Should Pie have plowed into Joba?

[DuffMan]

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13799181&topic_id=8879234&c_id=bal

VT and RZ are right...Here is a highlight of the game and you can see that Pie did go into a slide and then tried to go around Joba as he was doing it.

It was a lucky bounce and a crappy "slide" by Pie. I'm not patting Chamberlain on the back for that. I don't think the guy is smart nor agile enough to have done what he did on purpose.

I thought the slide was bad at first as well, but in the video link SG posted that's not the case it just looks awkward b/c Joba's foot/leg get in the way at the last second breaking up the momentum of his slide.

[ScottieBaseball]

Ok whatever...If an Oriole did this, you would be praising him up and down the message board.

C'mon...I'm not a homer like that! I'd call it like I saw it. Nothing looked intentional on Joba's part other than standing upright and bracing for impact.

[bobmc]

Ok whatever...If an Oriole did this, you would be praising him up and down the message board.

If it matters, I'm with SG on this one. Joba is a big boy and used his weight and girth to his advantage purposefully. I would have done the same. Now whether SB would praise him here if Joba was an O, I can't say.....but SG is usually pretty perceptive!

[Sports Guy]

C'mon...I'm not a homer like that! I'd call it like I saw it. Nothing looked intentional on Joba's part other than standing upright and bracing for impact.

Joba went to cover the plate and did it quickly. That was instinctual. For him to react that quickly isn't some lucky thing.

On top of that, he clearly meant to block the plate on the side that he did it. Now, maybe the angle of his body, getting his foot in the right place was a little lucky but the play itself was clearly instinctual. In fact, the entire play by all parties was all instinct..even Palmer said that.

[ledzepp8]

Joba went to cover the plate and did it quickly. That was instinctual. For him to react that quickly isn't some lucky thing.

On top of that, he celarly meant to block the plate on the side that he did it. Now, maybe the angle of his body, getting his foot in the right place was a little lucky but the play itself was clearly instinctual. In fact, the entire play by all parties was all instinct..even Palmer said that.

Agreed with this. He obviously meant to block the plate, it wasn't just dumb luck that he stood there. I refuse to believe that he meant to knock Pie's foot out of the way and divert his slide attempt...that was a lucky break.

[Big Al]

I'm still shocked that Joba could run 60'6" faster than Felix could run 90'.

[ChrisAF79]

It was good instincts by Joba to put himself in the position to block the plate like that. However, the result in which he kicked Pie's foot out of the way and prevented him from touching the plate was purely coincidental and lucky.

Regardless, I have a very hard time blaming Pie at all for the outcome. I think the anger here might be misplaced and perhaps driven by previous notions that Pie is not a very smart ballplayer.

[ChrisAF79]

I'm still shocked that Joba could run 60'6" faster than Felix could run 90'.

I know this is mostly just a joke, but by the time Joba finishes his delivery he's at least 5 feet closer to the plate than 60'6".

[srock]

I just watched the game on the MLB.TV archive, then read the whole thread. Now I have things to say!

Pie should have scored one way or another.

Pie did slide, but it was a terrible slide. A good slide and he scores.

Joba's blocking of the plate with his back turned was effective but utterly stupid. Pie could have ended his career and it would have been 100% clean.

In my opinion as a really good base runner in high school (take that for what its worth) the natural reaction for any base runner to seeing a position player blocking a bag should be take him out. There should not be a thought process or a hesitation, it should be automatic.

Who cares about a 60 pound difference? Pie is going full speed at Joba's back. Drop a shoulder into his thigh or spike him in he calf, not way the big man doesn't go down and he most likely drops the ball.

I know this sounds harsh because it probably means Joba is injured, possibly seriously. But that's baseball, you put yourself in a poor position, then the other team needs to make you pay. If you give your opponent this type of advantage, no matter how small, they will take it every time. You take him out, then the next similar play you have a clean place to slide.

To me, this is exactly the mentality Buck has been trying to instill in this team. Make them scared of us, not the other way around. It is a matter of intimidation.

