Dallas Braden - New favorite A?

[Mooreisbetter27]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Dallas-Braden-blasts-A-Rod-for-breaking-unwritte?urn=mlb,236110

[Glenn Gulliver Fan]

Like Arod or hate Arod, but one thing he is very good at is working the psychological aspect of the game. He has had numerous incidents in which he has broken "unwritten" rules just to irk the other side (screaming as an opposing player tries to catch a pop up for example).

But crossing the mound after making an out is such a brilliant and subtle jab. I also love that Arod pretends like he is oblvious to the tradition:

"He just told me to get off his mound," Rodriguez said. "That was a little surprising. I'd never quite heard that, especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career.

"I didn't even know he was talking to me. I've never heard of that in my career. I still don't know. I thought it was pretty funny, actually."

It cracks me up that Arod says he has never heard of the unwritten rule that you don't jog over the mound, yet also mentions he "especially" hasn't heard it from a guy with a "handful of wins in his career."

If you've never heard of something, you've never heard of something. There is no "especially from". And to add further insult, Arod says "it was pretty funny, actually."

I know Arod is easy to hate, but he is one of the most intelligent players I've seen in many years. Braden reacted exactly as Arod hoped. Arod insulted him once by jogging over the mound, and again by jabbing him repeatedly in the press.

Arod will get plunked for this. That too is part of the equation in Arod's head. And knowing Arod, he will make that work in his favor as well.

Love this kind of stuff.

:laughlol:

[Dr. FLK]

I think you give Arod's intelligence too much credit. I just think he's a classless idiot.

[Glenn Gulliver Fan]

I think you give Arod's intelligence too much credit. I just think he's a classless idiot.

Ha ha. Well he is that too. Arod reminds me of AJ Pierzynski a bit in that sense. Perhaps it's classless intelligence.

It's hard not to crack up watching it though. So Arod.

[NewMarketSean]

Like Arod or hate Arod, but one thing he is very good at is working the psychological aspect of the game. He has had numerous incidents in which he has broken "unwritten" rules just to irk the other side (screaming as an opposing player tries to catch a pop up for example).

But crossing the mound after making an out is such a brilliant and subtle jab. I also love that Arod pretends like he is oblvious to the tradition:

"He just told me to get off his mound," Rodriguez said. "That was a little surprising. I'd never quite heard that, especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career.

"I didn't even know he was talking to me. I've never heard of that in my career. I still don't know. I thought it was pretty funny, actually."

It cracks me up that Arod says he has never heard of the unwritten rule that you don't jog over the mound, yet also mentions he "especially" hasn't heard it from a guy with a "handful of wins in his career."

If you've never heard of something, you've never heard of something. There is no "especially from". And to add further insult, Arod says "it was pretty funny, actually."

I know Arod is easy to hate, but he is one of the most intelligent players I've seen in many years. Braden reacted exactly as Arod hoped. Arod insulted him once by jogging over the mound, and again by jabbing him repeatedly in the press.

Arod will get plunked for this. That too is part of the equation in Arod's head. And knowing Arod, he will make that work in his favor as well.

Love this kind of stuff.

:laughlol:

Like trying to slap the ball out of the first baseman's glove on a close play?

ARod might be one of the best baseball players of all time but he still is a little b**** in my opinion.

[beaner]

He was trying to get into Braden's head, and he did. A Rod knew exactly what he was doing, and he's pulled this crap many times (Sean mentioned the first base thing with "Brandon" Arroyo, and when he yelled rounding third in Toronto)..Braden of course completely overreacted with his little temper tantrum, which is what Rodriguez wanted. Did Braden come out to start the seventh? He was clearly rattled over something pretty stupid.

Most guys don't do that kind of stuff, but A Rod clearly doesn't care what his peers think of him, which shows what kind of guy he is to be honest.

[DrungoHazewood]

I just thought Braden was trying to tell all 784 A's fans that he wasn't going to roll over for the Yanks. If Brian Matusz or David Hernandez did this he be a cult hero here forever.

