12/21/24
May 25, 2004
Up-and-coming hothead Jose Guillen is upset with his teammates for not having his back after getting plunked for the sixth time this season. At this rate he'll be hit 18 times this year, which pales in comparison with Craig Biggio's 27 HBP last season. Is Guillen right to be upset, or should he simply invest in some body armor? Perhaps players have just gotten softer of late. John Grimes was plunked six times in one game way back in 1897 (maybe that's why he only played one season!).
Hey man, I've got a bunch of Angels pitchers on my fantasy team. They can't go plunking people and driving up their WHIP stats - get a grip Guillen!
posted by dusted at 05:49 PM on May 25, 2004
where are they hitting him? on the ass? up by the shoulder/head?
posted by jerseygirl at 05:59 PM on May 25, 2004
where are they hitting him? on the ass? up by the shoulder/head? Oh I don't know about every instance, but the ones I saw were bicep/forearm shots... And sometimes they don't even hit him at all. A few weeks ago in a Yankee / Anaheim game reliever Paul Quantrill threw letter high inside and Guillen reacted like Quantrill threw at his head. The parabolic mic picked up Quantrill saying "Come out here then.." nothing happened though... The cameras picked up Mike Scioscia trying the talk some sense into him in the dugout afterwards...
posted by crank at 06:43 PM on May 25, 2004
/offtopic Have any of you seen Sportsline's GameCenter? It's incredible - I've been "watching" the Oakland-Boston game while listening to GameDay Audio radio. This intarweb thing is great!
posted by dusted at 07:03 PM on May 25, 2004
You know, sometimes the balls hits you. Sometimes they lose control of it and it goes flying into their own dugout. Pitchers are funny like that. My point being, why retaliate at all unless it is absolutely blatent? And when it is abslutely blatent, why not turn the other cheek and avoid a brawl? What the hell do I know.
posted by Joey Michaels at 08:37 PM on May 25, 2004
Man - this big league ballplayers are among the largest, most-muscular pussies the planet has ever known. Injured sneezing, hit 6 times - take yer base meathead.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:29 PM on May 25, 2004
If he's not being clunked intentionally and with regularity, that says to me he crowds the plate.
posted by jerseygirl at 07:10 AM on May 26, 2004
What's he think this is, hockey?
posted by DrJohnEvans at 07:27 AM on May 26, 2004
he's an idiot. Anyone read the whole sequence of events with him and Quantrill? It got pretty funny, the verbal threats that the wuss was making, and Quantrill just sitting back and waiting for him to make good on them. "I guess I missed the memo that said you couldn't pitch inside to Mr. Guillen. What's his first name again?"
posted by Bernreuther at 07:55 AM on May 26, 2004
Getting hit is a badge of honor, and more importantly it helps the team. Instead of griping, what he ought to do is swipe second and score on a single. That will teach 'em.
posted by vito90 at 08:37 AM on May 26, 2004
I've got a question... Is it true that new players cannot wear the same body armor aas Bonds, and if that is indeed the case, why? Thanks.
posted by 86 at 08:40 AM on May 26, 2004
I've got a question... Is it true that new players cannot wear the same body armor aas Bonds, and if that is indeed the case, why? I think the rule is that to wear the "body armour", you have to have medical clearance. Bonds has some pre-existing damage to his "armoured" area that could easily break again with a direct hit from a pitch. Therefore, most "new players" don't have pre-existing damage (being new) and would not be allowed to wear the "armour".
posted by grum@work at 08:56 AM on May 26, 2004
Getting hit is a badge of honor, and more importantly it helps the team. i agree and i don't agree. depends on where the ball is hitting or almost hitting you.
posted by jerseygirl at 09:31 AM on May 26, 2004
Speaking of taking a base, Hee Seop Choi walked in all four of his plate apperances on Monday. Fear his patience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by corpse at 10:31 AM on May 26, 2004
Well, the tense standoff has ended: Jose's apologized!
posted by Jugwine at 09:16 AM on May 27, 2004
I read an article a few years back, I think in the NYT magazine, about players who could never come back after getting hit by especially devestating beanballs. The interesting thing was the players were physically fine but psychologically they couldn't recover. They just couldn't face major league heat anymore. What I'll never forget about the article is the description of a major fastball. They described the SOUND ... apparently it's coming so fast it sounds like one huge bumblebee. Anyway, that gave me a whole new appreciation of major league batters. I guess I'd be pretty testy if I got hit by a single 95 mph fastball.
posted by Mike McD at 10:36 AM on May 27, 2004
Getting hit is a badge of honor, and more importantly it helps the team. Instead of griping, what he ought to do is swipe second and score on a single. Man - this big league ballplayers are among the largest, most-muscular pussies the planet has ever known We need a sportsfilter/jackass show. We'll get a major league pitcher, all the spofites who think it's no big deal to get hit with a pitch, and tape them getting intentionally plunked. I'm picturing Weedy hoping around screaming "Whoa, this really hurts" for about 15 minutes. The denouement would be the clip where you urinate blood for the next week. Good times.
