On August 16, 1920, Ray Chapman was struck in the head by a pitched ball. Chapman was hit so hard that many in the stands thought it had hit the bat and many on the field reacted like they normally would for a ground ball. The next day, Ray Chapman died. Major League Baseball knew it had a problem with balls that were unfit for play, either by being misshaped or doctored by pitchers and they swiftly moved to forbid players from altering the baseball.
Ever since that rule was implemented, pitchers have found a way to discreetly alter a ball to obtain a better grip. Players and managers will turn a blind eye towards this because it's almost certain that their own pitcher that night is doing the same exact thing. Batters don't mind much either, as a better grip usually leads to less errant pitches around the noggin'. As long as the pitcher conceals the substance well enough to not make a fool of the opponent or draw attention from fans, the consequences are almost non-existent.
Two weeks ago Michael Pineda was caught with pine tar on his hand. While blatantly obvious, the Red Sox chose to sit on their hands. Pineda erased the pine tar from his palm an inning later and went on to win the game. Most fans and media members gave Pineda some flack but also felt that if the Red Sox saw it and didn't overreact, then neither should we. Last night Michael Pineda was struggling to hit his spots in the first inning and before walking to the mound for the second, he applied a little pine tar to enhance his grip. You would think Pineda would have the wherewithal to hide this beneath his belt, under his glove, or on his hat but instead, Pineda smeared a streak across his bare neck like a damn fool. Pineda gave John Farrell no other choice than to alert the umpire, solely on the fact that Pineda was pretty much spitting in the face of Farrell's intelligence, baseball code, and people with an IQ over 60. Pineda was justifiably tossed from the game and will be suspended for at least a start or two.
I don't think anyone is surprised or appalled at Pineda's actions last night, rather they are mostly confused about how one player could be so stupid. Playing in a game televised by ESPN and their million of cameras against the same team that let him off the hook, and using the same substance either makes Pineda incredibly arrogant, incredibly idiotic, or both. If a cop tells you that he "doesn't want to see you here again" after he catches you stealing Oreo cookies from the 7-11, do you think you'd walk across the street to the gas station and do the same thing while the cop is still watching you? Probably not unless you were on PCP or just wanted to see the view from the back of a police cruiser. Well now Pineda's sticky hand has been caught in the cookie jar twice and his face will be broadcasted on an episode of World's Dumbest Baseball Criminals. Pineda deserves whatever suspension is handed down, whatever tongue lashing he gets from the Yankees front office, and all the jokes headed his way on the internet. Not because he's a bad guy or for trying to outfox his opponent but mostly because baseball can tolerate cheaters, just not incredibly stupid ones.
Ever since that rule was implemented, pitchers have found a way to discreetly alter a ball to obtain a better grip. Players and managers will turn a blind eye towards this because it's almost certain that their own pitcher that night is doing the same exact thing. Batters don't mind much either, as a better grip usually leads to less errant pitches around the noggin'. As long as the pitcher conceals the substance well enough to not make a fool of the opponent or draw attention from fans, the consequences are almost non-existent.
Two weeks ago Michael Pineda was caught with pine tar on his hand. While blatantly obvious, the Red Sox chose to sit on their hands. Pineda erased the pine tar from his palm an inning later and went on to win the game. Most fans and media members gave Pineda some flack but also felt that if the Red Sox saw it and didn't overreact, then neither should we. Last night Michael Pineda was struggling to hit his spots in the first inning and before walking to the mound for the second, he applied a little pine tar to enhance his grip. You would think Pineda would have the wherewithal to hide this beneath his belt, under his glove, or on his hat but instead, Pineda smeared a streak across his bare neck like a damn fool. Pineda gave John Farrell no other choice than to alert the umpire, solely on the fact that Pineda was pretty much spitting in the face of Farrell's intelligence, baseball code, and people with an IQ over 60. Pineda was justifiably tossed from the game and will be suspended for at least a start or two.
I don't think anyone is surprised or appalled at Pineda's actions last night, rather they are mostly confused about how one player could be so stupid. Playing in a game televised by ESPN and their million of cameras against the same team that let him off the hook, and using the same substance either makes Pineda incredibly arrogant, incredibly idiotic, or both. If a cop tells you that he "doesn't want to see you here again" after he catches you stealing Oreo cookies from the 7-11, do you think you'd walk across the street to the gas station and do the same thing while the cop is still watching you? Probably not unless you were on PCP or just wanted to see the view from the back of a police cruiser. Well now Pineda's sticky hand has been caught in the cookie jar twice and his face will be broadcasted on an episode of World's Dumbest Baseball Criminals. Pineda deserves whatever suspension is handed down, whatever tongue lashing he gets from the Yankees front office, and all the jokes headed his way on the internet. Not because he's a bad guy or for trying to outfox his opponent but mostly because baseball can tolerate cheaters, just not incredibly stupid ones.