Crime and punishment.

Alex Rodriguez and Ian Kennedy, a tale of two offenders.  One rich ($28 million) and infamous.  The other poor ($4.3 million) and obscure.  In 2013 both were punished by the Major Baseball League (MBL).  Let's examine the crime and punishment of each.

Crime:
Rodriguez: violated MBL policy on use of performance enhancing drugs (PED), including steroids; never failed drug test.

Kennedy: hit two batters (Yasiel Puig, Zack Greinke) in the head in one game: Tuesday, June 11, 2013, 42,844 witnesses in Dodger Stadium, plus team members and media, and TV viewers.  Puig was hit in the 6th inning, Greinke in the 7th, after which Brad Ziegler replaced Ian Kennedy who was not ejected.  Ziegler is mentioned in the Peralta reference below.

Punishment:
Rodriguez: suspended one season (2014); currently serving.
Kennedy: suspended 10 games,one start.

It seems absurd.

Worse offense: steroids or hitting batters in the head ... twice.  Monday, August 5, 2013

Ian Kennedy pitching for Arizona on June 11 hit two Dodger batters, Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke, in the head and served a ten game suspension, which for a pitcher is generally two starts.  However, Kennedy timed the withdrawal of his appeal so that he missed only one start...

former commissioner Faye Vincent just advocated a lifetime ban for a first offense for using steroids...

Priorities are completely upside down in baseball.  Ian Kennedy hit two Dodger batters in the HEAD.  In the HEAD!
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Should the Detroit Tigers have been punished for the conduct of Jhonny Peralta? Should the team have taken responsibility?  Thursday, November 28, 2013

Jhonny Peralta was punished then rewarded.  But his team, the Detroit Tigers, was never punished...

It's clear that the contract that Peralta signed with the St. Louis Cardinals struck a nerve: cheating pays.  Arizona relief pitcher Brad Ziegler was among those players complaining and asking for stiffer penalties for players.  However, no one is asking for any penalties for others who also benefit: teammates and team management and ownership.  When those others share the punishment then the situation will change, but not before.

I've been recommending an honor code for some time.
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Tony LaRussa managed Mark McGwire (twice). So why is LaRussa a Hall of Famer but not McGwire?  Thursday, January 9, 2014

Tony LaRussa managed Mark McGwire in both Oakland and St. Louis...

LaRussa's career as manager was enhanced by drugs, those used by his players.  How come LaRussa is not held accountable by the baseball writers who vote for the Hall of Fame?...

No manager wins without good players.  The top two were the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire...

LaRussa's real bad boy was Canseco who broke open the steroid story by writing a book...

What did LaRussa know and when did he know it?
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Ray Chapman by TheDeadballEra.com
via Wikimedia Commons

Ray Chapman:
Born: January 15, 1891 in Beaver Dam, KY
Teams (by GP): Indians/Naps 1912-1920

Final Game: August 16, 1920 (Age 29)
Died: August 17, 1920 in New York, NY (Aged 29)
Buried: Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, OH

Note the proximity of Chapman's final game and his death.  That's because Ray Chapman was killed by a pitched ball thrown by Yankee Carl Mays, who plausibly claimed it was an accident.

How to stop head hunting by pitchers.  Thursday, May 7, 2009

Pitchers are lucky they have not already been replaced by t-ball. To discourage pitchers from hitting batters in the head, punish them. Pretty simple. So far MLB has not seriously considered that. Here is my plan for each occurrence in the pitcher's career: the pitcher is ejected from the game and suspended:
1. a week;
2. a year;
3. forever.
Intent should not be considered.
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Faye Vincent and I basically agree on punishment but we have very different ideas on which crimes fit the ultimate punishment.