Brian McCann and the home run police.

Since Gomez was going to get an obstruction call he should have run right through McCann. At least Gomez tweeted an apology for his behavior.

This has been a hot topic on sports talk today - lots of divided opinions.  When I watch the clip that isolates Gomez, he stares and jaws practically the whole way around the bases - way too much.  If his motive was retaliation from being hit three months ago on the knee, a strut and a few-second glare would have been understandable (and most effective) but he didn't stop there.  Isolated view of Maholm has him not saying much.  As Gomez was still glaring and yapping as he rounded first and well on his way to second, I would expect a vet 1b to say something.  As he approached home and was still at it, I would expect a vet catcher to stand up and say something (albeit meeting Gomez ten feet up the line was certainly an interesting twist).

 

I'm a neutral party on this one.  If the criticism on the Braves is that they take it upon themselves to be baseball etiquette police, I don't see that as a bad thing.  I don't follow either very closely but I have only heard good things about McCann's character while I believe Gomez has had some other hot-head moments in the past.  And, did you see his eyes popping out of his head when he had to be restrained?  A little  disturbing.

 

BTW, at first he refused to apologize, so I'm pretty sure that was a demand from the organization. 

This has happened twice this season. Hardly an epidemic. And, as noted, in both cases the offending hitter apologized for his actions.

 

The "unwritten rules" are partly responsible for making baseball unique and entertaining. Baseball polices itself. It's been like that for 150 years (or so I'm told). I'm fine with it.

Gomez was disrespectful.

 

McCann literally broke a rule.

 

Gomez was suspended. McCann wasn't.

 

The "unwritten rules" don't say it's alright to physically prevent an opposing player from reaching a base.

 

The "unwritten rules" confuse me a lot, but that one I know is a fact.

 

I have no problem with Gomez's punishment. I do have a problem with the lack thereof reciprocated in McCann's direction.

J H,

 

I also thought it was odd that Gomez and Freddie Freeman were tossed but no action was taken towards McCann, I heard on sports radio today that the umpire explained that Gomez and Freeman were tossed because they never calmed down after the initial incident. Oh well.

Back up just a second.

 

Did you see Gomez's eyes and and stare at Malhom on the very first pitch? I know the umpires couldn't see it but had they it would have explained easily what happened next. So he gets plunked 3 months prior. So what. Batters get hit every day. Grow up and take your bumps and bruises. lol.

 

I dont think McCann was wrong IMO. Was he protecting his pitcher at that point? No. But, I think he was letting Gomez know that his bush-league behavior was unacceptable.

 

Glad Gomez has to sit a game. He deserves it.

 

I don't think anyone would argue Gomez wasn't out of line. But when is it appropriate to deliberately stop the game in the middle of the field, deliberately prevent an opposing player from touching a base and deliberately (and angrily) "discipline" a grown man? 

 

Gomez was classless and acted like a jerk. No doubt about it. But there is no chance anyone will convince me that McCann did anything even remotely close to appropriate. I lost a lot of respect for him last night, and I'm sure a lot of other people did as well. He is someone who claims to "play the game the right way" and "with integrity". Well, he's a hypocrite. 

 J H,

 

FYI - Freeman and McCann were fined.

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_...ewers-atlanta-braves

 

I pretty much agree with you - why Gomez was ejected and not McCann is beyond me.

I believe the history is that every time Gomez has hit a home run off this pitcher he has been hit the next at-bat. 2 or 3 times.

 

McCann should have been ejected and suspended. He was the first one to start the screaming after the home run was hit. And he escalated the whole thing by stopping Gomez. But the Braves are in a playoff hunt, MLB isn't going to cross that line.

 

Dare I say that Fredi has lost control of the Braves? This is the third time this kind of situation has happened this year involving the Braves.

Carlos Gomez played for the Twins for a number of years and a good friend works for them and got to know Carlos.  He said Carlos was great kid but not very mature and extremely high strung.  He had numerous run ins with cliff lee and others over some goofy things he did (bunting on 2 strikes, excessive celebration).  Not surprised by what he did and think the braves had every right to let him know; at the end of day it's Carlos being Carlos!  He will learn or pay the price.

