2009 MLB Thread - Page 27

And Buehrle followed up his perfecto tonight by only being perfect through 5.2 innings!   45 straight batters retired! 

I did not see the game...or the ninth inning.  But here I go anyway:

If I owned a major league team, I would immediately fire any manager who allowed his players to employ "defensive indifference" when a player tried to advance a base in a late inning. 

This is a technique I have NEVER understood and would not tolerate from any team of mine. 

Also, in terms of scoring, I would insist that all baserunners be credited with a stolen base in those situations.

Let's look at last night's game as an example.  From my understanding, here's how it went.

• Papelbon walks Cust to lead off the inning.
• Cust takes second on DI.
• Suzuki grounds out to 2nd base...advancing Cust to 3rd.  (1 out).
• Sweeney pops out to shortstop (2 out).
• Then, double, single, stolen base, single, strikeout.  Game tied. Sox lose in extras.

Do you see where I'm going here?  By not allowing Cust to take 2nd base free-of-charge (because his run doesn't "mean anything"), the Sox would have kept the double-play in order and Sweeney's pop-up to short would have been the third out of the inning and the Red Sox would win.

I have seen this happen SO MANY times that I cannot understand why it continues to happen on a regular basis.  You have professional players on the field who are being well-paid to "make the plays."  If he's going to steal the base, so be it...at least you are getting beat while trying to prevent it.  Allowing any runner a free base is completely against any logical sense of the game as I know it.  I cannot imagine Earl Weaver ever would have even considered something as asinine as "defensive indifference." 

Terry Francona should be ashamed of himself. 

Maybe the Sox don't turn the double play on Suzuki's grounder (because you can't "assume it", after all--another stupid scoring rule), but maybe they would.  We'll never know, though...because they NEVER HAD THE CHANCE! 

Ya know, Ed...even in Little League, though, I remember telling the catcher, "DON'T throw the ball!"  because you don't want the boys (at THAT level of talent) to start throwing the ball around leading to an easy score.

But I'm talking about the major leagues here. " THROW the ball!  It's what you are getting paid to do!"

This is one of those things about baseball that really gets my goat. 

There are managers who will NEVER sacrifice because "you only get 27 outs and each one of them is too precious."  While I might not agree with that philosophy all the time, it is, at least, one I could live with because you are not giving the opposing team a free base or an extra out. 

Eric: 

Teams would not practice defensive indifference in your example because it was just a 1-0 game.  If the runner gets into scoring position, there is too great of a chance he will score and the game will be tied.  It's generally only used when there is a greater-than-one-run lead.  And every stinking announcer says the same thing.  THAT run doesn't mean anything...it's the guy at the plate they are concentrating on (in a game where there's a two run lead).  And, even then, they would probably only exercise DI with two outs...figuring they will get the out at first base. 

It really seems like it's becoming de rigueur in baseball to do this now.  And I just don't understand it. 

It's pretty obvious, Eric--when it happens.  The first basemen might play off the bag, the catcher doesn't even act like he might throw down.  The middle infielders don't even break for the bag.   I've even seen a player take third base under the same circumstances. 

I'd be curious if anyone reading this thread feels differently than me...because I'd love to hear an argument over why it might be considered a good idea.  It MUST BE...since major league teams are doing it more and more often.  

It's not so much the scoring end of things that disturbs me (that's just the paperwork end of it.  The "validation," if you will of the actual event.)  It's that the players and managers are actually giving away free bases and potentially allowing the other team extra outs--on purpose.

THAT'S what I'm worried about.  The fact that it is becoming so commonplace and yet so diametrically opposed to everything that competition is about. 

In my mind, yes.  An error in judgment, certainly. 

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For the record, I don't even like the play when a team is leading 8-0 and allows a runner to first in the 9th. 

There has always been talk of "unwritten rules" that you stop stealing bases with a certain lead and possibly adjust other behaviors (never hitting, however).  That's a different discussion on a different subject.   

Let me put it back on the rails again--although it never jumped the track as far as I'm concerned....

Big Papi makes the list, says the NYT...

And, again (Boston Globe).

Agreed 100%.

I can't see anyone being shocked by the Ortiz news, or any name that gets dropped as being on "the list."