 |
Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS INSIDER In the wake of last week's brawl in Florida, the Marlins come to D.C. this weekend. |
So, should those holding tickets to tonight's game expect Nats-Marlins II: This Time It's Personal? Don't bet on it.
People from both clubhouses said they believe the incident is behind them and won't result in any more tussles this weekend.
"Yeah, definitely," Jim Riggleman said. "I think so."
Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez concurred when speaking to Florida reporters earlier this week.
"Knowing Jim Riggleman, I'm pretty sure he's going to tell his players: 'Move on, turn the page, let's play baseball,'" Rodriguez said. "We're going to Washington with the same attitude."
Even if there's no declaration of peace from the managers, Round 2 seems unlikely because the principle figure from last week's brawl (Nyjer Morgan) probably won't be in uniform all weekend.
Morgan is scheduled to have his appeals of two separate suspensions -- eight games for a series of events that culminated with the brawl, seven games for an alleged altercation with fans in Philadelphia three weeks ago -- heard this morning. A ruling is expected to be announced sometime this afternoon, and even if there's a significant reduction of the suspensions, Morgan is almost certainly going to have to serve at least three games beginning tonight.
None of the three Marlins players suspended as a result of the brawl have begun to serve their time yet, though first baseman Gaby Sanchez (who leveled Morgan with a clothesline and was suspended three games) will have his appeal heard tomorrow and could miss the final two games of the series.
Pitchers Alex Sanabia (five games) and Chris Volstad (six games), however, will be pitching in this series. Sanabia starts tonight, Volstad starts Sunday. The Marlins have indicated each will drop his appeal after pitching and then begin serving his suspension, which seems a bit disingenuous but is certainly within the rules.
30 comments:
One thing I have never liked about MLB suspensions is that a starting pitcher who gets a 5 or 6 game suspension usually misses only 1 or 2 starts. A position player who gets a five game suspension misses five games (unless reduced)which I think is plain wrong. If MLB wants to suspend a pitcher and make it hurt the team, suspend him for 15 games so he misses at least three starts (and don't let the club call up a minor league pitcher to replace him)and have the club work short a pitcher for a couple of weeks.
I, for one, intend to wear my Nyjer shirt tonight anyway. Just because.
to Knoxville Nat - they still lose their pay for the full suspension, pay that is based on them pitching every 5th day so it seems equitable to me.
to JaneB - okay but I wouldn't dig in if I was you. Next one might be at your head. I don't know where it's gonna go. Swear to God.
Amen & Thank you JaneB! DanP
Ruling on Nyjer just in. No suspension. Nats forced to bat him leadoff every game and not take him out of any game.
Frank still hates us.
Sanchez getting 3 games for what he did, in comparison to the other participants' penalties per actions, demonstrates that the suspension process is dumb,dumb,dumb! The pitcher vs positon player stuff also seems to reflect inequities.
Bud Selig getting $18 mill to preside over such baloney---that's also dumb!
I think it is weird that Marlins will drop their appeal once the series is over. Why didn't they just serve it right away. I am sure it would've been over by today. I don't really care. All I want is Nationals to beat them so brutal on the field that the next time Marlins have to face Nationals, all pitchers start to make excuses.
And I agree with Knoxville that pitchers should be suspended by starts, not games.
Nyjer Morgan is a punk.
"And I agree with Knoxville that pitchers should be suspended by starts, not games."
This really wouldn't work either. It would give bench players free reign to terrorize or play dirty 'until the cows come home' without ever being benched. You know, because they aren't starting....
...leveled Morgan with a clothesline...
what does it mean?
For starting pitchers, 5 games is a start. If you didn't go by games, a team could list a pitcher as the starter for 2 games in a row. That wouldn't pass muster with MLB, but 2 days off between starts is not impossible, especially with a Livo or a Dickey.
I'm wearing my Nyjer shirt to the game also. And I'll be heckling the real punk "Grabriela" Sanchez.
Go Nats!!!
Anon 11:13 -- not a golf fan I take it.
Please see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdlY5ibNntE for clarification. :-)
What exactly are those wearing Nyjer fans supporting? His decision to charge the mound? Stealing two bases with swagger and yap when the team is down ten runs? Giving up a game winning run to run over a catcher? Losing a run by missing the plate because he was more interested in hitting the catcher without the ball than scoring a run? Throwing your glove down and holding a personal temper tantrum in the outfield while the opponent runs the bases?
I believe in supporting the team as much as anyone, but I don't see supporting idiot behavior as a good idea. I'm hoping the suspension is upheld in full, mainly because you don't know when Nyjer's meds are gonna run out and he's gonna go nuts again. I don't think any of this is good for the Nationals -- quite the opposite.
