HS Pitcher/Catcher throw at an umpire during the game

[Tedaldtada]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3450245

 

Above is the link to Rick Reilly's story which includes a video link. It seems as though recently drafted 3B Ethan Martin was involved. This is just plain crazy.

 

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

By the way, I didn't really no where this topic belongs, so I just threw it onto the major league page.

[Bucky Rules]

I saw this story earlier in the week. It's unbelievable. Well... maybe not unbelievable. It's probably happened before. But, this crew didn't do a very good job of disguising it.

[stoutdude04]

I saw this as well. Its terrible that it happened imo. Btw, probably should be in off topic.

[pitchleague]

Although it's unfortunate for him, I like what the coach of the small college did with the catcher.

 

"Then some payback came for Hill, who was planning to walk on at Gordon College in Barnesville, Ga., next season. He got the word from Gordon coach Travis McClanahan, who said, Forget it, we don't want you.

 

I appreciate reading about coaches who do the right thing. Some people will debate that this was a "small-time" crime and that the punishment doesn't fit the crime, but sometimes you've got to just nip things right away or the person could get "brave" and try other things that continually push boundaries.

[1992casey]

By the way, I didn't really no where this topic belongs, so I just threw it onto the major league page.

 

I have no idea where it belongs, either. This forum is as good as any unless someone thinks of a better spot. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[RightFieldCoder]

It isn't a small time crime. The catcher wanted to injure an ump because of some blown calls? Not someone to walk on to a low level college baseball team.

 

Yes, the catcher did look like he was going for a curve ball. But he was blocking a curve ball in the dirt on a pitch that was too high to be a strike. That would have been one heck of a curve. IMHO he was faking the "I'm trying to catch a curve".

[JoeHova]

eh, I don't mind this that much. I like reading the old stories about how umps would fistfight with the players and stuff. I'm pretty sure this has happened before. Hopefully the ump is ok, but I don't think it's the end of the world. It is just like Reilly to make a big deal about something like this, which is why I dislike him so much.

[temke]

i have heard of this happening before. one of the less obvious ways to do it is for the catcher to think that a pitchout is coming.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

eh, I don't mind this that much. I like reading the old stories about how umps would fistfight with the players and stuff. I'm pretty sure this has happened before. Hopefully the ump is ok, but I don't think it's the end of the world. It is just like Reilly to make a big deal about something like this, which is why I dislike him so much.

It sure sounds like the college coach and others involved thought it was a big deal.

 

[jazzytrav]

Actually, if I was the college coach, I would tell the kid not to show up because he's obviously not very good if he made that play. Maybe it's possible that he's innocent and he sucks. I still wouldn't want him.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't get it; how do you figure that play means he isn't good?

[jazzytrav]

It was mostly a joke. I realize that it was only one play, but he looked beyond foolish on that pitch. I guess in my mind, if a guy looks so bad that he's accused of doing it on purpose, yet he's somehow innocent...he's got some problems.

[LouisEly]

i have heard of this happening before. one of the less obvious ways to do it is for the catcher to think that a pitchout is coming.

 

I may or may not have heard of this happening before. Back where I come from there may or may not have been a certain little league umpire who may or may not have had a beef with a certain little league coach who seemed to win the championship game every year. The umpire may or may not have altered calls in a game because of his bias towards this coach.... hypothetical example, like call a grounder fair that went a good two feet wide of third (not that I would know for certain... it's not like I was playing LF in that game or anything...) In response to these seemingly deliberate calls, the catcher may or may not have called a pitchout that the pitcher didn't pick up on.

 

There's two sides to this story. It is not beyond an umpire in the non-professional ranks (high school, little league, etc.) to have a bias towards/against a team. It may be against only one or two players on that team (or just the coach), but the job of an umpire is to call the game by the book equally and fairly towards each team, and if they don't do that then it is the innocent kid playing LF in his first and only championship game that gets screwed. If umpires are deliberately not calling the game fairly because of a bias they have then they are just as despicable as the kids who pull stunts like this.

[RockCoCougars]

Extremely stupid thing to do. Although I got a kick out of the fact that the umpire hardly flinched when he got hit - the pitcher must have been a noodle arm.

It is just like Reilly to make a big deal about something like this, which is why I dislike him so much.

Agreed.