I don’t see why the players, managers, and owners can’t see how this nonsense is counterproductive to having a competetive entertainment business. You can’t needlessly risk losing exciting players over temper tantrums on the mound. Serious suspensions need to start being imposed. If not this season then next.
Ureña suspended
- Thread starter bravesfanforlife88
- Start date
This is where I am at. At most one start... pretty light.
Puerto Rico is way more Americanized than basically any other carribean island/country/territory.
FreemanFan
Danville Rookie
Six games is far too light, imo. Ureña might not even miss a start. If a non-pitcher is suspended six games, he actually misses six games. A 25-30 game suspension seems appropriate to me. Then he would have missed about six starts. If MLB continues to give out these minor punishments, they will never stop or reduce the head (or elbow) hunting. This was a perfect chance to show that MLB was serious about protecting players, especially its young exciting stars, but it failed. Ureña may be serving his suspension when we see the Marlins next, but there is always next season.
Horsehide Harry
<B>Mr. Free Trade</B>
sturg33
I
On the other hand... it led to a national discussion and a heck of a lot of attention.
Acuña’s Bat Flip
NL Rookie of the Year
That is not nearly enough games!
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
Speaking of the Young family (going off topic for a bit), I see Eric, Jr., is seeing playing time with the Angels.
As for this particular issue, I find myself at least partially agreeing with Enscheff in that MLB enforced its rules accurately in this instance. I get the argument that the current rules may not be stringent enough for something like this, but that's a different discussion.
PC, good to see you posting again. Sounds like things are still rough in Puerto Rico and I hope you are making out alright. Sorry to hear that kids are moving away from baseball on the island. If they are switching to soccer, it certainly can't be because baseball is too boring for them.
There's no doubt this one is getting more attention nationally because Acuna was actually hurt and had to leave the game right in the middle of being a big national story.
It's pretty easy to see why this one is getting more attention, and it is absolutely not just Braves fans talking about it, upset about it, or calling for the suspension.
It's pretty easy to see why this one is getting more attention, and it is absolutely not just Braves fans talking about it, upset about it, or calling for the suspension.
striker42
Well-known member
From what I've read, MLB was actually furious with Urena. The problem is that the player's union has MLB's hands tied. If they tried to suspend him 10 games the union would go berserk and the suspension would never stand. A 6 game suspension is about all you can get.
I think the reason people think this suspension is ridiculous even if it is in line with what other pitchers have gotten is because of how egregious it was. This wasn't a guy retaliating for one of his players getting hit. It wasn't a pitcher drilling someone for acting like an ass. It also wasn't a pitcher hitting a batter with something softer.
This was a pitcher who was mad because a player was single handedly destroying the pitcher's team so he throws one of his hardest ever fastballs with likely an intent to injure.
I think the reason people think this suspension is ridiculous even if it is in line with what other pitchers have gotten is because of how egregious it was. This wasn't a guy retaliating for one of his players getting hit. It wasn't a pitcher drilling someone for acting like an ass. It also wasn't a pitcher hitting a batter with something softer.
This was a pitcher who was mad because a player was single handedly destroying the pitcher's team so he throws one of his hardest ever fastballs with likely an intent to injure.
Tapate50
Well-known member
Well said
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
screw the suspension. wait till he pitches against us next year then throw at his head till we get him.
cajunrevenge
Well-known member
they will probably appeal no matter what. 6 games for a starter is like a 2 inning suspension for a position player. Just pushes his start back 2 games.
DirkPiggler
Well-known member
Urena will appeal, then drop the appeal the day before the Braves series next weekend. He's far too chicken**** to risk batting against the Braves (even though I don't think there would be retaliation this season).
Baseball needs to end this culture of using beanballs to enforce unwritten rules. And yes, you can probably search through my history here and other places and find instances where I've called for someone to get drilled. If so, I was wrong. With pitchers throwing near and above 100 mph at batters, its a matter of when, not if, baseball has a Calico Joe moment or worse. If a batter or team feels the need for physical justice, go out to the mound and beat the pitchers ass. Someone might get hurt and miss games, but no one will end up dead or a vegetable. To make sure this happens, the league needs to make the punishment more severe for players and managers for intentional beanball incidents.
jpx7
Very Flirtatious, but Doubts What Love Is.
To wit, a national writer with an article currently at the of ESPN’s main page:
Take note also of the several instances of suspensions longer than six games for throwing at a batter.
In Ventura's case he and Machado actually threw punches. Machado was suspended for 4 games...for fighting. Ventura was suspended 9 games...for drilling Machado and for fighting. Those numbers match up perfectly with precedent.
I'm going to guess all other suspensions longer than 4-6 games involved similar actions in excess of hitting the batter.
But hey, don't let actual facts get in the way of a good irrational rant.
Applying rational thought to the situation allows one to understand why Urena was "only" suspended for 6 games at this point in time. At some point (possibly this off season) the MLBPA and MLB will have to get together and address this issue. The MLBPA can't defend pitchers at the expense of letting hitters potentially get injured for much longer, that's for sure.
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jpx7
Very Flirtatious, but Doubts What Love Is.
Irrational or not, it’s still a lot more than Braves fans clamoring about the length of the suspension. And I still think ten days / two starts would’ve been fair, given how abjectly unnecessary and obviously intentional the pitch was; and I don’t think that’s so far outside precedent that you’d have seen union objection (especially since, as you note, they have hitters to protect as well as pitchers).
Why is 10 days "fair" when Hamels was suspended 5 games for drilling Harper? Hamels literally said, "I was trying to hit him". How is what Urena did any more obviously intentional than that? Because some people think Harper "deserved it", or don't like Harper? Or is it because Acuna literally just got picked up in 100 national stories due to his HR streak the day before this happened, and writers want more clicks?
Again, folks are being irrational. If Hamels was suspended 5 games, and Urena was suspended 6 games, then Urena was punished worse for a lesser crime already. That will undoubtedly be his defense when he appeals, and will almost certainly be reduced to 5 games...and you all will cry about it again.
I'm guessing this will be addressed by the MLBPA and MLB this off season because baseballs traveling at 95+ mph need to stop being intentionally thrown at human beings. All but the most thick headed baseball dinosaurs can agree with that.
However, it's not an argument of "fair", which is what folks tend to fall back on in an emotional tirade..."it's not faaaaaair, waaaah!!".
"Fair" is following precedent and punishing Urena exactly as all other similar offenders have been punished. "Fair" is agreeing to a new set of punishments before the new punishment is doled out to future offenders.
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