One more reason baseball can take its "Unwritten Code" and shove it

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/2011/03/fox_draws_ire_of_both_managers.html

Orioles leading by 10 runs in the eighth inning of an exhibition game, a minor league pitcher is on the mound and Fox, who already has 10 spring training HRs, swings at a 3-0 pitch ... and both managers are pissed at him. Wasn't aware this was part of baseball's sacred fucking code.

Why would anyone get so worked up about a supposed "code violation," this late in spring training? And if Fox is so good, why is he even IN THE GAME in the eighth inning of a 13-3 game?

Baseball's code is getting to be like the code at a table of seventh-grade girls in the cafeteria.

 

Showalter's always been a petty, small guy. When he was managing Arizona in 2000, he made them stop showing the AL home run leaders on the Bank One Ballpark message board because Tony Batista was having a great year with Toronto and the D'backs had supposedly traded him away against Buck's wishes.

But yeah, my feeling on stuff like this has always been "we'll stop trying to win if you will." If the Tigers had somehow scored 11 runs in the bottom of the ninth against Baltimore's Triple-A pitchers, you can bet Leyland wouldn't have felt bad about it.

 

Considering that the Tigers closed to 14-9 in the ninth inning, it's a good thing he was swinging away.

 

Buck's slavish, sustained buttoned-up status remains a double-edged sword. It's why veteran teams rush to tune him out.

 

Hondo,

Think of it this way:

Baseball's "unwritten rules" = golf's "etiquette"

A culture develops among the players in just about every sport; I don't know why baseball should be any different. This is just something writers like write about because, well, they need to fill up their blogs, notebooks, etc.

The culture also evolves. Case in point: celebrations. Some of the stuff guys do now would never have been tolerated 20 years ago.

 

The Code used to allow Bob Gibson to aim fastballs at a player's non-helmeted head for the crime of getting a base hit the previous time up. I never could understand that one.

 

that's not code, that's intimidation.

 

But if the batter "accidentally" loses his grip on a swing and happens to send the bat flying toward Gibson's head after almost getting beaned, umpires won't call that intimidation. They'll call it ejection.

 

Thank you. Another great point because the "code" is seemingly stacked in the favor of pitchers. Examples:

1. Can't swing away on a 3-0 pitch in a lopsided game.
2. Pitchers are allowed to buzz you because you had the temerity the previous at bat to do your job and, oh, hit a home run or something. But you can't fling the bat at the SOB because he struck you out the last time up.
3. And don't run across the field after an out and come near the mound (we remember that horseshit from last year involving A-Rod, the only time I've ever been in his corner).
4. Clemens used to throw at guys if he thought a runner on second base had figured out his catcher's signs and was signaling the batter. Yo, Rodge ... come up with a sign they won't break.

And on it goes ... It actually should the "Pitcher's Code," because it's all in favor of those prima donna divas.

 

There is nothing wrong with hitting a batter as long as it is not in the head.

 

What about in the wrist or somewhere else that is easily breakable?

 

There is something wrong with hitting him if his only crime is that he took your weak-ass shit deep the previous AB.