Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Even though I'm fond of the Washington Nationals and their new rookie phenom Bryce Harper, I'm not disagreeing with Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels' decision to hit him with a pitch in the first inning of last night's game. But what I do find shocking is that he admitted he did it on purpose:
"I was trying to hit him. I'm not going to deny it."
Everyone knew what was going on. Why would you admit it? It almost certainly means a suspension.
"It's something I grew up watching. That's what happened. I'm just trying to continue the old baseball. Some people get away from it. I remember when I was a rookie, the strike zone was really, really small and you didn't say anything. That's the way baseball is. Sometimes the league is protecting certain players. It's that old-school prestigious way of baseball.
"I'm not going to injure a guy. They're probably not going to like me for it but I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't trying to do it. I think they understood the message and they threw it right back. That's the way, and I respect it. They can say whatever they want."
Harper, by the way, handled it perfectly. He simply walked to first base and eventually stole home. Booyah!
In other baseball news, you may have heard that Albert Pujols is having a rough time adjusting to his new team. He was below the Mendoza line this weekend when he hit his first home run of the season. But what his teammates did is awesome. For background, Pujols "had played 28 regular season games and taken 110 at-bats as an Angel without showing the power that earned him a 10-year, $240 million contract in the offseason." This after hitting three home runs in a single World Series game last year.
OK, so he finally hits a home run and his teammates all ran to the clubhouse as he rounded the bases. When he got back to home plate expecting to high-five everyone, no one was around. They thought it would be funny to leave him hanging there. And they were right. So kudos to Torii Hunter for orchestrating that.
But back to Hamels. Is the conservative position that he was right to be honest about what he'd done? Or did he violate baseball traditions by admitting he plunked Harper on purpose? Before I had kids, I would have thought he was wrong to be honest. But now I actually appreciate his truth-telling.
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Jun '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
I'm a baseball fan, but not one with deep knowledge of the historical etiquette, so I'm interested in other, more informed, comments.
I've always viewed intentionally hitting a batter as fitting into the same category as international diplomacy, commenting on how a new pair of pants makes your wife's derriere look, or running for president. There are times when you tell the truth, but no one expects you to say you hit the batter on purpose, that you are really seeking world hegemony, that those pants really do make your wife's rear-end look a bit bigger, or that, on reflection, your policies stink.
They fall into the "must lie" territory where you know you're lying and everyone else knows you're lying, but for some greater real or perceived good, you lie.
I'm all for truth, but there seem to be a few enclaves of human experience where the truth is not really expected. [Not that the Good Lord won't hold you responsible--that's another issue].
You're right about Harper. 95 MPH fastball to small of the back, trot to first, then steal home. Sweet revenge.
Edited on May 7, 2012 at 4:28pmJul '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
No problem, that's baseball, and there's no crying.
Mar '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Also from Mr. Drysdale:
The important thing is to maintain the attitude.
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
I would tell you what the Nationals manager has to say about this hit - Ursula Hennessey alerted me to it -- but it's not CoC compliant.
Jun '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Hamels was a little too obvious about it... it shows the respect Harper already has. When was the last time the Washington 9 had someone worthy of plunking?
Jun '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
I think Pedro had the best recent line re: the art of the knock down. One day he exploded after another round of questions about the "Curse".
Percival
Jan '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
I'm a Phillies fan, so take this with a grain of salt ...
When Harper stole home, Hamels tipped his cap. When Hamels came up to bat himself, he was plunked in the back. He kept his mouth shut and trotted to first.
Harper showed that he's not a prima donna. Trust me, if he whined and complained, the first time he showed up in Philly, he'd get booed and roasted. Instead, I'll bet he gets respect.
I'm being purely selfish here - - Hamels is the best pitcher on the Phillies roster right now (Cliff Lee is on the DL, Doc Halladay is somewhere on Cloud Nine) and the Phillies can't score runs. The only thing keeping them afloat is the pitching, so I don't like the idea of Hamels admitting something that we all know he's going to get a suspension for. It would have been a non-issue for me, but under the circumstances, I'd have rather he just said the traditional "trying to pitch inside" blah-blah and leave it at that.
Sep '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
I take the (uniquely unpopular) position that 99% of all intentional hit-by-pitches are complete garbage. It is one of my biggest pet peeves with baseball players. It is nothing more than redneck culture at its pinnacle. Cole Hamels' comments embody everything that I despise about the faux-macho attitude that permeates MLB.
If a young player is being a hot dog (not sure what the Harper situation was about), it is up to his teammates and manager to handle the situation. If the opposing team doesn't like it, they can take their revenge on the field by winning.
Jun '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
You keep it below the letters and afterward your comment is along the lines of, "Hey, that one got away from me." Harper made Hamels pay for it this time. Plus, in the 3rd Hamels got HBP'd when he squared up to bunt a man over. Balance was returned.
If MLB suspends him it should only be for 5 games so it just results in him having his next start pushed back a day.
Jun '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Just for the record, that was the General Manager, Mike Rizzo not field manager Davey Johnson. I doubt that any manager, all of whom expect pitchers to hit guys from time to time, would pop off like Rizzo did. Certainly not Davey who was thrown at by some of the best as an MLB player.
May '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Where do I begin? It ain't gonna be less than 200 words I can tell you that.
First off, that's the GM, not the manager. Mike Rizzo, the man quoted in the WaPost, was a A-ball washout. The only thing he knows about pitching is that he couldn't hit it. Bob Gibson, Drysdale, those old school guys would drill their own grandmothers. And Davey Johnson, the Nat's manager knows that. (Johnson is a real baseball man. He's never been under .500 as manager.)
