back when I was growing up, this would never have happened..back then (mid-60's) if someone hit a home run off of Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale, the next batter up KNEW he was gonna hit the dirt on the first pitch..they'd get up, dust themselves off and play ball..today if that happens, there's words, then a fight, then suspensions..players get away with it precisely because no one will do anything about it..after all, to a player making 2 mil a year (or 20), what's 20k as a fine?
The rule should be, you start something, you sit the equivelant of 162 games..it'd be a start..
This occurred last month. How did this become new news? They ran video of this on FNC and ESPN for days last month.
*****back when I was growing up, this would never have happened..back then (mid-60's) if someone hit a home run off of Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale, the next batter up KNEW he was gonna hit the dirt on the first pitch..they'd get up, dust themselves off and play ball..today if that happens, there's words, then a fight, then suspensions..players get away with it precisely because no one will do anything about it..after all, to a player making 2 mil a year (or 20), what's 20k as a fine?*****
How about this gem? From 1965. One of the most famous fights in baseball history...
from wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgers-Giants_Rivalry
Possibly the most notorious incident between these two clubs occurred August 22, 1965. In a game at Candlestick Park, Giants pitcher Juan Marichal had hit two Dodgers batters with brushback throws. When Marichal came up to bat later, Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax apparently had no interest in retaliation, but Marichal felt that Dodgers catcher Johnny Roseboro was interested, as he claimed Roseboro was returning Koufax's pitches dangerously close to Marichal's head. As Marichal and Roseboro began to argue, Marichal (#27) hit the Dodgers catcher on the head with his bat. A bench-clearing brawl ensued. Giants infielder Tito Fuentes (#26) also threatened to wield a bat, but did not use it. The fight was broken up by peacemakers Willie Mays of the Giants and Koufax of the Dodgers. Mays helped the badly bleeding (but not severely injured) Roseboro off the San Francisco field. Roseboro and Marichal eventually became close friends up until Roseboro's death in 2002.
Baseball is pathetic as hell today which is why I rarely watch it. Like you, I too grew up in the `60`s and I can`t ever remember crap like that happening.. Hitting an umpire would be like hitting your mother, impossible to imagine. It`s all effin huge egos today. Matter of fact when I was in little league without fail they would always let our entire team sit in the front seats whether is was Shea or Yankee stadium even though we had the bleacher seats. Then the players would come over and talk with us and give us autographs which was absolutely absolutely mind blowing for a kid. The guys whose card you flipped for on the playground was right there in the flesh asking you what position you played! Unreal, it was like meeting God almighty! To this day I still have Tom Seavers Bud Harrelson Tug McGraws autographs. I had some of the Yankees as well, Bobby Murcer, Roy White, even Thurmon Munson (but this kid ripped those off from me. Grrr!) Today the players don`t even give spit about the kids, the little leaguers are always in the bleachers. I went to a few home games a few years ago and it was pathetic as hell, all those front seats bought up by corporations and guarded off even though they were completely empty to pay a-holes like A-hole-Rod his $20 billion bucks lest he skip town which they end up doing anyway. "Oh I am retiring" Then the pricks are playing with some other team in between steroids. "Oh he broke a new record..Never mind his new caveman pockmarked visage" Eff them all. They`re all a bunch of quasi homos completely self absorbed more obsessed with fashion than they ever will be about any fan.