I just got done reading this article on ESPN.com, and I am now convinced that baseball is one of the stupidest sports ever: http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2001/0729/1232627.html MILWAUKEE -- Rickey Henderson's chase of baseball's career runs record nearly led to severe retribution from the angry Milwaukee Brewers. In the seventh inning of San Diego's 12-5 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday, Henderson took off for second base. Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes was so upset that he threatened to have Henderson hit by a pitch if the Padres outfielder batted again. Because the Padres' lead was so big, the Brewers did not expect Henderson to take the base. An infuriated Lopes came out of the dugout to tell Henderson during a heated exchange that his next at-bat would be an adventurous one. "I didn't appreciate what he did," Lopes said. "I know he's trying to obtain the record for the most runs scored, but do it the right way. I just told him to stay in the game, because he was going (down). We were going to drill him." Henderson, who trails Ty Cobb's mark of 2,246 runs by 22, was not given a stolen base on the attempt as the official scorer ruled defensive indifference as Ryan Klesko batted. The Padres had already scored once in the inning to take a 12-5 lead. Lopes felt that the attempted steal by Henderson, who has stolen a record 1,385 bases, breached baseball etiquette that says a player will not try to show up another club when his team is way ahead. "There's a right way to play this game and a wrong way to play this game," Lopes said. "That was very unprofessional. He's a good friend of mine but I ain't got no friends on the field. Not when they try to do that. Absolutely not. It's uncalled for." Henderson said he only ran because he was ordered to go to second, and understood why the Brewers were angry. "He came down, he's upset with his team down and frustrated that we were winning by six or seven runs. He said he was going to knock me down or something," Henderson said. "My team wanted me to go down to second base but he didn't like it. "He wanted to protect his team and to show that wasn't appreciated. I told him I know the game. If I would steal it on my own I wouldn't go down there and take the base. But that time I was sent. I'm not trying to show anybody up in that situation." Henderson didn't mind Lopes jawing at him, but didn't care for remarks made by reliever Ray King, who was pitching at the time. "I respect (Lopes) and he knows the game. But the pitcher was yakking and he had no good reason for what he was yakking about," Henderson said. "He's just a rookie, he doesn't know what he's talking about." King, who retired both batters he faced, was just as upset as Lopes. "That's the last thing in your mind, that a guy is going to run in that situation. To me, if you have to break the run record that way I don't think you deserve it," King said. "I think that's sorry for baseball," he added. "I had a lot of respect for him, but in that situation I lost a lot of respect for a guy who's possibly going in the Hall of Fame." Lopes might be in line for discipline as managers are not allowed to order pitchers to hit opposing players. Henderson left the game after that inning before he could bat again. "They took him out of the game because they knew we were going to get him," Lopes said. "He (Padres manager Bruce Bochy) was protecting his player. Even though a player does a stupid thing at times, a manager has to protect him." Lopes issued another warning after the game. "Next time somebody might not be as lenient as I was, and drill the hitter that's next to him (in the lineup)," Lopes said, "and he'll have to answer to one of his teammates." Sorry about the long post here, but is anyone else just sick and tired of all these managers going apesh*t every time they think a player is 'rubbing it in'? Even more ridiculous is that this happened in the 7th inning of the game! Is this idiot Lopes not aware that the Pirates came back last night in the 9th innning to score 7 runs to defeat the Astros? If a team can score seven runs in one inning, they certainly could be able to do that if given opportunities in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings such as in this case. Lopes and the rest of these idiots need to realize this and just live with it. Baseball is not a sport like basketball where if you are up 15 points with a minute left, the game is over. Teams can obviouslyscore runs in bunches, otherwise the team up by 7-8 would never have gotten up that many runs in the first place. Personally, I think interrupting the game to threaten a player or a team is something warranting a suspension for Lopes. The funny part is that people are going to think Henderson is a jerk for appearing to rub it in, but in reality, Lopes is at fault for threatening Henderson, or anyone else who does this in the future. Does anyone else have any strong opinions about this or am I just a little off based?
that doesn't make baseball a stupid sport. It just means lopes acted stupid. ------------------ Whatever happened to feminism being about taking off bras and burning them? That was so much cooler. It had two things that men love - jiggly breasts and fire.
Baseball sucks. Soccer, Basketball and Tennis (in this order) rule. Track and Field and Swimming are also interesting. ------------------ This signature has been shortened due to popular demand .
That manager is r****ded. For heaven's sake, just let the guy go for the record. ------------------ All hail Fadeaway's Cyberfish -- your 2000-2001 BobFinn* Fantasy Basketball League Champions!
How does one guy screwing up make baseball stupid!? And soccer is the most boring sport in the world. And the most dangerous for the fans. ------------------ What if I say to you that the universe is a three-legged horse, eh? What then? - Russell Hoban [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 29, 2001).]
Sorry, guess I got carried away with the title of this thread. I don't really think baseball is a stupid sport, but I do believe a lot of its aspects are stupid. My main opinion that these perceived 'unwritten' rules of the past are just ridiculous and stupid. I can not think of another sport where there are nearly as many 'rules' that players must follow without fear of retribution. That part of baseball is stupid, but the actual game itself is not too shabby.