posted by Mike McD at 10:46 AM on May 27, 2004
And Weedy, I like your posts. You crack me up on a regular basis, so I wouldn't really want to see you get hit with a heater. I'm just saying that any civilian that got hit with a major league fastball would be wrecked. I think you're expecting superhuman restraint from these guys.
posted by Mike McD at 10:54 AM on May 27, 2004
We need a sportsfilter/jackass show. Events: 1) Plunked in the back by a major league pitcher. 2) Staying in the pocket to throw a football while 300lb behemoths rush you from both sides. 3) Standing in the lane to take a charge from an NBA centre. 4) Screening the goaltender while an NHL defenceman pounds on your spine with his hockey stick AND the defenceman winds up for a slapshot. 5) Being part of "the wall" in front of a EPL free kick.
posted by grum@work at 11:02 AM on May 27, 2004
Mike McD, I understand your point, but I stand by what I have said. I HAVE been hit with pitches at least a dozen times. Two of those times were by fastballs from pitchers who regularly threw in the low-eighties. Not sure specifically how fast the balls that hit me were thrown but they both hurt like an SOB. Both times they got me in the meat of the back, right on the left lat. Both times they left huge, ugly purple bruises that lasted a while. I've been hit in the head (helmeted of course) by curve balls that never broke. These guys are elite, and by the time they have reached the majors are well-aware of the risks, both from a pitcher who unintentionally lets one get away and from the pitcher who is sending you a message or retaliating for a previous beanball. It happens, it happens all the time, and there are many possible ways of responding to it. Don Baylor got hit a couple hundred times. Dickie Thon had his career basically ended by getting hit. Many, many youngsters eventually quit baseball because they are afraid of the ball. In the majors, you can't have fear, you have to be up there ready to stand in against the heat and not bail out when the curveball comes at your earhole. I never said it wasn't a big deal to get hit. It is a big deal, and you can make it bigger by coming around and scoring. As for SpoFites "judging" major leaguers, well hell that's what we are here to do. Anytime somebody criticizes a boxer you could make the point that we aren't good enough to fight the pros. We aren't good enough to body-check a forward or tackle a tight end either, but that shouldn't stop us from commenting on these happenings...
posted by vito90 at 11:58 AM on May 27, 2004
Events: 6) Cash your multi-million dollar paycheque.
posted by smithers at 01:05 PM on May 27, 2004
Cool, can I be in the show? I've actually done a few of these things, somewhat close to the same level of diffculty. For those salaries, I'd do just about anything. I've always wondered how painful it would be to get knocked the fuck out by Tyson... If I was one of his crappy comeback opponents, I'd take that 250k (or even less, who knows what they were) payday to stand there and get destroyed as long as I knew it wouldn't cause brain damage. Those guys are lucky as far as I'm concerned. Lots of money for a 5 minute effort and getting beat up. Let's make that #7. (Or would it not count cause Johnny Knoxville got knocked silly by Butterbean already?) 1) Plunked in the back by a major league pitcher. If you know how to take a hit this is really not that big a deal. And honestly, unless it hits you wrong around the wrists/hands it's a pain that is quick and goes away quickly. I've been drilled by a heater in the mid 80s, it wasn't so bad. Getting hit in the thigh if you don't get out of the way can leave a hell of a charlie horse and bruise though. 2) Staying in the pocket to throw a football while 300lb behemoths rush you from both sides. This would be the only one that legitimately frightens me. 3) Standing in the lane to take a charge from an NBA centre. Meh. Hockey and football are ten times worse. The only frightening one would be Shaw at full speed against a stationary object. But even then, Shaw wouldn't charge because he could just jump over me :) 4) Screening the goaltender while an NHL defenceman pounds on your spine with his hockey stick AND the defenceman winds up for a slapshot. I'll do you one better - do the same against people of the same size/weight/strength/slapshot speed but with far far less accuracy. This can be quite scary. But you're padded, at least, and at that level also have a face mask. 5) Being part of "the wall" in front of a EPL free kick. I got drilled in the face by a D1 soccer player at close range on a free kick, does that count? My jaw clicked for 2 months. That, plus the giant streak of rug burn on my leg from the artificial turf made that day quite unfortunate for me... Good to see Guillen apologize, though it would have been better if he apologized for being a whiny baby too.
posted by Bernreuther at 01:39 PM on May 27, 2004
vito, I know what you're saying, but the phenomenon still exists. The year Mo Vaughn won the MVP (1995), John Valentin really should have. He had an incredible year anyway, but it could have been better. He was crusing through the year, but the day after he racked up 16 total bases (or was it 18? three HRs and other assorted hits) he got tagged in the skull by Tim Belcher. When he came back, he spent the rest of the year opening his shoulder to protect his head. As a result he popped up a lot of the time (as they said about an earlier Sox All-Star SS with offensive power, he "could have played in a stovepipe") and the name "Johnny Popup" was born. Great Boston fans.
