Video: Kill the umpire
posted at 9:27 pm on June 11, 2008 by Allahpundit
To set the stage: State championship game, Stephens County down 8-1 and feeling humiliated after its last nine hitters struck out, the ninth of whom was All-American Ethan Martin. Martin’s brother Cody takes the mound in the bottom half of the inning, puts the first man he faces on base, and then… Quote: “Scott, who received all of $80 (including mileage) for his efforts that day, said he has been bothered by neck pains and headaches in the days since. He is considering his legal options.”
Neither the pitcher nor the catcher will discuss it but Ethan Martin says he’s sure it wasn’t intentional.
Dude, it’s obviously intentional.
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I agree that this is no big crime. I do feel the league should do something about it because it’s poor sportsmanship and against the spirit of the game. However as a former pitcher, at that age, I could easily put the ball where I wanted it, paint the corners, a little chin music, or in the umpire’s grill…this absolutely could have been intentional, and I’m still going with my opinion that it was…
and I’m still saying this is silly.
beefytee on June 12, 2008 at 2:05 PM
If that’s a fastball I’m not surprised they’re down 8-1.
rcl on June 12, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Ahhh…I guess that’s why no boxer on the face of the earth has suffered a concussion or died in the ring. After all, their opponents wear gloves!
A mask doesn’t prevent all injuries. Put on an ump’s mask and stand right in front of a pitching machine. You’ll likely be injured.
ynot4tony2 on June 12, 2008 at 3:18 PM
Apples and oranges. The mask is there to protect the Umpire and a pitch off the mask is no more likely to harm him than a foul tip, which happens rather frequently in the normal course of baseball games. A boxer’s gloves, however, are there to protect the boxers’ hands not their brains. Most bar fights last one punch and the most common resulting injury is a broken hand. Boxers’ fists are taped rather solidly, and then they put on gloves that can weigh up to 16 ounces. The gloves, in fact, make it a more dangerous sport because while the glove somewhat cushions the blow, its added weight increases the force of impact. Gloves, because they protect the hands, allow a boxer to deliver a much worse beating than with unprotected hands.
It’s an interesting legal issue. The judge will have to claim that his injuries deserve compensation due to the malicious intention of the act even though such injuries are an accepted risk of baseball in the case of foul tips.
Umpires are rectal orifices. If the guy really thinks it was intentional, then he should file criminal charges.
In any case, beaning the ump is as old as baseball. Joe Garagiola has told stories about conspiring with pitchers to hit an ump with a pitch – and that was in the major leagues.
The game has changed. Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson would have a hard time in today’s game because of how the league protects prima donna home run hitters. Gibson owned the inside corner.
Ironically though, I believe that the AL’s designated hitter kind of encourages throwing at batters, since a pitcher knows he’s never gonna get drilled himself.
rokemronnie on June 12, 2008 at 6:12 PM
You are actually comparing a movie to an actual, real life, situation where an umpire could have been killed?
You are out of your mind nuts. You have no business even commenting here. You have no concept of what you are talking about.
I’m appalled that anyone would even laugh at this, let alone condone it. You are sub-human.
nukemhill on June 12, 2008 at 10:43 PM
You clearly have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
nukemhill on June 12, 2008 at 10:46 PM
No, I’m not condoning a lawsuit. But I would not be surprised at all if it happened. And certainly the sanction advocated by the league are the least of what should happen.
People who think the ball went off of the batter’s helmet are just not seeing what the ball is doing. It is clearly not “glancing” off the helmet. Batters duck at pitches that are over the plate, let alone a little bit inside. His reaction is nothing like what you would expect for a ball coming at his helmet. Get real.
I’ve played ball for most of my life, and umpired a little bit. I’ve got lots of perspective here that many of the commenters clearly don’t have. No diss on them. That’s fine.
But I’m tellng you. From my experience–as a ball player, umpire, and coach–this was clearly intentional. None of the signals of a wild pitch are there. The catcher, the batter, the umpire, the base-runner. None of them behave like it is a wild pitch or a pitch off of the batter’s helmet. It simply isn’t.
The pitcher and catcher involved clearly should be sanctioned. To the fullest extent available to the league. And any college that recruits/signs them should be questioned by their alma mater.
This is a slam dunk. No doubt.
nukemhill on June 12, 2008 at 10:54 PM
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