Hey Everybody, it’s Jimbo! – 167 Ethics (4/20/17)
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(19:48) You may think this is about baseball but it’s not. Even if you are not a baseball fan, please listen. It’s all about ethics.
The beloved American game of baseball has become a game of ethics. Nothing illegal is involved — but it is UNETHICAL. Jimbo speaks his mind, as one of the puppies suffers a “panic attack” on-air.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
I’m not at all a conspiracy theorist, plus, as a die-hard baseball fan and former player, I have a very hard time believing pitchers deliberately groove batters especially during non-exhibition games.
The only case of a pitcher grooving a batter I’ve ever heard of—a case that’s been documented—was in 1968 when Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers told the New York Yankees’ Mickey Mantle, who was at the end of his Hall of Fame career, he was going to throw him a fastball.
Mantle was sitting on career home run number 534 which had him tied with Jimmie Foxx on the all-time home run list so the home run he hit off McLain was number 535 putting him ahead of Foxx’s 534. Fortunately, a few days later, Mantle hit his final home run—career number 536—which of course made Mantle feel better about passing Foxx since the home run that put him ahead was a “gift” of sorts from McLain.
Of course, telling a batter what type of pitch is coming doesn’t mean he’s going to hit it out of the yard so while I agree telling a batter what the next pitch is going to be is morally bankrupt for me as a former player, I don’t believe it happens very often at all so unless someone has documentation proving Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki were told what was coming, I’d rather simply enjoy the mythology of those two moments.
But that’s just me.
J.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 20, 2017 @ 8:40 am
I look at you differently now, Jeff lol
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 9:16 am
In that case, allow me to really blow your mind —
The National League needs to adopt the DH.
I can’t watch another pitcher lunge and flail trying to get a bunt down only to walk back to the dugout without even putting wood on the ball.
J.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 20, 2017 @ 10:06 am
Sure, as long as it’s optional; San Fran wants Bumgarten batting, right?
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 10:49 am
One pitcher out of the entire NL isn’t nearly a good enough reason to keep the DH.
Besides, if the DH is made optional, even the Giants wouldn’t want their ace up there risking getting hit by a pitch, pulling a hamstring trying to run the bases, or breaking a finger/hand/arm/leg trying to slide.
J.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 20, 2017 @ 11:24 am
Are you serious?
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 11:48 am
I never joke about baseball.
(So, yes. Dead serious.)
Teams in the past have told their pitcher to go up to the plate and keep the bat on their shoulder; that if they swing, they’ll be fined.
Me? I’d rather have an actual hitter at the plate than to see that… which is even worse than a pitcher trying to bunt.
Yep, give me the DH every time.
And by the way, just as I don’t want to see some pitcher flailing at pitches, I also don’t want to see David Ortiz trying field a grounder and turning two.
J.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 20, 2017 @ 12:36 pm
Nah, I hear ya. And while Bumgarner dingdongs one now and then, I’d only wanting him batting against Kershaw – he seems to have his number.
You’re totally wrong about the pitches being grooved though, it was so obvious on every one of them. You should immediately turn in you Smirnoff Ice Junior Mariners’ card.
Also, I remember when Ortiz was a rookie and the Twins were pleading with teams to take him off their hands because he was a terrible fielder.
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 1:02 pm
Oh, child…
I’m never “totally wrong” about baseball – 😉
I’m just saying that beyond the McLain/Mantle homer, I’ve personally never seen hard evidence (or even heard) of pitchers deliberately grooving batters.
Hell, man, I used to get knocked down in batting practice when I played!
Again, I choose to believe.
But yeah, Ortiz found himself in Boston for sure.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 20, 2017 @ 1:15 pm
Oh, Come on, Jeff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_etvGI7WfU
Oh, Come on, Jeff! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWTzb_i3sx0
Oh, Come on, Jeff! http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v1302507383/must-c-classic-ichiro-homers-after-ovation-chants/?query=ichiro
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 1:33 pm
What position did ya play? (I’m guessin’ “hind catcher”)
What team did ya play for? (Guessin’ Portland Odd Donuts)
Other guesses: switch hitter, favorite players: Mario Mendoza, Fritz Peterson, ha I could go on and on 🙂
You ever read The Bronx Zoo? Loved that book in the 7th grade. I also read Ball Four in like the 5th grade and did a book report on it haha
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 1:41 pm
These videos are your “evidence”? – HAHAHAHAHA!!!
Oh, man…
Welp, I’ll let ya get back to telling little kids that Santa Claus doesn’t exist but first, to answer your questions —
• I was a fleet-footed center fielder (if I touched it, I caught it) with a gun for an arm.