[NewMarketSean]

I just thought Braden was trying to tell all 784 A's fans that he wasn't going to roll over for the Yanks. If Brian Matusz or David Hernandez did this he be a cult hero here forever.

We roll over for the Yanks, though, so that would never happen.

And Brian Matusz will be pitching for the Yanks one day so he doesn't want to make his future teammates mad at him.

[TakebackOPACY]

He was trying to get into Braden's head, and he did. A Rod knew exactly what he was doing, and he's pulled this crap many times (Sean mentioned the first base thing with "Brandon" Arroyo, and when he yelled rounding third in Toronto)..Braden of course completely overreacted with his little temper tantrum, which is what Rodriguez wanted. Did Braden come out to start the seventh? He was clearly rattled over something pretty stupid.

Most guys don't do that kind of stuff, but A Rod clearly doesn't care what his peers think of him, which shows what kind of guy he is to be honest.

Maybe Braden came out after the 6th because he gave up a 431 foot HR to Teixeira in the 6th, followed by a single to ARod. Cano hit the ball hard into the double-play as well.

[beaner]

Maybe Braden came out after the 6th because he gave up a 431 foot HR to Teixeira in the 6th, followed by a single to ARod. Cano hit the ball hard into the double-play as well.

Sure, that too;).

[TakebackOPACY]

Maybe Braden came out after the 6th because he gave up a 431 foot HR to Teixeira in the 6th, followed by a single to ARod. Cano hit the ball hard into the double-play as well.

Sure, that too;).

I do basically agree with your points concerning ARod, but I think ARod got more of a reaction than he was expecting. And I thought Braden's temper tantrum was great! It would've been interesting to see how Braden would've responded if he had come back out. Then again, you never know for sure. If this had happened in the 5th, would we have blamed it for rattling Braden before he gave up the bomb to Teix? (rhetorical, I think)

[beaner]

I do basically agree with your points concerning ARod, but I think ARod got more of a reaction than he was expecting. And I thought Braden's temper tantrum was great! It would've been interesting to see how Braden would've responded if he had come back out. Then again, you never know for sure. If this had happened in the 5th, would we have blamed it for rattling Braden before he gave up the bomb to Teix? (rhetorical, I think)

Agreed, I'm certain A Rod did that with a purpose, but didn't expect Braden to react that way, especially considering it was the end of the inning and it wasn't "his mound" anymore really. Good for Braden for standing up a "bully" (yelling at A Rod), but I still think he waaaay overdid it (throwing the glove, all of the "my mound" stuff..come on dude, A Rod's a d**k, but whatever).

I did appreciate Braden's taking another jab at A Rod saying Jeter would never do something like that..That probably hurt A Rod more than anything..

[BaltimoreTerp]

If A-Rod is an unwritten-rule-breaking jackass, then...

http://deadspin.com/5545350/40+year+old-video-exonerates-a+rod-in-dumb-mound+crossing-controversy

...so is Don Buford

This comes to us via The Fleer Sticker Project's entertaining rundown of the '71 Pirates-Orioles World Series. At some point in Game 1, the Pirates' Dock Ellis floated down to Earth long enough to throw out Don Buford at first. Buford, on his way back to the dugout, jogged across Ellis's mound, much as A-Rod did recently to Dallas Braden's mound.

Oh, and on an unrelated note, the best line ever written:

Of course, we're talking about Dock Ellis, and there's a good chance that Dock Ellis saw Buford and thought he was looking at a unicorn.

[Dipper9]

I liked what Braden said about A-Rod AT THE TIME, but the more I see of this kid, the more I think he is a whiny a$$. Just pitch!

[CrimsonTribe]

I liked what Braden said about A-Rod AT THE TIME, but the more I see of this kid, the more I think he is a whiny a$$. Just pitch!

I thought he was whiny at the time and he's just gotten worse since then. He should stick to pitching and getting his area code tattooed on his stomach.