Baseball's "code"

Don't complain about the free pressbox food.
Never use "It was a tale of two games" as a lede.

 

Or, "What a difference a (period of time) makes."

 

Or describe a loss as a heartbreaker.

 

Back to baseball's "code," I learn something new every day.

The latest, according to Indians closer Chris Perez, is that it's "bush league" to bunt home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/whine-of-the-day-chris-perez.html.php

 

Dallas Braden is a punk. If he wanted to send a message, throw one at A-Rod's ass. Not throw a fit in the dugout.

A-Rod came off looking like a bouquet of roses.

 

That's new to me.

It hasn't been mentioned here yet, but isn't one of the biggest that you don't try to break up a no-hitter by bunting for a base hit?

 

That's reminds me of when an D'Back pitcher was going for a no-hitter and it was broken up by a bunt. Bob Brenly had a cow about it.

Memo to Chris Perez: you pitch, Kendrick did what he had to do to win the game for his team, you lost. STFU kid.

Whoever told Braden and Perez that these are bush-league plays probably has never played or managed above the Mexican league.

If no fan has heard of a specific "unwritten" rule before, then it's not an "unwritten" rule. It's not even a rule at all.

 

Whatever your take on what should be is irrelevant, because you aren't a major league baseball player. It's their world, and none of us really knows what it's like inside.

I have not seen anyone in baseball except those on the Yankee payroll who disputed Braden's point that A-Rod violated the etiquette of the game. Did Braden overreact? Probably.

Just don't say the rule doesn't exist because you haven't heard about it.

 

That was Padres' catcher Ben Davis. He broke up Curt Schilling's perfect game with a bunt single (don't remember the inning). The rationale from the Padres' side was that it was just a 2-0 game and the hit put the tying run at the plate. I remember Schilling wasn't openly hostile about it (though he made some snide remarks), but Brenly after the game, and DBacks announcer Jim Traber right after the hit, were pretty steamed.

 

The bunt wasn't bush league. Bitching about it was.

If it's 8-0, yeah, maybe I can see where they have a gripe. But don't tell me that just because a pitcher is dominating you you have to roll over and stop trying to win. All hail Schilling! He's so good, we'll just hand him his perfect game. Utter horseshit.

 

As far as I can tell, the only part of the code that pertains to pitchers is not throwing at someone's head.
You'd think it would be considered "bush league" to throw breaking stuff at a guy who can't hit breaking stuff the way they whine about players trying to win or get on base.

 

Cry me a fuckin' river!