I don't have a problem with what McCann did. Gomez was jawing ALL the way around the bases. Around 1st, he encountered Freeman and they got into it. Between 2nd and 3rd he was yelling at Maholm and pointing at his knee, between 3rd and home, didn't even look at his 3rd base coach and get the normal congrats - he was still yelling and talking trash to Maholm. It NEVER stopped. Way overboard. McCann did the right thing by letting the head case Gomez know that would not be stood for.

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=30939261&query=bench

 

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=30542249&query=bench

 

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=29473107&query=bench

 

But obviously the Braves have no problems...

Or any players that "pimp" home runs.

 

Soooooo.........did he ever score??????

So starting a brawl is the proper response?

I was agreeing with you by implying that the Braves have players that "pimp" home runs on their own team, but seemingly only take exception to the "disrespect to the game" when it is done against them. I find the behavior inappropriate, immature and irresponsible. I find it troubling that fans are so quick to condemn Gomez for his actions but defend McCann for his. There is NEVER a time when acting as either of them did is appropriate. I was disappointed to see both Gomez's actions and McCann's reactions. Classless on all fronts. 

So difficult to tell tone and emotion sometimes

I just think MLB needs to punish the Braves. It is obvious that THEY have a lot of faults right now and they are the common dominator in the whole thing...

I read he never reached home. He was awarded home on McCann's obstruction.

He deserves to act that way any day, any place he deals with Maholm. Maholm has been trying (or at least acting in a way showing he is willing) to end Gomez's career. McCann also has been playing the ass repeatedly. He's going to get his knees blown out or his face rearranged if he doesn't watch it.

So standing and watching a home run until it lands, staring down the pitcher, cursing at the catcher, cursing at the first baseman, showboating directed towards the pitcher, yelling at the catcher and then getting into a physical altercation with several members of the opposing team is acceptable if your team is in 1st place?

 

Not to be disrespectful, but I have no idea what the teams' respective records have anything to do with any of the actions that occurred on the field.

Nobody is trying end anybody's career. Quit being so dramatic. Maholm hit him in June, but I can't find evidence of any other incident at all.

 

 

In summary, an immature stupid act was met by an almost equally stupid act.  I'm giving Gomez the benefit of the doubt that he is stupider since he initiated & inflamed the situation.  In addition, Gomez needs to be tested for 'roids because that sure looked like 'roid rage to me.   McCann should have handled differently as a star catcher and offensive player on a playoff bound team....he has much more to lose.   For the record, I have no problem with a catcher protecting his pitcher but that was the wrong way to handle it with playoffs next week.  I'm also tired of the Braves acting as the MLB Holy Rollers.  Get over yourselves, and just worry about your team.

 

The funniest part of this whole situation is the Braves may be the worst offenders when it comes to admiring their home runs. They have been showing their opponents up the whole year. I'm looking forward to another early exit by the Braves

I think the funniest part of this is watching Reed Johnson at about the 40 second mark of this video attacking Terry Pendleton's back.  What a weenie.  I have never seen somebody work so hard at looking like he wants some action but making sure he's got somebody in front of him.

http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=30939261&query=bench

 

No matter what is right or wrong, I bet Gomez has a fastball destined for his ribs early next season . Lol 

FWIW I would love to have seen Gomez take that swing against Drysdale or Gibson or Marachial or Jenkins. He would have gotten one in the ribs right there. It seems funny that we have people on here ripping McCann but funny that no one on mlb network, former mlb players, said anything about him. Anecdotal tale, Willie Mays goes up to the plate and as was his habit he kept his head down took his place in the box and proceeded to start digging in. Upon looking up and seeing Don Drysdale glaring he said to the catcher something to the effect of wow, forgot who was pitching. He was knocked down on next pitch, not hit, knocked down. It is about a hitter getting so comfortable that he just disdains anything that the pitcher does. At the MLB level that equates to taking food and money off of a families table. That's why Harold Reynolds was just livid that Gomez got a pitch to hit. And as far as pimping the home run, he was circling the bases just spewing out a torrent of abuse to the pitcher, the first basemen the middle infielders and to the third basemen. Kudos to McCann for what he did. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Remember, baseball is not this sweet little game that a lot of people think it is. You have to be a little hard to play this game, see Cobb and Rose and also Pedroia.

