Category Archives: Don’t Call Out Teammates in the Press
Angels Sink Lower, Take Verbal Swipes at Each Other, Meet to Clear Things Up, Lose Again
Remember how last week Bobby Valentine declared, for no apparent reason and on TV, no less, that Kevin Youkilis was not “as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past”? One of my ensuing conclusions … Continue reading
Whatever Happened to Private Conversations? or: The Fine Art of Keeping Your Mouth Shut
To judge by the accusations flying around the major leagues, this is the summer of our discontent. Players just can’t seem to keep their frustrations to themselves. Despite baseball’s unwritten rules mandating a strict moratorium on talking to the media … Continue reading
Filed under Don't Call Out Teammates in the Press
You Talk Too Much: The Fine Art of Complaining Your Way into the Doghouse
It’s been a bad week for baseball types to talk, with every talker doing his darndest to deflect blame that he incontrovertibly deserves. In Cincinnati, Edinson Volquez continued his season-long meltdown on Sunday by giving up seven runs to Cleveland … Continue reading
War of Words Brews in Motown Following Valverde’s Dramatics
We got a Code twofer this weekend, with on-field actions drawing a response that is itself governed by baseball’s unwritten rules. It started with Tigers closer Jose Valverde, whose antics atop a pitcher’s mound are well established. He spins, spits, … Continue reading
Ramirez Apologizes, Everybody Moves On
When a young player runs afoul of the unwritten rules, he’ll likely be taken aside by his manager or a veteran teammate for an explanation of proper behavior. Should that fail, they bring in the big guns. In the case … Continue reading
Ramirez Situation Explodes
As if booting the ball, then loafing after it wasn’t bad enough. As if being pulled from the game and publicly chastised by your manager wasn’t enough. As if your own teammates piling on, saying that they need to see … Continue reading
Ramirez Loafs, Gonzalez Fumes, Florida Sinks?
Is he or isn’t he injured? Does he or doesn’t he care? The questions rage in South Florida after Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez accidentally kicked a baseball 100 feet into the left-field corner yesterday, then lazed after it while two … Continue reading
Don’t Call Out Teammates in the Press; This Goes for Management, Too
There is an unwritten rule that prohibits players from calling out teammates in the media for virtually any indiscretion. Issues are to be handled behind closed doors, and an inch of insight gained by the public into clubhouse discord is … Continue reading
