After I posted my feelings on the Matt Capps suspension, I received several emails complaining about my reasoning. Here is one email that I would like to share, complete with my rebuttal. The email came from a reader by the name of Brady Quinn.*
You need to look at the tape again. Prince Fielder was not hit in the elbow he was hit in the shoulder. Oh and by the way the reason he was hit in the shoulder? He lifted his shoulder to protect his head. I am all for the pitcher having the inside corner, but that’s not what happened here. Capps was head hunting and it could have either seriously hurt Fielder or incited an ugly brawl.
Even Jim Tracy commented after the game that he understood why Fielder was upset. I can agree that four games may be harsh, however your stance is ridiculous.
Take your homer blinders off.
Here is my response to Brady Quinn.
Shoulder…Elbow…My bad. I typed that in a hurry cos I had to go to a meeting.
Capps headhunting? Could be. But is Capps known as a head hunter? Does he have a history of going after guys just because the batter before him is having an
unbelievable series? Thats a stretch to even think of. And should an isolated instance warrant an automatic ejection coupled with an overdone suspension and
fine?And Fielder? His exaggerated spin, the stare at Capps, the glaring into Milwaukee’s dugout to see if retaliation was coming in the next inning, and the childish antics he displayed on Sunday really begs the question if Fielder was doing a little acting. At least a little. And Capps was immediately ejected because of it. And now has four games to think about it.
Yeah I heard Tracy say that (about Fielder being upset). Fielder has every right to be upset, because the pitch was well inside. And he got hit by it. I’d be mad at that, too. I’m only saying that Capps’ suspension is wrong, and Fielder, who was blatantly calling a hit on the Pirates in the next inning by constantly staring into his own dugout, is partly to blame.
Fielder gets hit sorta in between the shoulder and the elbow. Here’s some crappy video. Note the elongated “lay on the ground and stare at Matt Capps.”
And here is a quote from ESPN.com’s account of Sunday’s game.
Fielder just eluded catcher Ryan Doumit‘s tag as the throw home was up the third-base line. After he slid across the plate, Fielder popped up and repeatedly punched his fists toward the Pirates’ bench, prompting plate umpire Tim Timmons to step in front of him and point him toward the Brewers’ dugout.
Doumit followed with:
It was a nice slide,” he said. “My hat is off to him, but I think that’s pretty bush league what he did afterwards.
Oh, and the homer blinders part? That’s part of the site. The name is Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies, and I elude to seeing the world through black and gold colored glasses in my “About” section:
Yeah, my Pittsburgh bias is evident, and if it shows itself in my posts, then you’ll just have to deal with it.
Its kinda part of the site. This isn’t the place for unbiased analysis. Of course I’m gonna take Capps’ side.
* Names have been changed for comedic purposes.