posted by yerfatma at 02:00 PM on May 27, 2004
A year after high school I played in a developmental league for (mostly) players who would be drafted. I was hit twice during the season by a pitcher who threw in the low 90s (91,92). Yeah, it hurt like hell, but it goes away quickly. It made me want to get a hit the next time up really badly, but it didn't make me a scared hitter. It was really no worse than being hit by a 65 mph fastball when I was 10. Much worse is playing third and coming in just in case their clean up hitter decides to "bunt". When you see him swinging away and you can see the logo on the bat your life flashes in front of your eyes. Despite all that: 2) Staying in the pocket to throw a football while 300lb behemoths rush you from both sides. ...wouldn't scare me. Don't get me wrong, I know I could be killed, but it just doesn't compare in my opinion. Facing Randy Johnson when he's throwing 98 mph and is having trouble with control just can't be topped. The sound of a 98 mph fastball hitting a catchers mitt is something to behold. And it all happens in the blink of an eye.
posted by justgary at 02:14 PM on May 27, 2004
go vito, go vito, go, go, go vito
posted by garfield at 02:47 PM on May 27, 2004
garfield, are you shaking pom-poms right now?
posted by vito90 at 03:09 PM on May 27, 2004
vito: garfield, are you shaking pom-poms right now? You should see the skirt he's wearing.
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:16 PM on May 27, 2004
I think I should have written it like this: 1) Standing in the batter's box against a fireball pitcher who is looking to retaliate for his teammate getting beaned. Sure you are likely to get one in the back/legs, but what if he decides to throw chin music and is a little "off"? That's the big fear for me. 4) Screening the goaltender while an NHL defenceman pounds on your spine with his hockey stick AND the defenceman winds up for a slapshot. I'll do you one better - do the same against people of the same size/weight/strength/slapshot speed but with far far less accuracy. This can be quite scary. But you're padded, at least, and at that level also have a face mask. I've done it as well (when I was 18). I've taken a slapshot in the stomach and the ankle. The first one knocked the wind out of me for 10 minutes, the second one made me think I was going to be hobbled for life (only a day or two). When you add another 20mph to the shot and take away the face mask (and remember what happened to Stevie Y)... And we should definitely add "7) Go 1 round with a heavyweight boxer." to the SpoFi-Jackass list. I was trying to think of the most dangerous part of different sports when I came up with that list. How about: 8) Drive a lap in a NASCAR event with a full field at full speed.
posted by grum@work at 03:59 PM on May 27, 2004
don't be jealous. i look hot.
posted by garfield at 03:59 PM on May 27, 2004
Don't get me wrong, I know I could be killed, but it just doesn't compare in my opinion. Agreed. All that crap about getting leverage and staying low works.* The low whistle of the batting cage machine on FAST is far more insidious. Same for standing behind the goalie at a hockey rink (I realize in the pros they have seats there, but I'm talking high school): even with the glass between me and the puck, I couldn't stay there for long. * Which does not imply my out-of-shape self is volunteering for said duty.
posted by yerfatma at 05:18 PM on May 27, 2004
The low whistle of the batting cage machine on FAST is far more insidious. Ha. That brings back bad memories, but you're completely right. Nothing is scarier than a batting cage machine that's just a little off.
posted by justgary at 05:56 PM on May 27, 2004
I would add this one. Try to catch an overthrown pass with a NFL safety lurking around. Just happens to be a pet-peeve of mine ... the way football announcers are so critical of recievers who flinch when they go over the middle. I know it's the receiver's job to go over the middle but I've always had a lot of compassion for those guys as well.
posted by Mike McD at 06:24 PM on May 27, 2004
8) Drive a lap in a NASCAR event with a full field at full speed. Sign me up!
posted by mr_crash_davis at 07:48 PM on May 27, 2004
8) Drive a lap in a NASCAR event with a full field at full speed. Sign me up! So that's why they call you crash.
posted by dusted at 09:16 PM on May 27, 2004
Try to catch an overthrown pass with a NFL safety lurking around. Receivers' skills diminish so quickly when given this assignment for most of their careers. Definitely a nasty job.
posted by garfield at 08:15 AM on May 28, 2004
Nothing is scarier than a batting cage machine that's just a little off. Are you trying to suggest there are publicly-available machines out there that don't consistently pitch high and tight on the fast setting? I feel like it's trying to get me back for hitting a couple solid singles off Mr. Medium.
posted by yerfatma at 09:28 AM on May 28, 2004
This just in: Jose Guillen was hit for the sixth time this season. In a related story, Jose Guillen yelled at the pitcher and ALMOST walked out towards the mound before sheepishly taking his base for the sixth time this season.