Actually, I disagree that Lopes was in the wrong. It may sound stupid to someone who isn't really into baseball, but it's one of those "unwritten rules" -- you DON'T rub it in if you're up. Ricky was just padding his stats, and it's not like he's just the greatest guy either -- he's the most conceited jerk you'll see this side of Barry Bonds. Great player, but a total a-hole. Ricky was in the wrong here -- he shouldn't have made a meaningless move like that to rub in a loss to a team that sucks. ------------------ "We must move forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom." --Kang
The Following Sports suck : Soccer , Baseball , Swimming , Cycling , Tennis , Golf , Hockey , Biliards , Nascar , Gymnastics . There that should really piss off some people! ------------------ S.O.S. Save Our Signatures!
Vengeance- Lopes's actions are wrong because these unwritten rules are stupid. It's hard to justify an action when the grounds upon which it is based are totally wrong. Also, I am familiar with the unwritten rules of baseball myself. I went to Bellaire H.S. and we had the #1 team in the nation back in '99, and I went to almost all of the games, and I've been following baseball for almost 15 years. I know how often huge blowouts can turn into a close finish. I think in '98 Bellaire won a playoff game 13-12 after trailing 12-0 in the bottom of the 7th (final inning) with 2 outs and nobody on. That means about 14-15 guys in a row reached base safely. The point is, even in highly competitive MLB games where it is unlikely to score 7-8 runs in an inning, the fact that it is possible should give no manager the right to throw at a player or to threaten it, even if he is a perceived jerk like Henderson. Now, if the game were 21-2 in the bottom of the 8th, then I could see a manager having a problem with it. However, with 3 innings to go in the game, Henderson put himself in scoring position in an attempt to put another run on the board. Personally, if I were making personnel decisions for the Brewers, I'd roast Lopes for making that threat, which basically shows that at that point in the 7th inning, he had given up on his team and the game.
The Brewers have lost 10 games in a row. Lopes is only doing his job. Fighting for his team. You don't kick a dead dog, or spit into the wind, or tug on Superman's cape. Your high school baseball analogy doesn't hold any water. Baseball is (as is Life) built on do's and don't's. ------------------ "For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet
if lopes thinks he was out of the game being down 7 runs in the 7th, he obviously hasn't watched any astros games recently. ------------------ Whatever happened to feminism being about taking off bras and burning them? That was so much cooler. It had two things that men love - jiggly breasts and fire.
Since neither the Astros nor Rockies were involved, I'm going to say that the game was pretty much out of hand. ------------------ The time for logic and reason has come and gone. It's homer time now. Believe.
Okay baseball, soccer, ice hockey and golf SUCK!!!!!!! Well watching them SUCKS! I do however love playing baseball and miniature golf Football, basketball, tennis and cricket RULE! ------------------
Red -- I don't doubt that you understand the game, but HS baseball is an awful lot different from the majors. In High School, it's not unheard of to come back from such a game as 12-5. BUT, in the majors, it's rare, and when your team is as down as the Brewers surely are, the idea of fighting for the win while you're down 7 with 3 innings left gets old, when you'll see that scenario probably 50 times, and lose all of them. What happened with the Pirates/Astros game really just fell into the Pirates' lap. The fact remains that it was a foolish, selfish move that goes against the etiquette of baseball. As much as it sounds kindof stupid, baseball is a game with a lot more unwritten rules than most sports. And as far as I see it, I have nothing wrong with Henderson getting plunked. As long as it's not in the head or an injurious thing, it's nothing. The beanball is another one of those old etiquette things -- if you do something a pitcher or team doesn't like, you can expect to pay for it. Certain pitchers (Nolan Ryan included) have a reputation for coming inside on a player if he does something the pitcher doesn't like -- i.e. taking too long getting in the box, etc. Heck, Roger Clemens has been known to throw at players because he thought they swung too hard on a strike or a foul. It's just part of the game. Heck, that guy who broke up Curt Schilling's perfect game with a bunt WILL get payback eventually. Randy Johnson's fastball coult leave a nasty bruise . . . I understand the argument "he's just trying to help his team win", but there are certain courtesies that are specific to baseball, and it is expected that you follow them. ------------------ "We must move forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom." --Kang [This message has been edited by Vengeance (edited July 29, 2001).]
R0ckets03 - I had no idea you are a cricket fan? Where are you from? ------------------ God help me, ...I was only nineteen. Current Rocket's Salary & Contract Info
You think baseball is such a stupid sport. I think you are such a stupid person. A matter of opinion i guess. Why is it that a sport which has unwritten rules that promote class, etiquette, and honor is looked down upon. If anything, baseball should be praised as a shining beacon of a sport that promotes sportsmanship when compared to the constant taunting and foul play of other sports such as football and basketball. Pathetic... ------------------ We used to laugh at Grandpa when he'd head off and go fishing. But we wouldn't be laughing that evening when he'd come back with some w**** he picked up in town. Ambition is like a frog sitting on a Venus Flytrap. The flytrap can bite and bite, but it won't bother the frog because it only has little tiny plant teeth. But some other stuff could happen and it could be like ambition.
I'm siding with Lopes on this one. ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
The unwritten rules or conduct codes of baseball speak louder than the written rules . ------------------ S.O.S. Save Our Signatures!
Rubbing it in WHY ARE ATHLETES SO F*CKING THIN SKINNED? goodness was abunch of punks Rocket River what is next. . .nannie boo boo? ------------------
