Comments on: David Ortiz and Josh Beckett blame the media for plunkings

By: sparky1002

sparky1002 — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:08:48 +0000

Of course he “slipped”…just look at all the “slipping” he did in the same game during the 7th inning.

By: md23rewlz

md23rewlz — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:57:37 +0000

I love how Ortiz told Girardi to take the bat flip “like a man,” yet when Ortiz inevitably gets plunked (a part of baseball, like it or not), Ortiz does the exact opposite of “taking it like a man” and goes on this little b*tchfest. So laughably unaware. I am laughing now. Hahaha. Laughter.

By: Old Gator

Old Gator — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:18:55 +0000

It was mere coincidence that the sequence of events gave two ballplayers an opportunity to call the media a bunch of assholes. However, ballplayers want to do that at any given time. This was a case of serendipity, not synchronicity.Cosmic unsconsciousness my ass.

By: bobwsc

bobwsc — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:48:05 +0000

Giambi, Sheffield, Clemens, A-Rod…yea, you should talk.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:57:36 +0000

(Though to be fair, I feel that they could rework Quick Pitch a bit. I’m tired of seeing the hosts bungle their way through a highlight because first, they haven’t seen the highlight yet; and second, everything’s going too fast for them to get their thoughts out of their heads coherently).

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:54:46 +0000

Agreed, I can’t remember the last time I watched Baseball Tonight when I had MLB Network as an alternative.

By: Justin

Justin — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:38:47 +0000

Yankee fan making fun of a Red Sox player for steroids? I think that is the definition of the pot calling the kettle black.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:31:18 +0000

Where’s Jon “Mystery” Heyman in the lineup? Can we just plunk him?

By: lammy5555

lammy5555 — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:44:00 +0000

Without the media bringing the issue to the forefront (i.e. questioning players and managers after games with questions on a “controversial” topic) then there is a factual probability and likelihood that the media could be contributing to the proxime cause of the action thus being able to hold them liable.

Also, you are reporting inaccuracies as to when Ortiz was hit. He was hit in an inning with only 1 out and 1 runner on base. I agree that the time to do it is with 2 outs and none on in an inning where a player from a previous team was just hit. However, the timing of this incident could lend some credence to media outlets creating a situation.

By: funkygoorilla

funkygoorilla — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:36:31 +0000

Yes, because when the Yankees win, someone always says that. So I am keeping the tradition alive. And besides, its true!!

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:26:47 +0000

I say plunk the media’s cleanup hitter to teach their team a lesson.

By: bobwsc

bobwsc — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:52:17 +0000

you gonna post that on every Sox-related story? especially a Sox/Yanks story…again?

By: Jonny 5

Jonny 5 — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:47:46 +0000

I figured it just “slipped”. A breaking ball that didn’t break so well, is the norm in a case like this. I’m sure Paperlions above would agree that a non breaking breaking ball is going to happen more frequently than an actual intentional plunking. Surely.

By: funkygoorilla

funkygoorilla — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:41:53 +0000

The RedSox buy all their championships!

By: yankeesfanlen

yankeesfanlen — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:35:19 +0000

I guess I’ll comment on this non-event.
Jeter and ARod had been plunked by BoSox pitching 20+ times apiece, vs. zero times the Sox had been plunkees. Then one pitch “slips” from CC’s arm, and……..

By: sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo

sabathiawouldbegoodattheeighthtoo — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:26:29 +0000

How does Big Poppy have time to watch the media, what with that extensive investigation he is running to get to the bottom of his allegedly positive drug test. Hopefully he will find out about that soon so we can finally have his comments.

BTW, and completely unrelated, nice late-career resurgence this year.

By: 18thstreet

18thstreet — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:17:34 +0000

Why would anyone watch ESPN instead of MLB Network? Seriously. Other than Ravich, who is worth listening to over there?

It’s not like I watch a TON of highlight shows, but I pretty much never watch Baseball Tonight unless a series of unlikely events means that the highlights from the Red Sox game are way more likely to be on ESPN than MLB Network. (Okay, not that unlikely: it’s when MLB Network is showing another game and thus not doing highlights.)

Now, back to the Top 9 seasons by a left fielder. I love that stuff.

By: heynerdlinger

heynerdlinger — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:02:57 +0000

It’s all just part of a cosmic unconsciousness.

By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged

churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:44:16 +0000

Oh shit it’s Mike Wallace, run!

By: mattcaldwell

mattcaldwell — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:42:41 +0000

Nice wirk Jim Rome!

By: shaggylocks

shaggylocks — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:28:29 +0000

Ahh, now the new storyline in the media will be about the media creating storylines. I LOVE this new storyline!

By: phukyouk

phukyouk — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:11:50 +0000

I looked all over you tube for the chris rock “media” skit but was unable to find it. but for those of you who know what im talking about…

“”You think I’ve got 3 guns in my house ’cause the media outside? When I go to the money machine tonight, alright, I ain’t looking over my back for the media: I’m looking for ……”

By: heffmessina

heffmessina — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:55:10 +0000

Red Sox pitchers hit 5 or 6 Yankees in the series, including Texeria in the knee and A-Rod and Jeter last night. None intentional of course but it was time to send a message to them to start being more careful.

By: Andrew Zercie

Andrew Zercie — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:51:40 +0000

Ortiz can dish it out (34 HR vs. NYY, unconfirmed number of bat-flips), but he can’t take it (161 games vs. NYY, 1 HBP).

I think the media played a role in all of this, but all they did was push back the inevitable by a day. Joe Girardi couldn’t have “ordered the hit” on Ortiz a day after the bat-flip and the sensationalist coverage of it, it would have been too obvious, and it could have led to something more perhaps.

As it is now, the Yankees need to stop concerning themselves with beanballs and start playing the game right. The Red Sox own them so far this year, and there’s no getting around that.

By: paperlions

paperlions — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:51:16 +0000

Focusing on media involvement ignores the event context and proximate causative agent. If it was a media-related (or even bat-flip related) plunking, why did they wait to plunk him until after 2 Yankees had been hit two games later?

If you are going to hit a guy, the most logical time to do it is with 2 outs and no one on, so that the chances of it leading to a run are minimized. Ortiz was hit the inning after ARod was hit and there were 2 outs with none on. There are more parsimonious explanations for the plunking that you have to by-pass to conclude the media-related stuff had any effect at all.

By: paperlions

paperlions — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:47:12 +0000

Much of what I do for a living is analyze and interpret data, the phenomenon referred to in the comic is a constant theme you have to try to beat down in my field…along with bias associated with pet theories.

By: lammy5555

lammy5555 — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:46:35 +0000

Of course someone from the media, you Mr. Calcaterra, would downplay the media’s involvment. The media created the problem. Suck it up, and admit it.

By: professorperry

professorperry — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:43:50 +0000

Jeter has NEVER appeared on ESPN. It’s true.

By: Chris Fiorentino

Chris Fiorentino — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:43:49 +0000

Seems kinda odd to make a story out of the story that the media was blamed for the plunkings because they made a story out of them…

By: professorperry

professorperry — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:43:37 +0000

You are my favorite poster of the day.

http://xkcd.com/904/ must be read.