• The last team I played for was the Missoula Mavericks
• Bats R / Throws R
• Favorite player growing up: Joe Rudi
• Have not read “The Bronx Zoo” (yet), but did read (and own) “Ball Four” along with a veritable library of baseball books
Side Notes:
– I have literally read the Baseball Encyclopedia cover-to-cover
– I once registered an unassisted triple play… from Left Field.
– I was timed from home-to-first in 3.2 seconds… from the right side (Mickey Mantle recorded the fastest time at 3.1 seconds… from the left side)
– The Baltimore Orioles scout reported back to the big club that I was the best defensive outfielder he’d seen in 20 years
– The greatest ball player I ever saw (to-date) is Ken Griffey, Jr. (No one else is even close)
PLAY BALL!
😉
J.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 20, 2017 @ 2:18 pm
Wow cool.
Guessing you are slight and from the Dominican Republic… Are you from the Bay area. why else would anyone care about Joe Rudi??? j/k I remember he and Vida Blue traded (sold?) to the Red Sox for like 2 days and then Bowie Kuhn nullified it. I always liked Jeff Burroughs as a lil guy but then I grew up and realized Frank Thomas was alive.
You really should read The Bronx Zoo!
The greatest player I ever saw play was Roger Staubach. But oh yeah, baseball: I guess I’d go with Pudge Rodriguez….
I have had 3 baseball encyclopedias in my lifetime and a thous of those Who’s Who in Baseball magazines. Also used to love doing the crosswords in Baseball Digest 🙂
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 2:45 pm
You are correct on “slight” part—I was 135 pounds dripping wet at 5′ 9″… but lordy, I could run (and jump) like a deer.
My lack of size pretty much killed my chances of making it to The Show unfortunately.
I’m a native Northwesterner, but as a kid, the Oakland A’s and Cincinnati Reds were my two favorite teams. Joe Rudi could do it all: Hit, Defend, Run, etc. I loved his total game and quiet just-going-about-my-business demeanor.
Yeah, I need to read “The Bronx Zoo”.
Ivan Rodriguez was briefly the greatest catcher I ever saw but then the PED cloud that looms over him—I absolutely believe José Canseco 100%—and Yadier Molina bumped “Pudge” off my list of Best Ever Players.
I currently have five Baseball Encyclopedias including my grandfather’s from 1969 which I used to pore over when I was a kid.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 20, 2017 @ 3:08 pm
Yeah I totally agree about the PEDs and though we don’t know, Canseco wouldn’t ‘out’ a then-future HOFer for nuttin’. Yeah it’s sad. Molin and Pudge = very very similar players.
But I got to see play day in and day out for years and he was amazing defensively.
I think we talked about Joe Rudi once before 🙂 The A’s were the team I hated the most but that’s because they were the best: Catfish, Reggie, Bando, Rudi, Blue, Billy North hahaha and Charlie Finley, orange baseballs, etc.
It was Billy North right? The pinch runner guy?
Comment by Jimbo — April 20, 2017 @ 3:50 pm
Billy North was a regular so you might be thinking about “Hurricane” Herb Washington. Remember him?
Claudell Washington, Bert Campenaris, Gene Te20nace, Ray Fosse, Ken Holtzman, Rollie Fingers, Dick Greene.
Those were some really great teams during that 3-year run.
J.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 21, 2017 @ 7:19 am
Herb Washington yeah. At least ya know I’m not cheating. Claudell played several years in Texas and we called him “The Human Yield Sign” because of his wide shoulders and thin waist.
I have a picture of me and Campy together at the old Arlington Stadium.
Ray Fosse = killed by Peter Edward Rose…
Holtzman also played for the Rangers but I remember little about him.
Once Bill Hands was pitching for the Rangers against Rollie Fingers…
Again not cheating here – wasn’t it “Herm” Washington instead of Herb?
Comment by Jimbo — April 21, 2017 @ 7:44 am
What Rose killed was Fosse’s career; his shoulder was never right after that (unnecessary) hit.
Nope, “Hurricane” Herb Washington wasn’t a ‘Herm’ —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Washington
J.
Comment by Jeff Pollard — April 21, 2017 @ 1:17 pm
Herm/Herb: Pfft okay.
Comment by Jimbo — April 21, 2017 @ 2:37 pm
I don’t actually have anything to say right now, but I thought I’d chime in anyway just to get the 20th post.
Comment by Shambles — April 21, 2017 @ 3:48 pm
Jeff curse Bumgarner, who wrecked his motorcycle…
Comment by Jimbo — April 21, 2017 @ 3:49 pm
Hey, actor Jim Davis is dead. (1981)
Comment by Jimbo — April 21, 2017 @ 5:03 pm