Commissioner Selig let vigilante Ryan Dempster off easy in hitting Alex Rodriguez in 2013.

Ah, those thrilling days of yesteryear.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Start Time: 8:07 p.m. Local

Attendance: 37,917

Venue: Fenway Park

Game Duration: 4:12

Night Game, on grass

Yankees 9, Red Sox 6
WP: CC Sabathia (11-10) • LP: Ryan Dempster (6-9) • SV: Mariano Rivera (36)

Career: Rodriguez against Dempster:

Cr#	Year		Date	Tm	Opp		Inn	RoB	Out	Pit(cnt)	Play Description
1	2011	reg	2011-06-18	NYY	CHC	tied 0-0	t1	12-	1	6 (3-2)	Walk; Granderson to 3B; Teixeira to 2B
2						tied 0-0	t3	-2-	1	1 (0-0)	Single to LF (Ground Ball thru SS-3B Hole); Granderson to 3B
3						tied 2-2	t5	---	1	3 (1-1)	Single to LF (Ground Ball); Rodriguez out at 2B/LF-2B
Cr#	Year		Date	Tm	Opp		Inn	RoB	Out	Pit(cnt)	Play Description
4	2013	reg	2013-08-18	NYY	BOS	down 2-0	t2	---	0	4 (3-0)	Hit By Pitch
5						tied 2-2	t3	1-3	1	6 (3-2)	Groundout: SS-1B; Suzuki Scores; Cano to 2B
6						down 6-3	t6	---	0	2 (1-0)	Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep CF)

Coward Ryan Dempster should be suspended 211 games for deliberately hitting Alex Rodriguez. Monday, August 19, 2013

Ryan Dempster is a coward and thug.  Apparently like some other Red Sox players he has chosen to view the Alex Rodriguez situation as a personal affront.  With obvious malice and premeditated planning Dempster deliberately threw pitches at Rodriguez multiple times in his first plate appearance in last night's Yankee game in Boston...

Was Dempster the Red Sox designated hitter, the journeyman marginal pitcher selected by his ignorant teammates to be the avenging Red Sox player to deliver their violent message of contempt for Rodriguez? ...

Ryan Dempster is a 36 year old pitcher near the end of a below average career (ERA+ 98), which started with Florida in 1998.  Just in case you think this nobody is some kind of baseball player every-man, here is his total career compensation so far: $89,144,999 (source: baseball-reference.com).  That's $89 MILLION dollars for Ryan Dempster.  Who the heck ever bought a ticket to a game to see Ryan Dempster? ...

To their disgrace nearly all the Red Sox fans in Fenway Park cheered this vigilante act... Last night a representative sample of its population became the ugly mob...

Later in the game in his final plate appearance against Ryan Dempster Alex Rodriguez hit a home run.  Idiots will say that Rodriguez had exacted revenge.  No.  Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees played baseball.  It was Ryan Dempster and the Red Sox who had operated outside the lines of decency...

I'm guessing that Selig may suspend Dempster 8 games, which could translate to one missed start as it did for Ian Kennedy for hitting two Dodgers in the head in the same game.

Where are the priorities?  Where is the good judgement?  Where is the sense of justice?
_________________________

Vigilantism: so is it OK or not? Selig procrastinates. Tuesday, August 20, 2013 8:58 AM

So will Selig do the obviously right thing and suspend Dempster?  Selig has already sent a clear message by not acting quickly.  Whatever minimal punishment, if any, Selig administers it will be too little, too late.  Mob rule is OK in Selig's MBL.

One thing is for sure.  This has divided the players, which can only be good for the owners.
________________________

Coward Ryan Dempster suspended: too little, too late. Tuesday, August 20, 2013 6:59 PM

Ryan Dempster did not get what he deserved but at least the league gave him its minimum suspension for a starting pitcher: five games.  Better late than never.  Because of the schedule Dempster will be spared the humiliation of applying for a tactical appeal, which would have further exposed him as a hypocrite as well as a goon...

When interviewed after the game Dempster lied and denied that his actions were intentional.  Here is what the league press release states:

"Pitcher Ryan Dempster of the Boston Red Sox has received a five-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for intentionally throwing at and hitting Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees" ...

Rodriguez is not a sympathetic figure in this but his villainy is way overblown.  Selig, the nice, humble old man seems to be fighting for truth, justice and the American way.  Somewhere between Rodriguez and Selig there must be some rational place.  The game of baseball needs fundamental reform.  These performance enhancing drugs (PED) are only a small part of that.  Long after Alex Rodriguez is finished playing, the things that plague the game will remain.  Baseball will need a lot more than Rodriguez and Selig to fix them.
________________________

The Dempster hits Rodriguez game: let's give people grades. Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Alex Rodriguez: A+

Ryan Dempster: F

Joe Girardi: B

90% of Red Sox lynch mob: F

Allan Huber "Bud" Selig: F

As it usually is during games, the conduct of Rodriguez was exemplary.  After being intentionally thrown at and ultimately hit, Rodriguez held his temper and made no menacing movement towards his assailant and no negative gesture towards the lynch mob.  Rodriguez even played well, complete with that towering home run to center field off Dempster in their final confrontation.  Whatever his offences, Rodriguez does them in private.  A+.

Dempster's grade is obvious.  His conduct was unprovoked, cowardly and utterly reprehensible.  F...

I considered giving Selig a grade other than F but Selig created this mess and, of course, mismanaged it throughout.  F.
________________________

Commissioner Manfred, the A-Rod Slayer, warns against vigilante HBP against cheating Astros. Monday, February 17, 2020

"I hope that I made it extremely clear to them that retaliation in-game by throwing at a batter intentionally will not be tolerated -- whether it’s at Houston or anybody else. I think it’s dangerous and it is not helpful to the current situation.”
_______________________

Manfred made that statement to the MLB managers in spring training in Florida. Manfred intends to deliver the same message to the managers in Arizona.

That's a big improvement over Manfred's predecessor and benefactor for Manfred persecuting A-Rod, Allen Huber "Bud" Selig, who during much of his tenure as commissioner was also the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. That ownership remained in the family when it passed to Selig's daughter Wendy.

After presiding over the steroid scandal Selig was elected to the Hall of Fame, where he had been the longest serving director, including during the time he was commissioner.