Showalter gives Fox an earful

[JERSEYORIOLE]

I wish that one day a manager would stand up and say "I don't care about unwritten rules. We'll stop trying to win when you start bunting to the pitcher for every out."

Losing 4-3 and 30-3 both stink, but not as much as having an 8-0 lead and losing 9-8 because you stopped playing to win out of fear of offending a team of wealthy professional athletes.

WELL, I don't diagree at all, BUT...considering the teams we've had for the last 13 or so years...Im scared to see some of the scores that would have been put up against us, without some unwritten rules

[SrMeowMeow]

WELL, I don't diagree at all, BUT...considering the teams we've had for the last 13 or so years...Im scared to see some of the scores that would have been put up against us, without some unwritten rules

I don't recall us getting the benefit of any unwritten rules in the Mother's Day Massacre.

[scOtt]

I'm with the folks saying Buck was just protecting Jake. Here's Buck "chewing out" Jake in the dugout...

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[raveoned]

You know, when you have teams who love to nickname OPACY "Fenway South", relish having their fans in greater number than the home fans, cheat by repeatedly crowding the plate and whine to get a HBP call, I don't mind a few unwritten "gentlemanly" rules being thrown out.

If you're a hitter, you're being paid to hit the ball, not serve tea and scones, no matter what the score. If you want to win, and have people change their opinion of your team beyond being a doormat, sometimes you have to pound the greater team senseless.

[Austin]

When are they going to start writing these damn rules down?

[weams]

When are they going to start writing these damn rules down?

...

Fourth Bruce: Rule Six, there is NO ... Rule Six. Rule Seven,

...

Fourth Bruce: Right, that concludes the readin' of the rules, Bruce.

First Bruce: This here's the wattle, the emblem of our land. You can stick it in a bottle, you can hold it in your hand.

Everybruce: Amen!

[scOtt]

Don't make me consult the Book of Armaments.... cuz I will!

[maudibjr]

Unless he ignored an actual take sign, I'm already over this.

[Bradysburns]

It has nothing to do with the games mattering. Of course ST games don't matter as much and as such your going to approach the game differently. There is still some things you don't do regardless. As mentioned earlier in the thread, stealing a base up 13-1 would be another one. Like I said, Showalter and Leyland, two old school and well respected guys, reacted immediatedly and harshly. That tells me all I need to know in regards to the situation.

And I would take a good guess Showalter didn't have the take sign on. He probably expected Fox to know what to do and not to do in that situation.

Regardless of whether he had the take sign on or not... you could almost look at taking as "piling on" in one sense. When a pitcher's in trouble, you take. When he's not controlling the strike zone, you take. You take because it gives you a better chance to score runs... not because you're NOT trying to score runs.

So my point being: hacking away at a 3-0 pitch is something some pitchers might be thankful for!

Again, my take is: the only reason to yell at Fox would be because he disobeyed a take sign. That would be bench-worthy, IMO. Otherwise, a mild reprimand in private would have made more sense to me.

[Bradysburns]

WELL, I don't diagree at all, BUT...considering the teams we've had for the last 13 or so years...Im scared to see some of the scores that would have been put up against us, without some unwritten rules

Wasn't that 30-3 score against the Orioles? Or something very close to that?

[Lateralus]

Hey, maybe Fox made an honest mistake and thought the count was 2-0.

[Austin]

Wasn't that 30-3 score against the Orioles? Or something very close to that?

The Rangers must have broken some unwritten rule in that game. Someone needs to check the unwritten rulebook and see if scoring THIRTY RUNS is anywhere in there.

[John Budge]

Regardless of whether he had the take sign on or not... you could almost look at taking as "piling on" in one sense. When a pitcher's in trouble, you take. When he's not controlling the strike zone, you take. You take because it gives you a better chance to score runs... not because you're NOT trying to score runs.

So my point being: hacking away at a 3-0 pitch is something some pitchers might be thankful for!

Again, my take is: the only reason to yell at Fox would be because he disobeyed a take sign. That would be bench-worthy, IMO. Otherwise, a mild reprimand in private would have made more sense to me.

Usually, the take sign is always on with a 3-0 count.

[shorebird22]

Apparently this is being blown up enough to make the front page on yahoo again. First Luke then this, guess any news is an improvement.

[Bradysburns]

Well, obviously Buck and Leyland feel that the unwritten rules are already in effect. I'll defer to their judgment unless you have more ML managerial experience than they do.

I, Earl Weaver, am in the Hall of Fame. And I say they are both full of *&&$! Now pass me my Pall Malls.