Hamels suspension - how long should it be?

[bweiser831]

2 months for intentionally hitting a batter? That's a lil harsh, no? I'd gather to say 99% of pitchers have intentionally hit a batter before.

no, it's 2 months for the stupidity of saying you did it. keep your mouth shut and i have no problem. two months for stupidity. plus, it will be appealed down to a month or two weeks.

[OaklandA's]

I assume that the number of games means that they lose (#games/162) of their salary for the year, which means that they can't arbitrarily decide to suspend a pitcher 10 games just to make sure he misses a start.

At a salary of $15M this year, the suspension costs Hamels $463K. That's a pretty hefty fine, even if the games missed are not meaningful.

[Long John]

I'll be in the minority and say Hamels shouldn't be suspended. Stupidity is not a criteria to suspend someone. There was no intent to injure and no malice. He didn't aim for nor hit him anywhere near the head. He got his return HBP in his next ab. There was no tough guy posturing on the field and no benches cleared. What's the f-in' problem? Oh, I know. MLB can't have anyone admitting what everybody already knows so that the "image of the game" can be clean. I can't believe that they'll worry about this nonsense, but let Ryan Braun still step on a diamond. Give me a f-in' break. This is why I can't friggin' stand MLB anymore. They've managed to turn our national pasttime into a complete farce.

[popeye]

I'll be in the minority and say Hamels shouldn't be suspended. Stupidity is not a criteria to suspend someone. There was no intent to injure and no malice. He didn't aim for nor hit him anywhere near the head. He got his return HBP in his next ab. There was no tough guy posturing on the field and no benches cleared. What's the f-in' problem? Oh, I know. MLB can't have anyone admitting what everybody already knows so that the "image of the game" can be clean. I can't believe that they'll worry about this nonsense, but let Ryan Braun still step on a diamond. Give me a f-in' break. This is why I can't friggin' stand MLB anymore. They've managed to turn our national pasttime into a complete farce.

And yet, it could have led to a serious injury - even great pitchers sometimes miss their targets.

The real farce is not the one you described, but rather, that so many pitchers can get away with this stuff if they don't admit it.

[Long John]

And yet, it could have led to a serious injury - even great pitchers sometimes miss their targets.

The real farce is not the one you described, but rather, that so many pitchers can get away with this stuff if they don't admit it.

Sliding into home when he stole it could have also resulted in injury. There is a risk of injury just by stepping on to the diamond. Could he have gotten hurt? Sure. But, as I initially said, there was no intent to injure and no malice.

Pitchers have been "getting away with this stuff" for many many years. It's a part of the game that should stay - not be punished.

[Fresno Bob]

Sliding into home when he stole it could have also resulted in injury. There is a risk of injury just by stepping on to the diamond. Could he have gotten hurt? Sure. But, as I initially said, there was no intent to injure and no malice.

Pitchers have been "getting away with this stuff" for many many years. It's a part of the game that should stay - not be punished.

This is why I'm 100% in favor of pitchers hitting, so that payback can occur

[popeye]

Sliding into home when he stole it could have also resulted in injury. There is a risk of injury just by stepping on to the diamond. Could he have gotten hurt? Sure. But, as I initially said, there was no intent to injure and no malice.

Pitchers have been "getting away with this stuff" for many many years. It's a part of the game that should stay - not be punished.

That was a terrible analogy. Sliding into home was the hitter's choice to make. He had no choice about getting hit (intentionally) in the back, by a pitcher who wanted to make a point. And we'll also have to disagree about it being part of the game that should stay.

[OaklandA's]

At a salary of $15M this year, the suspension costs Hamels $463K. That's a pretty hefty fine, even if the games missed are not meaningful.

According to Jon Heyman, Hamels will still get paid during his suspension, although there will probably be a small fine. So it's not really hurting Hamels in the wallet or on the field.