If you want to watch the BS meter peg, when Hamels came up in the 3rd Nationals' pitcher Jordan Zimmerman plunked him. Tit-for-tat. The BS is that Zimmerman told reporters afterward that it wasn't intentional. And I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to talk to you about.
Which is why the Designated Hitter is an abomination as well. If you're going to hit somebody, get your backside into the batter's box and take your medicine.
(Continued)
Jun '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
I'm not disagreeing with Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels' decision to hit him with a pitch in the first inning of last night's game.
Mollie,
I'm curious why you agree with the decision to hit Harper in the first inning? I don't have too much of a problem with intentionally hitting batters as long as there's a good reason - and it's not at the head... but this one didn't make any sense to me.
From all accounts Harper hasn't been showing anyone up, or getting out of line. Just playing hard. So why throw at him?
May '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
The time-honored tradition of baseball is this. If you're the staring pitcher and one of your guys gets hit, you go to the "victim" between innings and ask him who on the other side gets it. If he declines, you pick your own.
In the old days, if a team hit back-to-back jacks on you, the third guy was going down. When Joe Garigiola was with the Pittsburgh Pirates he used to hit behind Ralph Kiner and Gus Bell. They'd go long and he'd get plunked. Justice, no. Good old country hardball, yes.
But they will continue to wussify the game as much as they can. It's like the reaction to the Mike Coolbaugh tragedy. Suddenly after 135 years base coaches need to wear helmets. Have they noticed that the first baseman and third basemen are exactly the same distance from the batter? Knee-jerk idiot, thy name is Bud Selig.
PS - Hit the mascot.
Edited on May 7, 2012 at 6:02pmOct '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
I have always thought Drysdale's comments betray a coward. Batters don't get to use their bats to physically threaten pitchers to see if pitchers are "timid." When batters strike out 3 times in a row, they should be allowed to attack the pitchers with their bats in their next at-bat...if "old school" baseball is to be equally applied.
No, pitchers who plunk batter #3 after #s 1 and 2 go deep are cowards. Old-school cowards, perhaps. They're saying, in essence, "I suck, so you're going to pay."
I'm a Met fan and can't stand the Phillies and love Bryce Harper (plays like Pedroia), but I have no problem with Hamels' comments, especially this part: "I'm not going to injure a guy. They're probably not going to like me for it but I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't trying to do it. I think they understood the message and they threw it right back. That's the way, and I respect it."
Edited on May 7, 2012 at 6:07pmMay '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Mollie,
I am also curious why you agree with the decision to hit Harper. According to what I have read, it was a "welcome to the big leagues". I can see if Harper was showboating, but a welcome shot just seems dumb. I am less a fan of Hamels than ever and more a fan of Harper. As for whether to lie or not, I think the best policy is truth. In this case, truthfulness does not overcome the idiocy of being the guy who welcomed Harper to the big leagues with a bush league move.
May '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
EJHill:
In the old days, if a team hit back-to-back jacks on you, the third guy was going down.
Hey EJ,
Was Harper up after back to back home runs?
May '10
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
No, I was just speaking broadly of the "unwritten" rules concerning the brushback.
But the Phillies had dropped seven straight to the Nats and Hamels evidently decided to send a message - to both teams.
Jun '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
EJHill
Where do I begin? It ain't gonna be less than 200 words I can tell you that.
First off, that's the GM, not the manager. Mike Rizzo, the man quoted in the WaPost, was a A-ball washout. The only thing he knows about pitching is that he couldn't hit it.
So, Rizzo was an A-ball washout and can't hit major league pitching - therefore his opinion should be disregarded on this situation (even though he's a major league GM). On the other hand you feel obligated to give us over 200 words of your opinion? Based on your own logic why should we pay any attention to what you have to say about this? (Unless I missed your extensive MLB experience in your bio..)
Sorry for the snark - but I hate the argument that unless you've "walked in their shoes", then you should keep your mouth shut about a topic. That's what liberals do about abortion when "old white men" want to say something.
Conservatives engage in debate - liberals try to shut it down.
Jan '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Let's address a basic question - why plunk Harper in the first place?
It has nothing to do with any animus against Harper, or resentment. He wasn't being a hot dog that required retaliation. It wasn't because Hamels didn't like him - Hamels probably doesn't give a rat's patootie about Harper.
It's an old saw in baseball: hitting is about timing; pitching is about disrupting timing.
In an All-Star game years ago, Randy Johnson pitched to John Kruk. The first pitch was a 100 mile an hour fastball - three feet over Kruk's head. Kruk was visibly petrified ... and then struck out. Johnson had gotten into Kruk's head, and there was no way Kruk would dig in.
Pitchers try to get in your head, anything to break your concentration. And so long as they don't go head-hunting, the physical damage from a brushback pitch is minor and quickly healed. It's the mental edge they're looking for.
Yeah, that's old school baseball. And give credit ... Harper didn't back off, and stood his ground the next time up. Harper's old school, too.
Jun '11
Re: Someone Needs To Chat With Crash Davis
Oops, looks like I ran over 200 words too. :-)
EJ, no disrespect - but this is baseball! If there was ever a topic that encouraged the non-player, wannabes (like me) to debate, then baseball is it.
Macro economics? Foreign policy? Battlefield tactics? Sure... feel free to let the "pros" rhetorically duke it out. But not baseball! I can only eat so many hot dogs and peanuts between innings...