David Ortiz-I hate you

[DrungoHazewood]

The ball sat right on top of the upper edge of the strike zone according to the Red Sox pitch tracker. When you try to show up the P or the game, you're not going to get any borderline call. So, the umpiring was anything but terrible.

The only argument we could possibly have is that that pitch is not always called a strike.

But, then again, we're not used to having our strike zones defined by the respect of 17 years of Red Soxiness.

[russ snyder]

"Self absorbed hot dog" is meaningless to me in the context of professional athletes. I think Ortiz loves and respects the game and is overall a fine human being and a great baseball player. I don't see why anyone should care if he bashes in a phone or yells at an umpire. If this was an Orioles player doing this, we would be talking about the umpire's terrible performance, not about the player. And if we talked about the player, we'd be praising him for his passion and commitment to his craft.

I'm fine with your considering my description of him meaningless. He may be a decent guy, however, I take a bit of exception with how much he respects the game. His posturing when he hits home runs is meant to show up the opposing pitcher. I don't think that fits into respecting the game. Further, if he respected the game so much, he wouldn't have stepped out of the box on Ascencio or blamed the umpire after he basically gave his precious at bat away. I don't care that he threw a tantrum, but it was pretty bush to do it in plain view of everyone.

I can't speak for everyone, but I would not defend an Oriole player who acted out in such a manner. I would think that a fine from MLB would be forthcoming. Why should he be praised for his praise and comittment to his craft? his job is to play baseball. I know he was whining that all he does is hit and that a precious at bat was taken away from him. Last time I checked he struck out swinging. (Finally, if he was so "committed" to the game that he loves so much maybe he would have lost some weight so that he could play in the field once in a while.

[JLee2027]

I would have suspended Ortiz (or any player) that loses control like that. Unbelievable that MLB has done nothing. Nothing!

[Dipper9]

Yes, David Ortiz is laughing at US. That makes perfect sense. He wakes up in the morning and dreams up ways to stick it to fans of the Baltimore Orioles.

Saturday night's incident had nothing to do with the Orioles, their team, their players, their fans, or anything else. It had to do with a bad call by an umpire. I think Ortiz was more upset by the principle of the thing. He's there to do his job, the umpire is there to do his. He expects the same high level of performance out of the umpire that he demands of himself. If he doesn't see that same high level of performance, he gets offended and gets angry. I don't blame him one bit or think anything less of him for it.

So its okay to destroy someone Else's property if you get angry? Okay, gotcha. Remind me to stay clear of whatever those principles you are teaching your kids.

[Dipper9]

Not that its ever possible, but I'd love to see an alternate universe where Pedroia was struck with the bat during Ortiz' roid rage, and see if those defending him would have the same careless opinion they do now.

[Il BuonO]

So its okay to destroy someone Else's property if you get angry? Okay, gotcha. Remind me to stay clear of whatever those principles you are teaching your kids.

In the real world, many people would get arrested for what David Ortiz did Saturday night.

Not that its ever possible, but I'd love to see an alternate universe where Pedroia was struck with the bat during Ortiz' roid rage, and see if those defending him would have the same careless opinion they do now.

He's a real good guy, though, to hear some tell it. I don't get it. At least Pedroia, to me, plays the game the right way and anyone can be excused for an outburst if it was not characteristic of his behavior. Ortiz has made a career out of just this kind of thing and he shows no remorse.

One poster compared him to Jones who was made at himself when he was caught by the dugout camera at Yankee Stadium. Not even close to being comparable situations. When Jones realized what had happened he apologized, no excuses. All Ortiz does is make excuses, about how the umpire blew it and then telling people over and over he's not a bad guy. Who are you trying to convince? His actions long ago would have convinced many people of that.

Methinks thou doth protest too much.

[howboutthoseos]

I'm fine with your considering my description of him meaningless. He may be a decent guy, however, I take a bit of exception with how much he respects the game. His posturing when he hits home runs is meant to show up the opposing pitcher. I don't think that fits into respecting the game. Further, if he respected the game so much, he wouldn't have stepped out of the box on Ascencio or blamed the umpire after he basically gave his precious at bat away. I don't care that he threw a tantrum, but it was pretty bush to do it in plain view of everyone.

I can't speak for everyone, but I would not defend an Oriole player who acted out in such a manner. I would think that a fine from MLB would be forthcoming. Why should he be praised for his praise and comittment to his craft? his job is to play baseball. I know he was whining that all he does is hit and that a precious at bat was taken away from him. Last time I checked he struck out swinging. (Finally, if he was so "committed" to the game that he loves so much maybe he would have lost some weight so that he could play in the field once in a while.