Biggerpapi, nice post.

RJM you are correct

 

I've spoken to several MLB players, present and past, that feel the exact same way I feel.

 

Just because Drysdale et. al. acted that way does not mean it's right. 

 

With that being said, there is a significant difference between throwing inside to a batter and stopping play to have a physical altercation with a player. McCann could have handled his immature policing in a much better- and more respectful- manner.

 

The best response from McCann near the end would have been to meet Gomez up the line and calmly make sure Gomez knew what channel to tune into to watch the Braves play in the NLDS. I'm guessing it's better than even money at that point that Gomez goes so ape-shit that he ends up with a triple.

There's really not a way for this to have been just a triple.

If Gomez flips out on someone before touching home, without there being an obstruction call as happened in the game, and then gets ejected after abandoning his attempt to run the bases, does he still get credited with a HR?  I don't think so, but I haven't dug through the rulebook to verify (and that's no guarantee the umps get it right in that case anyway).

Abandonment means something specific (going to the dugout or defensive position.) Even if he decides to stop to fight, it's not abandonment, and ejections do not take effect until after playing action has stopped.

JH they were not the ones on MLB network or ones I have talked to. I geuss guys like Gibson, Koufax, Seaver. Marachial, Johnson,Newcombe, Maglie, Clemens, Jenkins, Richards were not right? ALL of them BACKED guys off and occasionally threw at them. I suppose you would not have voted for any of them for the hall of fame or all star teams. No one said to throw at his head. Ribs and backside are fair game in this instance.Thats why Harold Reynolds was so emphatic that he never should have seen a pitch after that swing. Sorry but we differ greatly on this subject.

You really don't know the history of this situation, do you?

The history is still unfolding; this is just another round in a marathon battle. It'll go on. But anyone who thinks Gomez didn't lose this round just isn't able to look at it objectively. Hell, even HE (or the Brewers) thought he was such a punk that he needed to make an apologetic statement. If THEY think he was wrong, who's to argue?

That's not the issue at hand with what was said. He said McCann should be commended. McCann, in this ongoing situation (and others,) is the one of the biggest culprits. If he was going to confront Gomez, the only thing out of his mouth should have been, "Ok, we're even now. We're done."

I missed him saying he should be commended, but you agree Gomez was the punk, and went too far, this round?

Throwing the ball off the plate inside as a strategic location and intentionally hitting a batter are two completely different animals. I don't think any pitcher in their right mind would try to pitch without pitching inside. But to be quite honest, I find the practice of intentionally hitting batters to be absolutely stupid. The batter's goal is to get on base and the pitcher purposely facilitated that for him. What? How is that "helping your team"? I have never once thought about intentionally hitting a player and I would never condone it at any level. The pitcher's goal is to get batters out, not let them get on base. Hitting a batter intentionally may "fire up" the team...but it hurts the team in potential run prevention (which, of course, ties into wins and losses). I don't know about you, but I'd rather have one less baserunner than an egotistical war that takes away from the more important facets of the game.

 

So, if you'd like to interpret my sentiment as me saying that all of the above pitchers you mentioned were not right, then that's fine with me. Although I have never had the pleasure of meeting any of these pitchers personally, I certainly would not hesitate to voice this opinion directly to them if I had the opportunity.

 

I have absolutely no idea what the practice of intentionally hitting a batter has to do with a hypothetical vote based on performance.

 

I strongly stand by my opinion. Gomez was an instigating punk, and McCann was classless and immature. There is no place in the game for what either player did.