South Side Fireworks Man

Now he can go back to sleep.

This ump sucks.

And watch how Tony fights for his team.

That's what separates the truly good teams from the rest.

Need to have a big inning here.

It was very close at 1B. Looked safe to me in real time. Why not ask for a review crew review?

I'm still disappointed that there was no review of the play at 1B on the triple play last night. Tony didn't even bother to ask the crew chief for a review. Would that have been showing bad sportsmanship?

I thought he looked safe too as it happened.

I would hope that's not the case but again I wouldn't put it past him.

Cut the racist shit.

I wouldn't put it past him.

Sportsmanship!

Yankees will probably win now.

Kopech didn't do well at all tonight. Maybe Marshall will at least do a little better.

Is there some unwritten rule about doing that?

Time to show some sportsmanship, Twinkies.

Madrigal is not very good.

The thing is, even in the 1950s a manager would not throw his own player under the bus in public while defending the other team for throwing at his player.

Why would he get thrown at again? Even if you totally believe in the sacred "unwritten law" about not swinging at 3-0 during a blowout, is it really that big of a deal to throw at the guy a second time even after the opposing manager groveled with a public and private apology and your pitcher was fined and suspended for three games and your manager was also fined and suspended a game? Does it make any sense to continue this and throw at the guy again?? If they do throw at Yermin again over this silly shit, the pitcher and manager should be suspended for 50 games.

I'm 60+ and I agree wholeheartedly with this post.

I would hate it at the moment it happens, but it would be hilarious poetic justice if the next time the Sox are ahead by 11 runs (with LaRussa managing) they blow it and lose the game.

How many of those previous 557 pitches were 47mph right over the plate?

Then all he had to say is something like, Yeah we had the take sign on but he missed it, so he just reacted to seeing a meatball coming over the heart of the plate and he swung at it. I guess since we were in a blowout he wasn't really looking for a sign. We talked about it afterwards and it's all taken care of.

There is such a thing as sportsmanship and some of those "old school unwritten rules" have merit. For instance, if you're ahead 15-4 in the top of the ninth with a runner on first you're not going to have him trying to steal second base or try to bunt him over so you could scratch out another run. Or if you have a runner on third and the batter hits a fly ball you're not going to try to bowl over the catcher at home trying to score when you have an 11 run lead. Things like that. But you shouldn't start giving away at bats or making outs on purpose. That's not respecting the game, that's disrespecting it. The person pitching should be doing his best to get the batter out and the batter should be doing his best to get a hit. If not, institute a slaughter rule.

LaRussa handled it all wrong. All he had to do is approach Mercedes in the clubhouse and tell him "the next time you get a take sign you will take the pitch." If he felt he had to say something to the media he could have simply said that Yermin didn't see the take sign and simply reacted to seeing a meatball coming right over the plate. After the Twins threw at Yermin the next day, he should have said while he understands why the Twins were upset at Yermin, throwing at one of his players for hitting a home run is an unacceptable overreaction and he's glad the umpires stepped in and did the right thing and hopefully this closes the matter. Discipline your players in private if you feel it necessary but have their backs in public. Tony did the opposite. And besides, Yermin did nothing wrong swinging at that pitch and the Twins were just being little babies about it.