Author Archives: Jason Turbow
Great Scott! Red Sox, Rays Continue Decades-Long Dustup
Jeez. You go away for a long Memorial Day weekend, and all heck breaks loose. The nice thing about looking at situations like this in retrospect is the clarity afforded by the long view, in which the reactions to a … Continue reading
Filed under Retaliation, Luke Scott, Franklin Morales
All Quiet in Philly: Hamels-Harper Drama Reaches Accord
So the big showdown happened. Nearly three weeks after his drilling of Bryce Harper renewed baseball’s fascination with the unwritten rules, Cole Hamels stepped to the plate three times against Edwin Jackson, once with first base open, and didn’t even … Continue reading
Filed under Bryce Harper, Cole Hamels, Retaliation
Who to Target, and Why: Showdown at Wrigley Serves as Interleague Primer
For a vast majority of baseball’s history, much was made of the difference between the National and American leagues. AL: Based on the three-run homer. NL: Prefers to sacrifice. Recently, however, decades after the adoption of the designated hitter amplified … Continue reading
Filed under Retaliation
The Night the Lights Went out in Tampa: Rhymes Collapses After Drilling
Will Rhymes was hit by a pitch Wednesday, in the forearm. Although there appears to be no lasting damage, the pain was sufficient for Rhymes to remove himself from the game while standing at first base, then pass out into … Continue reading
Filed under Don't Rub
Ask What You can Do for Your Teammates: Kennedy Avenges Parra, a Season Later
Perhaps this is what Cole Hamels was talking about when he proclaimed his drilling of Bryce Harper last week to be “old-school baseball.” Old-school baseball frequently involves long memories, and a willingness to respond to a situation even if it has … Continue reading
Filed under Clayton Kershaw, Ian Kennedy, Retaliation
Brewers Denied Target Practice: Wright Pre-Emptively Pulled
Because such thing exists as a pre-emptive strike, it goes to follow that its opposite must be pre-emptive strike avoidance. It’s a term not frequently utilized, especially in Major League Baseball, but it concisely sums up the strategy employed by … Continue reading
Filed under Retaliation, Terry Collins
Harper Homers, High-Fives, Handles History
For a young player with a history of attitude, Bryce Harper did a lot right upon hitting his first home run Monday. After crushing a slider from Padres right-hander Tim Sauffer to dead center field, well beyond the 402 marker, … Continue reading
Filed under Bryce Harper, Rookie Etiquette
For Pujols, Silent Treatment Taken to New Extremes
Albert Pujols finally hit a home run for the Angels on Sunday, 27 games and 110 at-bats into his career in Anaheim. A drought like this is noteworthy for baseball’s best hitter, let alone a guy trying desperately to justify … Continue reading
Filed under Albert Pujols, Firsts
North Side Slap Fight: Braves, Cubs Trade Drillings at Wrigley
All the people yelling about how Bryce Harper didn’t do anything to deserve his drilling from Cole Hamels on Sunday can rest a bit easier. Somebody in baseball finally merited retaliation, and retaliation was delivered. We think. Speculation begins in … Continue reading
Filed under Retaliation
Hey Baby, What’s Your Sign? Chipper Doesn’t Take Kindly to Accusations
In The Baseball Codes, longtime Tigers catcher Bill Freehan had some advice for players looking to respond to a perceived indignity with overt action. “You don’t want to light a guy up,” he said. “Just let a sleeping dog lie.” … Continue reading
Filed under Chipper Jones, Jamie Moyer, Sign stealing
