Ryan Braun's 28th HR...

[sheethead]

I don't think anyone said he was the first.

 

EDIT: I don't think he's a jerk, but he shows up the other team all the time in the way he watches his home runs, maybe jerk wasn't the right word. I have a hard time believing Brewer fans that say they haven't seen it all season. Again, I couldn't care less.

 

I have seen some self admiration going on this year. Its not on every homerun, but usually the ones he kills there is a little show of self satisfaction. I would be kidding myself if i would say i wouldnt do the same thing. Prince does it in a more subdued way... standing in the box an extra second or two to watch the trajectory. I just hope Braun doesn't come up with a Sammy Sosa style hop type gimmick that would eventually be okay with the fans because its consistant. I like it when he mixes it up. Its fresh. I could go for a little Shooter McGavin action on the next one.

 

Some people just want all the personallity sucked out of every sport, and I find that weird. Is life really that much better when its boring?

[homer]

NDogg makes a good point. If Hunter Pence had done the exact same thing, people would have been calling for his head.

 

C'mon guys, look deep within yourselves and admit that the only reason this is no big deal to some of you is because Braun is a Brewer. I know you can do it. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[nsimps]

The main reason I don't like what he did is because baseball is a sport where someone can hurdle a projectile 90mph at someone if they get upset enough. If I were Albers, I would have considered plunking Prince because of what Braun did. What's the worst that can happen to Albers? Tossed out of the game?: he had already given up 6 runs in 2 innings. Suspended?: Who cares if he misses a start?

[BrewCrewForever]

Sometimes A-Rod watches HR like that and I dont get upset. And hes a Yankee, I hate the Yankees. But I like A-Rod and hes an amazing player.

[Diskono]

I still don't understand why anything he did is considered to be bad. I wouldn't have thought anything of it if it weren't for people freaking out about it. Why is watching a ball you hit considered bad? How would he know its a home run if he weren't paying attention? Should he just sprint to first regardless, same as if he were trying to bunt for a hit?

 

I guess to me, it's similar to somebody giving somebody the finger. Nobody can explain what is offensive about showing a person one of their fingers, they just know it is. I have a hard time being offended by things if nobody can explain why I'm supposed to be offended.

[TooLiveBrew]

Diskono, to suggest that Braun didn't know he got all of that ball is laughable. No offense intended - it was just crushed that much. He was showboating, and many people (including Braun himself) realize(d) what he did was over the line.

[M Skjellyfetti]

Why is watching a ball you hit considered bad? How would he know its a home run if he weren't paying attention?

 

By that logic, Braun wouldn't have known that he hit a home run yesterday, as he wasn't watching it at all. He was too busy looking into the dugout and strutting down the first base line to even watch his homer.

[Diskono]

The part about him not knowing whether it was a home run probably should have been in blue, I was mostly joking about that. My point is that I don't understand why anything he did was considered to be showboating. If anything, I'd think stuff like our outfielders belly-bucking each other after a win would be worse.

[saget]

Maybe Prince bet Braun that he couldn't hit a 3-run HR as pretty as his. Then he did and reacted as such.

 

Seriously though, I love it when players watch their HRs. I love it when Manny does it, when Braun does it, even Milton Bradley.

[Paul77]

Why is watching a ball you hit considered bad? How would he know its a home run if he weren't paying attention?

 

By that logic, Braun wouldn't have known that he hit a home run yesterday, as he wasn't watching it at all. He was too busy looking into the dugout and strutting down the first base line to even watch his homer.

Thats why the argument that he was just admiring his handiwork, like so many players do, doesn't hold any water. It's not like he "took a little peak" at it and ran. He hit the ball and looked directly into the dugout, without looking at his home run and without running. He "pimp walked" away from the plate. That entire move was 100% designed for show boating, admittedly for his teammates but the other team is there and watching too. I think you can make the argument that he was not trying to show up the Astros, but it was still a chump move.

 

Everyone involved seems to agree it was uncalled for, if not wrong - including Braun. So where's the argument?

 

[sheethead]

NDogg makes a good point. If Hunter Pence had done the exact same thing, people would have been calling for his head.

 

C'mon guys, look deep within yourselves and admit that the only reason this is no big deal to some of you is because Braun is a Brewer. I know you can do it. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

I admit it. That definitely makes a difference. But I have seen worse and have not gotten upset over it. If Pence would have hit a bomb like that (more unlikely), then I would have not had a problem with him doint cartwheels to first.

[Bucky Rules]

My point is that I don't understand why anything he did was considered to be showboating. If anything, I'd think stuff like our outfielders belly-bucking each other after a win would be worse.

There is nothing wrong with teammates celebrating a victory with each other. On the other hand, Braun's display of look-at-me-ism was completely uncalled for. Yost was 100% correct for putting an end to that. And Braun apologized to the catcher for it in his next AB. I think he learned his lesson.

It has nothing to do with taking personality out of the game. It has to do with showing respect for your opponent who just got his pitch driven a country mile.

[MJLiverock]

I am 34 and didn't have much of problem with it. He absolutely crushed that ball and directed most of his antics toward his own bench. This just seemed like one of those games where everyone gets on a roll and feels good about playing the game again. If he did it after every home run then yeah it would be over the top. I immediately wondered if Ned would make him apologize and I thought all involved handled it really well. If Houston would have plunked him after he apologized I would have been upset.