A position player suspended for five games loses five days pay plus he has to sit out five games. A pitcher (starter)suspended for five games also loses five days of pay but misses only one game. In the case of the position player suspension the team loses him for five games as well whereas the team losing a pitcher for suspension loses him for only one game.
Sorry but I don't see that as an equitable arrangement especially if the pitcher is judged to have instigated the fight. Make the team losing the pitcher suffer as much as the team losing the position player.
N. Cognito said: Ruling on Nyjer just in. No suspension. Nats forced to bat him leadoff every game and not take him out of any game.
Frank still hates us.
I get tired the repetitive Morgan and Riggleman bashing around here, but I laughed out loud at this. Well played.
I'm so glad that Volstad will be able to start this series! SO glad that he can hold up his appeal until he pitches and THEN drop it after his start against those evil Nats. Maybe he'll hit one of our batters in the head this time and cause some real damage.
To paraphrase Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, "Chris Volstad should die of gonnorhea and rot in Hell."
I agree with much that Ray M. wrote. It is hard to defense -all- of Nyjer's bizarre behaviour recently and if we do, then we look like some of the hateful Phillie's fans.
Running into the catcher against the Cardinals was clearly as dumb as it gets and cost the Nats a run and an out and should get a suspension. Coming off the field in Miami after the fight with his hands raised like a WWF wrestler was ridiculous. Not sliding in the play at home in Miami and deciding to run over the catcher---well, bad judgment in hindsight not sliding but can't say what Nyjer did was a beanball offense as nobody can read Nyjer's mind if it was to try to injure the catcher. Throwing a ball at a Phillies fan, again don't know what Nyjer was thinking so I will give Nyjer the benefit of the doubt.
The fight started in Miami was Volstad and the Marlins doing and didn't need to be done so I find that aggression on the Marlins. They hit Nyjer once and 2 other players so it should have stopped there. When Volstad threw behind Nyjer, I think Nyjer was justified to charge the mound and take the penalty from it.
Wearing a Nyjer shirt to tonight's game? Have fun.
We should pitch Balester when Volstad pitches if he hits him in the head its par for the course.
Raymitten: in my book the only thing Nyjer has done wrong is let his emotions overtake him when he was walking off the field after the brawl. HIs emotions any other time, to me, are a good thing because at least he's showing some emotion, something this team really lacks.
Go Nyjer!
Go Nats!
It will be interesting to see what happens when someone wins Nyjer's jersey in the "Shirts Off Their Backs" raffle at the last Sunday home game, won't it? How juicy it would be if raymitten enters and wins!
AriasIn26 - So you feel you can defend Nyjer for running into the Cardinals catcher? His own manager wouldn't even defend that!
I will defend Nyjer in the gray areas but not when as you put it his "emotions" overtake him. Brains has to be a part of this game.
If emotions were part of all things in life then my ex-wife when she was PMSing would have been a great wife and that was not the case as the judge sided with me :-). Positive emotions are what this team needs not Nyjer's negative studpidity. What if Volstad came another 2 inches inside and broke Wil Nieves wrist? Would that have been worth it because of Nyjer's emotions?
Nyjer's emotions have had serious consequences. In 2009, it was all good and positive. Can't find too much positive with Nyjer 2010.
Nyjer's obviously done some dumb things (throwing the glove and hitting the Cardinals' catcher top the list), but I liked his leaving the field with his arms up--a positively Whitmanesque moment of self-promotion. And he did give us the Silver Elvis Wig. So there's that. Which is nice.
Raymitten: "What exactly are those wearing Nyjer (jerseys) supporting?"
Not the bulk of his behavior. Rather it's a pushback on the muddled and confused criticism that he was "wrong" to steal those bases.
Knoxville Nat - It's really very simple.
Suspending a stater for 5 games and making him miss a single start is the equivalent of making him miss about 3% of his season (1 out of 32 = 1/32).
Same when you sit a position player for 5 games (5 out of 162 = roughly 1/32)
My problem is that by suspending Volstad, the commissioner's office has clearly stated that they think he intentionally threw at Nyjer a second time. What's worse, throwing at a guy for a second time, or charging the mound because a guy threw at you a second time? Yet, Nyjer's suspension is longer.
Sunderland, no, because he starts on the 6th day in the rotation in many cases so in essence he may just be pitching on 6 days rest instead of 5 hence missing me day as a starting pitcher.
Mark,
at some point could you tell us about the suspension/apeal process? Is it an in-person or conference call situation, who attends, how do sides present evidence and arguments?
Stuart
I think Nats fans need to find a way to properly greet Volstadt. This is a guy who needed his team mates to defend him against Morgan, despite the foot and hundred pound difference between them. Just how big a "girlie" man is Volstadt. Obviously hisx team mates think a pretty big one!
The best revenge would be beating his big, chicken a** by 10 runs. Morgan hitting his only dinger of the season off him would be sweet too, but that really does require an act of God.
Post a Comment