Chapman

[JohnU]

Chappy is either extremely erratic or completely indifferent to the cause and effect of a wild pitch. I doubt he's a headhunter but you never know. Swisher wasn't intimidated but everybody else is.

 

[bengaldoug]

When he throws that 100 mph heater off the screen, it has to shake a man up, doesn't it? Makes it really hard to dig in for the next pitch.

 

[JohnU]

He only needs to get close to the plate with the next one. After that, the slider takes care of the rest of it.

 

[HammerDown]

When he throws that 100 mph heater off the screen, it has to shake a man up, doesn't it? Makes it really hard to dig in for the next pitch.

To say the least. I always wanted to stand in the box and see what it's like to have a 6' 10" Big Unit 100+ MPH fastball come at me but I don't know what I could stand in for the Cuban Missile.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Effectively wild is a good term. Nothing wrong with sending a message either. Personally, when Swisher stepped out and told Chapman "don't do that" I would have told him to "get in the box, if I wanted to hit you, I would have". Hitters have had more advantages in the last couple decades, PEDs, DH, smaller parks and strike zones..they don't own the inside corner, and need to be reminded occasionally. Swisher showed balls, by stepping in and hitting the next one hard. Both players were doing their job. No harm.

 

[JohnU]

Chappy, I suspect, was taught baseball by old-school coaches in Cuba. I would imagine Cueto is the same way. Latin pitchers are always in the middle of this sort of stuff, it seems. All the same, America doesn't like the inside pitch now and the umps are told to not allow it. I didn't hear Sveum complaining about Cueto and I am surprised Garza did. Haven't heard Francona whining about Chapman either. I'd expect a Reds hitter to get whizzed tonight.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Garza has been lying around drawing Aflack for about 2 years. He obviously needs attention. I admire a little bravado, but prefer a guy that has a little more walk than talk to express it. The Indians plunked a Red or two after the Swisher thing, but no one made more of it than it should have been. I don't want to see anyone hurt, but a little bad blood makes for more interesting baseball, IMO... what I don't appreciate is some players and umpires seem to want to take their role-a cameo role by design-and take over the stage. There is always a lot more drumming up drama by the media than is reality on the field.

 

[JohnU]

I think it's curious that the only guy the teams ever plunk after these episodes is Brandon Phillips. The Choo thing could have been intentional though it was a touch too high to convince me.

Still, hitting Phillips is no different than the Pittsburgh joke last year when the sportswriter urged the Pirates to plunk BP, who wasn't even in the games when McCutchen was hit.

They are obviously leery of hitting Votto or Bruce. Still, gotta wonder why they pick on Phillips. What seems like a duck here doesn't equate.

 

[Ryanballa]

Yea and BP and everybody new that it was on purpose, A 2-1 count with a base open,and instead of pitching around him they hit him. Wouldn't surprise me if the Reds return the favor tonight at some point.

 

[bengaldoug]

Garza has been lying around drawing Aflack for about 2 years. He obviously needs attention. I admire a little bravado, but prefer a guy that has a little more walk than talk to express it. The Indians plunked a Red or two after the Swisher thing, but no one made more of it than it should have been. I don't want to see anyone hurt, but a little bad blood makes for more interesting baseball, IMO... what I don't appreciate is some players and umpires seem to want to take their role-a cameo role by design-and take over the stage. There is always a lot more drumming up drama by the media than is reality on the field.

This. When all is said and done, more is said than done.

 

[JohnU]

Cardinals TV crew can't wait to mention the "brawl" every time Phillips comes to bat. It's really amazing that they seem to want this sort of soap opera ... and if one doesn't exist, they keep hoping somebody will start one. The "bad blood" will be going on in the minds of idiots like Rams 99 way longer than any of the players who were involved.

 

[Redsfan1507]

You know what I remember about the brawl, that for me, defined the resolution ? Carpenter charging in like he was a bad azz, and Scott Rolen grabbing him like a rag doll and shoving him backwards 8 feet into the backstop, where Carpenter suddenly turned into a submissive peacemaker. BP, Molina and Cueto got the press, and selfish old Hal McCoy fanned a trash talk fart into a forest fire that started the whole episode, but it was Rolen that was the guy who was going to enforce a stop to it. Not sure the Reds have a replacement for that on this team.

 

[JohnU]

I think, if an enforcer would emerge, I would guess it could be Devin Mesoraco. He's probably not anchored enough in MLB to take on a bad-ass attitude but he seems like he's got the personality for it.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I'm not much into what BP calls "swag". Seems like the mouthy guys always start trouble then disappear for someone else to take the bruising. BP's bruising appears to be issued by pitchers that thump him in retribution. At some point, he either needs to shut up, and/or get physical himself. A baseball can be a weapon that can knock out an eyeball, give you brain damage, or simply make you unemployed at the only thing you're good at at 25 ywars old. In order to force restraint, there has to be more of a penalty than just getting tossed from a game.

 

[JohnU]

There are plenty of examples of beanings that ended careers.