The Boston Red Sox started the 2009 baseball season with high hopes and eager expectation. They have the second highest salary in baseball, a great group of starting pitchers, and a depth of talent. (Indeed, their bench players have higher salaries than most of the starting players with the KC Royals!)
Yet the Sox are a dismal 2-4 in the first six games of the season. The city of Boston is already in a meltdown, wondering if it is all just another wasted year. To top it all off, pitcher Josh Beckett has been suspended for six games by Major League Baseball for throwing the ball at the LA Angels' Bobby Abreu.
Abreu called for a time-out after Beckett wasted close to forty seconds on the mound (trying to scare the runner on second.) Beckett then threw the ball at Abreu's head. He claims it was an accident. However, when you watch the play Beckett immediately steps off the mound and begins to talk crap to Abreu 9who is being restrained by the umpire.) The benches clear as the Sox and the Angels get into a shouting/shoving match.
When the dust settled the game continued on. Beckett is outraged at his suspension, however, because he claims it was unintentional, and the worst punishment should go to the one who caused the biggest problem.
Want to know who called the biggest problem? Beckett! Here's why:
1) Don't throw the ball at a player's head. If you want a retaliation hit, hit them in the back or the side. Giving a player a concusion (or a brain hemorrhage, orblindness, etc) is NEVER a good idea. Any pitcher who intentionally hits another in the head out to be put in front of a firing squad of pitching machines. WITHOUT a helmet...
2) If you break Rule #1, never, never, NEVER walk towards the player you just tried to kill.
3) If you subsequently break Rule #1 AND Rule #2, you better be saying nothing but sweet things and apologies to the player you just tried to send to Lake Concussion. Never ever try to talk crap to the guy you just tried to bean. Seriously... the guy is carrying a huge club!
4) If the pitcher breaks Rule #1, then makes the mistake of breaking Rule #2, then decides he wants to start something, I believe we should nip this behavior in the bud. The umpire should get out of the way and allow the batter to beat the MESS out of the pitcher. Seriously, those guys are jerks and weanies anyway. AL pitchers don't even bat in the lineup! (They are afraid the opposing pitcher would retaliate, plus they all bat like 7 year old nails-just-painted whiny girls.) They deserve to have the crap beat out of them.
So Beckett, shut up and serve your suspension. In the weird world of baseball it means you are only missing one start. Get over it and grow up. If you are man enough to throw the ball at a fellow player you are man enough to take your punishment.
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