, the NBA, NFL and MLB populate their teams with the Pacman Jones et. al. of the world. I would rather lose and keep my honor than win at any cost.

Golf is a great example of a sport where honor and integrity are prerequisites. They actually call penalties on themselves. You don't hear Tiger coughing during Phil's backswing. Is that OK in RockyWorld?

The old saying of you can "learn more about a person by playing golf with them" certainly applies. ARod was wrong and set a terrible example.

That golf is a sport is a questionable premise.

Your definition of sport doesn't change the underlying premise that sportsmanship should be an integral part of any sport. By the way, golf is a very difficult sport to master - what is your handicap?

My short game. And my long game. And my course management.

my handicap? not knowing what handicap means.

I'm not saying golf isn't a worthwhile and difficult game.

This is why nobody likes baseball anymore. There are so many stupid, unwritten rules that take the fun out of the game. Remember, baseball is the sport where yelling "Ha!" at a fielder is bush league but beaning a hitter in retaliation is appropriate. This type of thing tests my patience with this game.

except the national pastime still leads all sports at the gate.

Who says beaning is appropriate? It is part of the game to "brush back" or move a hitter away from crowding the plate. Umps consistently eject the beanball pitchers - there is a difference. Can I go with you to Jacobs Field to see Ted Sizemore play - the same one that Sports Illustrated says is the "new" Lou Gehrig"? You know Brother Ted - quiet, unassuming and humble.

Thank you Chino - nothing more relaxing than a sunny day, a dog and a drink (Sprite of course). Even a Nationals game can be fun if you don't care who wins.....at any cost.

No surprise. They have well over ten times as many games as football and twice as many as basketball.

Sorry, no Jacobs Field for me. I hate the Indians. But we can go to Great American to see Adam Dunn, the Matt Harpring of baseball.

It's not that I hate baseball. I enjoy the sport and watch it when I can. I do hate the whining associated with the "unwritten rules." Relax on the tradition and let the players loosen up and they might get some more fans.

Your golf example is a poor one, because they are not the same. Not even close. Should a basketball player not yell or put his arms up in the air right when someone shoots a free throw like they do ALL the time? Should a defensive tackle not try and yell while a QB is making a call so that he doesn't interrupt the QB and Offensive Lineman. Baseball snobs deserve to be mocked for holding irrational thoughts like this.

He didn't break any rules or ethics. Win at all costs without cheating. He did that.

"Baseball snobs"? Is that the best you can do? Call me after you grow into your jockstrap and have played any sport at an elite level. Maybe then we can discuss sports on an equal basis.

I saw a game at the Jake last year. Can't remember who they were playing but the Indians won with walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. I thought the Jake was a decent stadium.

I like the stadium and they have a good brown mustard on their dogs. I just don't like the Indians.

any time. but if nats don't start winning I'm gonna root for the opposing team.

that's a good observation. i've noticed that the more mentally tough the sport is, the more you have to intimidate your opponent. that's why boxers talk so much trash.

although there is room for class.

The Matt Harpring of baseball are you kidding me. Dunn is a great baseball player, comparing him to Matt Harpring is an insult.

Whether I've played sport at an elite level has zero to do with actual topic at hand, obviously, but I'm sure your MLB experience sneaking around in your Phillie Phanatic costume while air humping the Milwaukee Brewer Sausage Derby Mascot winner trumps us all. Air humping a sausage mascot..sheesh...talk about bush league...

I think hardcore baseball fans are a different breed. They do have an arrogance about them, and feel like baseball is americas past time and should be held sacred. Hell, have you ever heard of a team cursed in football?

It is what lifted everyones spirits after Vietnam, and 9-11. We all grew up playing it whether in a vacant lot behind our house or in the street.

I am a huge baseball fan and I have to say that I dont think what Arod did was bush league because he just yelled AHHHHHHHHH! and thats not how you call for the ball, however it was borderline.

On a side note my favorite bit of irony in baseball history: Calling out Babe Ruth. — Pedro Martinez did this on May 31, 2001, saying, "I don't believe in curses. Wake up the damn Bambino. Maybe I'll drill him in the ass." Martinez failed to win a game the rest of the year, and the Sox lost their final seven games to the Yankees in a season in which they failed to make the playoffs. The Sox also lost both games Pedro started against the Yanks in the 2003 ALCS.

Is that when Pedro said that the Yankees were making him His Daddy? Basically conceding that he was their bitch that year? lol

yep that was it. He also went on the DL 3 times after that, had a sub 3.00 era and was leading the league in wins and Ks at the time. Dont mess with the Babe.

Well he also did help to break the curse by winning a Ring with the Sox as well.

ARod didn't break the rules, but what he did was bush-league. It tells me that ARod didn't have his head in the game and went to desperate measures in order to gain an advantage. It's like the Air Force chop block without the injury - within the rules, but the epitome of being a candyass.

As for golf, only those who can't play don't consider it a sport.

Don't forget the still ongoing curse of the billy goat. The Cubs will most likely suffer that for many, many more years.

And yes, we hardcore baseball fans are arrogant. As mpfunk so eloquently put it:

"There are two kinds baseball haters - those who don't understand it and those who are incapable of understanding it."

Shoudl have lot the dumb gypsy in with that damn goat. Then again i love watching cubs fans suffer year in and year out.

Also i thought of a good comparison whats the difference between what Arod did and a basketball player yelling as he runs out to defend a shot?

Well, he did end up winning a world series coming back from 0-3 to beat the Yanks to get there. You can't leave that out of your curse story.