Jeter should apologize for faking HBP. What if A-Rod had done it?
In last night's Yankee game in St. Petersburg, FL a pitch to Jeter was inside. Jeter spun away and grabbed his left elbow and acted as if he was in pain. The Yankee manager and trainer came out to attend to their "injured" player. The plate umpire reacted to Jeter's actions and awarded Jeter first base for being hit by a pitch.
TV replays showed that the pitch hit the bottom of Jeter's bat, not Jeter. One angle even showed Jeter peeking at the umpire to determine if his acting had worked. I was shocked. It makes me question the many times I have seen Jeter behave as if hit. This cannot be the first time Jeter has attempted deceit.
Most professional comments early this morning support Jeter faking injury to get a free base. The next batter, Curtis Granderson, homered to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Tampa eventually won 4-3.
What if the Yankees had won?
What if it had been the last WS game?
What if A-Rod had done it?
Would you teach a kid to do this?
At what age does such behavior become acceptable?
Baseball players are not supposed to make their own calls. Country club sports golf and tennis have players make calls as amateurs. Even pro golfers make calls against themselves. The PGA has an honor rule.
No, what Jeter did is not cheating. As far as I know there is no rule against it. There should be. There is such a rule in the NHL. It is faking. Jeter took action to deceive the umpire. Jeter was not passive.
What would be the reaction if a player corrected an umpire on one of the few plays where the player actually knows what happened as opposed to plays like trapped fly balls in which the player really does not know? What if a batter was awarded first for HBP and told the umpire that he had not been hit? Would MLB break into the PGA?
That would be refreshing. That would show integrity. That's what I expect from a player with the status of Derek Jeter, the Yankee captain, whom I will never view again as a person of integrity.
No comments:
Post a Comment