@adbono posted:Having fun playing the game is part and parcel to the experience. It’s one of the main reasons to play at all. The game isn’t always fun but for the most part players play for love of the game. There is a line between “having fun playing the game” and “behavior that disrespects the game and disrespects your opponent” - and players have been allowed to live on the wrong side of that line. The same way that much of society is on the wrong side of the line too, but I digress. Baseball has historically been a game that self-polices inappropriate behavior. In recent years snowflakes have voiced their objections alleging unsafe practices - which has promoted a surge in bat flips, stare downs, flip offs, sh&t talking, and other forms of bad behavior that some people want to normalize. I’m not one of them. I will never condone throwing at a batter’s head. But there is a time for a knockdown pitch and if a hitter ever flipped a bat when I played the next guy was getting plunked in the ribs. So guess what? Players didn’t pull those stunts. The unwritten rules of baseball (that people that never played the game object to) exist for a reason. And that reason is to preserve the integrity of the game thru insuring some behavioral standards. Call me get off my lawn guy if you want. The game is better when it’s played the right way.
Played a middling team yesterday (game 2 of 3 due to weather today).
Their bench was awfully loud and obnoxious even though they were down 8-1 in the 3rd.
In the 4th their catcher gets on 2nd and wasn't even shy about it. He's yelling "inside" or "outside" on every pitch giving location......if you want to be subtle about it ok, but I still digress.
I'm tracking pitch count by the dugout and before I can even say anything to the son (he's at SS) he gives me the "zip it" sign to his mouth.
Catcher comes up 2 innings later, our catcher sets up so far outside on 1st pitch it is crazy.......................batter dives for outside pitch and ball goes behind him. I get a little grin, nod my head, and take a sip of my diet coke and feel a little of that baseball player / dad moment that gets you all warm inside.
Next inning when son came up to bat there looked to be a one-sided 10 second conversation w/ the catcher.
Got home later and asked what he said, and he said "I just told him don't do that, or he's going to get one of his teammates hurt one day".
It's the little things sometimes.