Beanball Edicate (Click Here to Leave/Read Comments)

I'm to the point where I really can't take it anymore. I am so sick of watching Major League Baseball players get hit by pitches and then slam their bat, give the pitcher a dirty look, or charge the mound. Not only that, but it blows my mind that these guys are surprised or upset about getting hit when so many of them hang over the plate or dive towards the plate while tracking pitches. Do me a favor...SHUT UP AND GO TO FIRST BASE! I know this article comes out of nowhere, but I was watching a Met game last weekend and saw Willie Harris not even make an attempt to get out of the way of a pitch and then, after he got hit, run down to first and say something to Francisco Rodriguez. Harris claims he was simply remarking on how badly it hurt, and that Rodriguez misunderstood what he was saying, but if you watch the replay here, that doesn't appear to be the case. Regardless of what he said, if you don't even try to get out of the way of a pitch do you really have any right to whine about how badly it hurt? The only thing that made me happy about this whole scenario was Rodriguez's reaction which was pretty much to tell Willie Harris...SHUT UP AND GO TO FIRST BASE! The benches and bullpens cleared and while there was no brawl, it really annoyed me because the whole thing was completely unnecessary. If Harris would've tried to move in the first place, none of this would've ever happened. Now some might say that Harris made a good play because he let himself get hit so that he could get on base, and I would agree with that 100%. However, if that was his plan, than he should understand that it's going to hurt and he can't run to first base running his mouth off to the pitchers...especially since it's not even legal to lean into a pitch. Either way, you got hit by a pitch, just take your base and let the game go on.

This has been going on for years now and it was at its worst with Barry Bonds, who wore so much "armor" on his arm that he probably could've survived a gunshot. All that protection allowed Bonds to hang all over the plate and if a pitcher ever through inside on him, or God forbid, hit him, he pitched a fit like a little baby. I always said that if I pitched against Bonds, I would stick the first pitch right between his numbers. Of course most people say that's easy for me to say and that if I had to deal with the consequences, (Bonds charging the mound) I might think twice, but I still think I would've mustered up enough courage to do it. I just wish baseball would go back to the way it used to be. I grew up with my dad telling me stories of Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale who would throw at you just for looking at them the wrong way. But it was part of the game. These guys understood that in order to be effective as pitchers they had to pitch inside. And if you got too close to the plate, they'd knock you down and remind you that the inside part of the plate was theirs. But it didn't stop there. If you did well against a particular pitcher he'd eventually drill you just so that you didn't feel comfortable in the box. The difference is, back in the day, players accepted it and dealt with it on their own. Years ago, if a batter felt he was hit intentionally he just went to first and then the first chance he got, he would go into second base hard to break up a double play and make sure the middle infielders paid for it. The infielders would then go back to the dugout and be all over the pitcher because they had paid for his decision. The bottom line is, after that, it would be over with. There was no whining or dirty looks, they took care of their own business in their own way.

Baseball has tried to stop brawls and beanball wars from happening but I think they have only made it worse. Now if an umpire feels someone was hit intentionally, both teams are warned and the next time a batter gets hit, the pitcher automatically gets ejected. This does two things:

1. It makes it pretty hard for a pitcher to pitch inside because now they have to worry about getting ejected if they miss and accidentally hit a batter. This means that batters can hang over the plate even more which takes the entire strike zone away from the pitcher.
2. Instead of allowing teams to take care of the beanball wars themselves, one guy gets hit, both teams are warned, and because no retaliation can be had, the bad blood just festers and the game either spins out of control or creates anticipation for the next time the two teams meet.

I think by instituting these rules, Major League Baseball is enabling these guys to act like babies after they get hit and make a bigger deal out of the whole thing than it should be. We aren’t splitting atoms here. If you get hit by a pitch go to first base. If your team feels there was intent, your pitcher hits one of their guys and it’s over. Not every beanball commands retaliation, but when it is warranted, it shouldn’t be such an ordeal. I just wish players today would take a page out of the old school book and start taking matters into their own hands. If Willie Harris was so upset about getting hit, then he should remember it and the next time he plays the Mets, go in hard and break up a double play. Or the next time he faces Rodriguez, hit a line drive right back at his head. The whining act is tired Willie so please, for everyone else’s sake…SHUT UP AND GO TO FIRST BASE!!!!!