[SammyBirdland]

I'm still shocked that Joba could run 60'6" faster than Felix could run 90'.

http://fatjoba.ytmnd.com

[Cokeman]

I know this is mostly just a joke, but by the time Joba finishes his delivery he's at least 5 feet closer to the plate than 60'6".

But Pie wasn't standing on 3B, so he was considerably closer to the plate than 90 ft.

[Singleton]

Joba was blocking the plate, like he should have been, but had his back to Pie and Pie awkwardly tried to slide around him and was called out on the tag, and he was.

Should Pie had plowed into Joba? I say f--- yes. Buck should have reamed him for not doing it, IMO.

This has been said to a degree but I'll say it a bit differently (hopefully). Joba was not standing stationary blocking the plate. He was moving to the plate from one direction, Pie from the other. It was such an unusual play (as Palmer noted) that it is hard to expect Pie to have been able to predict what would happen. If Pie had braced himself for a collision and Joba had stopped short (as most pitchers do) he probably would have fallen across the plate. As is, he did a sort of an awkward in-between move. It wasn't his greatest moment but to be fair, I don't think he should take huge blame either.

[JERSEYORIOLE]

I know this is mostly just a joke, but by the time Joba finishes his delivery he's at least 5 feet closer to the plate than 60'6".

AND Pie had a lead, he was much closer too

[JERSEYORIOLE]

I just watched the game on the MLB.TV archive, then read the whole thread. Now I have things to say!

Pie should have scored one way or another.

Pie did slide, but it was a terrible slide. A good slide and he scores.

Joba's blocking of the plate with his back turned was effective but utterly stupid. Pie could have ended his career and it would have been 100% clean.

In my opinion as a really good base runner in high school (take that for what its worth) the natural reaction for any base runner to seeing a position player blocking a bag should be take him out. There should not be a thought process or a hesitation, it should be automatic.

Who cares about a 60 pound difference? Pie is going full speed at Joba's back. Drop a shoulder into his thigh or spike him in he calf, not way the big man doesn't go down and he most likely drops the ball.

I know this sounds harsh because it probably means Joba is injured, possibly seriously. But that's baseball, you put yourself in a poor position, then the other team needs to make you pay. If you give your opponent this type of advantage, no matter how small, they will take it every time. You take him out, then the next similar play you have a clean place to slide.

To me, this is exactly the mentality Buck has been trying to instill in this team. Make them scared of us, not the other way around. It is a matter of intimidation.

This, exactly this

[SerenityNow]

I just watched the game on the MLB.TV archive, then read the whole thread. Now I have things to say!

Pie should have scored one way or another.

Pie did slide, but it was a terrible slide. A good slide and he scores.

Joba's blocking of the plate with his back turned was effective but utterly stupid. Pie could have ended his career and it would have been 100% clean.

In my opinion as a really good base runner in high school (take that for what its worth) the natural reaction for any base runner to seeing a position player blocking a bag should be take him out. There should not be a thought process or a hesitation, it should be automatic.

Who cares about a 60 pound difference? Pie is going full speed at Joba's back. Drop a shoulder into his thigh or spike him in he calf, not way the big man doesn't go down and he most likely drops the ball.

I know this sounds harsh because it probably means Joba is injured, possibly seriously. But that's baseball, you put yourself in a poor position, then the other team needs to make you pay. If you give your opponent this type of advantage, no matter how small, they will take it every time. You take him out, then the next similar play you have a clean place to slide.

To me, this is exactly the mentality Buck has been trying to instill in this team. Make them scared of us, not the other way around. It is a matter of intimidation.

A good slide and he scores? What do you mean a good slide, like a hook slide? I'm confused. In the video link sportsguy posted, http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13799181&topic_id=8879234&c_id=bal it looks to me like Pie is going into a correct slide at 1:13 in the video. Once he contacts Joba that changed his direction and motion. It looked to me he was making a "good" slide when you watch in slow motion. If you watch the play in real time Pie looks like an uncoordinated fool, but I don't think that is a good representation of what happened.