[gcstomp]

The beaning is a crap play. But admitting to it, bragging about it, was Cole hoping for cool points or what with that move? Hamels was gently plunked as payback, and everyone in the known universe knows that was intentional, but note no fake suspension there. Because baseball wants you to play it off like you lost the handle on that pitch, happens to the best of us, play on.

Positive spin for Harper there, as he didnt even give evil eyes when plunked, no pause, no grimace, just silently took the base. And his steal of home adds to the mystique of the boy who will be king storyline. The announcers were downright giddy at that play. Hamels tried to take something away from the kid, his confidence, his comfort level, or just wanted to give a cheap shot to someone he didnt like. But Harper went all Leonidas on him, give them nothing, take from them everything. I thought it was a moment of physical poetry, how better could the kid have possibly handled this.

[Fresno Bob]

The beaning is a crap play. But admitting to it, bragging about it, was Cole hoping for cool points or what with that move? Hamels was gently plunked as payback, and everyone in the known universe knows that was intentional, but note no fake suspension there. Because baseball wants you to play it off like you lost the handle on that pitch, happens to the best of us, play on.

Positive spin for Harper there, as he didnt even give evil eyes when plunked, no pause, no grimace, just silently took the base. And his steal of home adds to the mystique of the boy who will be king storyline. The announcers were downright giddy at that play. Hamels tried to take something away from the kid, his confidence, his comfort level, or just wanted to give a cheap shot to someone he didnt like. But Harper went all Leonidas on him, give them nothing, take from them everything. I thought it was a moment of physical poetry, how better could the kid have possibly handled this.

wow, I thought Hamels plunked him AFTER he stole home as his "old school" response....if he plunked him before, Hamels is a bigger ******* than I thought

[gcstomp]

wow, I thought Hamels plunked him AFTER he stole home as his "old school" response....if he plunked him before, Hamels is a bigger ******* than I thought

Well good I clarified for at least 1 person then. Yeah it was dickish move all the way for Cole. Kid didnt steal home until after he was plunked, but he made his stay on the basepaths from the plunking memorable. Basically Cole directly gave the other team a run for no reason other than he is "old school" which is crap because old school means in response to something. This was just starting up.

[BuckyBuckner]

Well good I clarified for at least 1 person then. Yeah it was dickish move all the way for Cole. Kid didnt steal home until after he was plunked, but he made his stay on the basepaths from the plunking memorable. Basically Cole directly gave the other team a run for no reason other than he is "old school" which is crap because old school means in response to something. This was just starting up.

But why should you be suspended for being a dick and/or stupid? I'm not defending his actions, just asking the question because while I don't think he should have plunked him it's part of the game that's not going away.

[Lurker765]

wow, I thought Hamels plunked him AFTER he stole home as his "old school" response....if he plunked him before, Hamels is a bigger ******* than I thought

No, it was plunked. Went from first to third on a single. Stole home.

I like Harper better than Hamels after just that sequence and the jibber jabber afterwards. Cole said what? And Harper's response was <crickets> and then let his manager do the talking.

[wombat104]

Jim Leyland's thoughts from the Detroint News:

"I think five games is way too light," Leyland said. "Personally, if I was making that vote, it would be a 15-game suspension — at least.

"I don't know Cole Hamels, so I certainly don't have any qualms with Cole Hamels. I don't know the man. I know he's a very good pitcher, a very talented guy.

"If my pitcher went out and, almost in a braggadocious way, talked about hitting a guy and that 'I did it on purpose.' (a five-game suspension) is not enough. There's no way.

"You know, we're always talking about our game being cleaned up and doing the right things for our game in all areas," said Leyland, "and I'm 100 percent for that. But this is a perfect time to show that we mean business."

"It becomes a joke. Let's tell it like it is."



From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz1uJaIrH7N

[Fresno Bob]

You know what is "old school", striking the rook out on three pitches with heat, more heat, and a nasty change up that makes him look foolish....Hamels was bush league