 

I guess players watching a HR doesn't bother me much because the good ones hit what 30-40 a year. Pitchers like Zambrano jumping all over after K's seem over the top because they strike out 8 guys a game or over 200 a year, talk about act like you've done it before, it is one out in 27 per game. Zambrano also has a problem yelling at guys who hit HR's or even double off of him, then hits them with a 95 mph heater. Braun or other HR hitters don't say anything to the pitcher or have the chance to hurt a guy for striking them out and acting like a buffoon over an out.

 

Did anyone see K-Rod on SportsCenter last night. Talk about a prima donna show on the mound.

[YedNost]

Ryan Braun is a piiiiiiiiiimp. I think that walk would make the tightest .gif

[pebadger]

To those who think that playing only to your own dugout makes it different, I'd respectfully disagree. By playing only to his own dugout, Braun was dissing the Astros, too, just not as directly as pointing to them and saying "I'm better than you!"

 

He was basically dismissing the Astros out of hand, acting as if they didn't even matter. The implication was that the playground belonged to the Brewers, the Astros were just there to be the Washington Generals.

 

As I posted before, I don't get too upset about stuff like that, unless I'm personally involved in the game. But I just don't think the Brewers need to even get close to any situations like that right now that might take focus off what needs to happen in terms of just winning a ballgame. As we've already seen, their fairly thin margin for error means that this is a team that can't afford to lose focus.

[YedNost]

I really just think that's Braun showing emotion. He cares, he's an intense dude with all the fist pumps and whatnot. He killed that ball and he knew it. He wasn't showing up the Astros (although he realized it may have come across that way and apologized) but was just celebrating. It's like when Jose Valverde does his silly dance after every save.

[jackellberry]

In basketball, guys thump their chest after big dunks. In football there's the gravedigger or Darren Sharper's shake or Ray Lewis' ninja whatever it is he does. In soccer guys celebrate as though they've never scored a goal in their life. I don't understand how Ryan Braun watching his HR and doing a 3 step walk is such a "chump move." It happens in every sport

[PlayerHader]

Boy, we sound like a bunch of sallys.

 

Any historical genius know when or how it ever became "showboating" to watch a home run? I'm not arguing that it isn't or shouldn't be viewed that way, but when you really just think about the act it seems so negligible.

[brewcrewnation]

If i remember Lance "crybaby" berkman did that vs the Brewers a few years ago. Lance needs to grow some stones and he needs to stay out of other teams business. Maybe Lance should have a talk with Carlos Lee about him not loafing. Lance i hope you enjoy last place.

[brewcrewkid14]

I'd argue that his "walk" may have waken up all the Brewers hitters last night. I know it got me pumped up, I can't imagine what it was like to be a player in a pennant race and to get pumped up like that. I don't have a problem with swagger on this team (I think Prince has the type I prefer though).

 

As someone else said, I really want to see somebody just go monster off of Big Z sometime in the future and really get into his head. If you did something like that to Zambrano I think he'd be blowin' steam out his ears after that. I would love to see his reaction of somebody doing what he does right back at him. Prince Fielder would get a ball thrown at him though, if that happened with Braun.

 

That would be really ugly (although Fielder's anger of being thrown at seems to step up his game generally).

[theavrock]

Jesus guys. He walked beofre breaking into a trot for like four seconds and looked into his dugout. I think the only reason people have a problem with this is because he is a rookie and not yet a "star." There is much worse he could have done. Lay off the kid.

[theavrock]

Also the argument that we dont care because he is a Brewer is flawed. Of course we don't care. He just hit a 3 run bomb to blow the game open. If a player form another team hits one and does a little walk then of course we will care, but not because of the walk. We will care because he just hit a home run of a BRewer pitcher. Its being blown out of proportion.

[TerraceReserved]

In basketball, guys thump their chest after big dunks. In football there's the gravedigger or Darren Sharper's shake or Ray Lewis' ninja whatever it is he does. In soccer guys celebrate as though they've never scored a goal in their life. I don't understand how Ryan Braun watching his HR and doing a 3 step walk is such a "chump move." It happens in every sport

 

Exactly how I feel. Imagine if Braun had hit the HR, and immediately did a stupid Nick Barnett move while running to first base. That'd be considered outrageous and he'd get hammered for it. But in football it happens and no one gives a hoot. He walked and looked in our dugout. No big deal. It came off as being cocky, but really nothing more than that.

 

My main problem with this whole debate is this: How is taking 3 steps and looking in a dugout after hitting a home run any worse than a football player doing a whole array of antics after one little tackle? Maybe it wasn't intended for the other team, but just as some people have argued on here, the opposing team can still see the showboating, which is much, much more animated and obvious in football. I don't get it.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Nick Barnett celebrates after he stops a RB for an 8 yard gain.

 

In my opinion of course, this thing is being blown out of proportion. It seems a lot of people aren't taking into account the fact that Braun DID apologize to the 'Stros catcher before his next at bat. I can't remember the last time I saw any other batter do that.

 

Yost said something to Braun, Braun apologized, 'nuff said, at least IMO.

[lumberrule]

Anyone who thinks Braun is cocky, just watch Prince Fielder on most of his homers that he knows are gone off the bat...

 

Or Bill Hall...

Or Geoff Jenkins...

 

Or just about anybody in major league baseball after hitting a big homer.