Agree with all of this. Some Red Sox fan had a Twitter battle with Casey Willet a few months ago and said something to the effect of, "Yes, he poses after home runs, but he's a classy guy."

But that's just the point - some activities fall outside of the definition of classy/respecting the game. Showing up opposing pitchers falls outside the definition of respecting the game.

The phone-smashing incident was the catalyst for this thread, but I don't think it's really what pisses people off. It's what's behind it -- this egomaniacal, entitled attitude that I deserve better because I'm David Ortiz. As far as I can tell, none of the Ortiz defenders on this thread have come close to saying why it's OK that he routinely shows up opposing pitchers -- much less, ORIOLES pitchers. If you can't defend it, then maybe you should examine your own view of Ortiz rather than limply defending him.

[The Wedge]

Another thing, most people get thrown out for the wild gesticulating he did before he even smashed the phone. Blatantly making hand motions about where the pitches were like that is definitely trying to show up the ump (even if you basically were getting shown up by the ump in return for trying to show up the pitcher AND the ump prior), and usually it's one of those "quick toss" type actions. Timmons was LETTING IT GO. Mainly because Ortiz pulls that crap so much they'd be tossing him every other day probably if they didn't let it go. He only got tossed because he destroyed the phone, and that was mainly because Timmons, as he explained it, saw the debris fly out like it did.

So, let's keep that in mind...he was tossed FOR going ape-crap on that phone box, but no word of any sort of fine? That doesn't track. The excuses and the fact that he's such an entitled jerk about things (I'm still incensed more about his comments post game then the outburst. It was bad enough, but hearing him whine about 17 years and respect me blah blah made it so much worse to me) are driving me nuts. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with this with a handwave anymore.

[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>David Ortiz will not be suspended for destroying dugout phone <a href="http://t.co/ifrVmJtllG">http://t.co/ifrVmJtllG</a></p>— Marc Normandin (@Marc_Normandin) <a href="

">July 29, 2013</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No suspension.

[Redskins Rick]

<iframe style="width: 1px; height: 1px; border: medium none; position: absolute;" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" id="twitter-widget-0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

David Ortiz will not be suspended for destroying dugout phone

http://t.co/ifrVmJtllG

— Marc Normandin (@Marc_Normandin)

July 29, 2013

<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No suspension.

Thanks, and how did we live without twitter in those years before twitter?

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[Dipper9]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>David Ortiz will not be suspended for destroying dugout phone <a href="http://t.co/ifrVmJtllG">http://t.co/ifrVmJtllG</a></p>— Marc Normandin (@Marc_Normandin) <a href="

">July 29, 2013</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

No suspension.

What a joke! How much longer til Bud retires? He's ruined baseball in so many ways I've lost count.

[Redskins Rick]

What a joke! How much longer til Bud retires? He's ruined baseball in so many ways I've lost count.

Billy Martin ruined a dugout phone in RFK and was not suspended by Bowie Kuhn.

I am sure there are other examples out there, too.

Don't you think you are going over the top, by saying, no suspension is ruining the game?

[Dipper9]

Billy Martin ruined a dugout phone in RFK and was not suspended by Bowie Kuhn.

I am sure there are other examples out there, too.

Don't you think you are going over the top, by saying, no suspension is ruining the game?

Yes. Any other questions?

The fact is, now since there was no suspension, Ortiz will say this "proves" he was right in his shenanigans, and his act will continue.

I wanted so bad for someone to plunk his fat rear end on Sunday. I really did.

[DrungoHazewood]

Billy Martin ruined a dugout phone in RFK and was not suspended by Bowie Kuhn.

I am sure there are other examples out there, too.

Don't you think you are going over the top, by saying, no suspension is ruining the game?

Standards of conduct change over time. In the Bad News Bears one of the parents hits a player during the game and nobody really even thought it was out of line. In the 1890s fistfights were common between players, umps, fans. I'd like to think baseball is less tolerant of on-field violence than it was even 30-40 years ago.

[mcinww0]

Ortiz is easily my least favorite player in baseball right now. The blatent showboating is disrespectful to the game, as are his frequest outbursts and threatening behavior. Not a coincidence that the only orioles brawl the past few years was started by him.

But what really upsets me is that he's clearly on peds and the Redsox are massively benfitting from it. Look at his career stats and try to tell me the late-career surge doesn't reek of peds, not to mention his body type and hitter profile.

Ortiz is the last of a generation of selfish, juiced up sluggers who have no respect for their opponents, their teammates or the game itself.