Baseball Musings: Suspensions

March 14, 2008

Suspensions

Major League Baseball handed down suspensions today stemming from the Yankees-Rays brawl. Peter Abraham has the press release. I like the wording:

Shelley Duncan of the Yankees has been suspended for three games and fined an undisclosed amount for his violent and reckless actions, which incited the bench-clearing incident.

Good. They're not sugar coating this. The Yankees lose Duncan and Cabrera for three games, and the Rays lose Jonny Gomes. With appeals, the players likely will be able to pick the time of their suspension, so New York doesn't have to lose both players at once.

Posted by David Pinto at 01:50 PM | Baseball Jerks | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Since these happened during the preseason shouldn't the suspensions be handled during preseason? I mean it only seems fair since regular season suspensions only are during the regular season.

Posted by: DanGarion at March 14, 2008 02:40 PM

If a player fails a drug test during the off season, the suspension would start on opening day. If he fails a drug test in spring training, shouldn't his suspension start in the regular season?

What would be the punishment if this happened in innings 1 and 4 of the all star game?

Posted by: Andrew at March 14, 2008 02:58 PM

A brawl at the all star game would be outstanding, and should go unpunished.

Posted by: abe at March 14, 2008 03:34 PM

David,

You like the wording of the article? Not me. Shelly didn't incite the bench clearing incident. If Gomes doesn't run in from the outfield then Shelley leaves the field after getting tossed out the game and the rest of the game is probably played without any further incidents. Gomes is definitely the instigator in my opinion.

Posted by: raymagnetic ™ at March 14, 2008 04:16 PM

Heck, encourage brawls at the All-Star game. Might boost the ratings.

Posted by: rbj at March 14, 2008 04:16 PM

David,

Posted by: raymagnetic ™ at March 14, 2008 04:48 PM

How does Cabrera get longer than the guy that ran in from the outfield, threw his glove and then tried to blind tackle Duncan?

Posted by: Jason at March 14, 2008 05:21 PM

Cabrera got longer because he ran out of the dugout and punched Evan Longoria in the back of the head. Duncan went in spikes high and Gomes reacted. Longoria touched no one and got hit in the back of the head. Of course he got more games.

Posted by: Tyler at March 14, 2008 05:58 PM

Hmmm, let's see. If Duncan doesn't slide in cleats up, then maybe Gomes doesn't come charging in to protect a teammate. So, tell me again, who's the instigator? The idiot sliding spikes up, or the guy protecting a teammate? And Yankee fans wonder why so many of us hate the Yankees.

Posted by: johnr at March 14, 2008 05:58 PM

raymagnetic-
I think you are missing the meaning of "incite." Gomes isn't sprinting from right field because he wants some extra conditioning. Duncan's slide incited Gomes to charge him.

If someone spits in my face, and I take a swing at them. It is not my fist that incited the ensuing brawl.

Posted by: thatteamfromcle at March 14, 2008 06:00 PM

The last two arguments (johnr and thatteamfromcle) are bad. If they were correct, then Elliot Johnson would be "the instigator", for "inciting" the brawl, because had he not put Cervelli in the hospital none of the rest would have happened.

But that's wrong. Johnson isn't the instigator, and neither is Duncan. Gomes is. He started the fight, and he's the one who should get the longest suspension. (Duncan and others should be punished too, Duncan for an illegal slide and probably others for coming off the bench.)

Posted by: Mars at March 14, 2008 06:49 PM

Back to the issue at hand, how can we a bench clearing brawl at the All Star game? If Tony LaRussa was coaching the NL he could have his pitchers throw at Rays, alas he is not. Think people, with the right fight the game can have meaning.

Posted by: abe at March 14, 2008 07:14 PM

Okay, you got me.

The big bang is to blame for it all. Because if the big bang hadn't happened, then there would be no brawl.

Look there is context to these things. Was Elliot Johnson's play not appropriate in spring training? Was Joe Maddon's response to this appropriate?

But here is the question: Why was Gomes charging the infield?

He was charging because Shelley Duncan dug his cleats in Akinori Iwamura's upper thigh.

Sliding with your cleats that high is baseball's way of spitting in the face or giving the bird. It incited the brawl. If Gomes were Ghandi, I would be disappointed. But come on, Duncan is the cause here.

Posted by: thatteamfromcle at March 14, 2008 07:20 PM

Spikes high, near the groin, not the glove hand, Duncan has plenty to explain. HS, college, low minors, the next baserunner better get down early because the ball is coming out chest high on a throw to 1b. On a tag play, he better protect his face because the tag is coming down hard, ball in glove. Lots of ways to get even on a baseball field but the perpetrator in one event is seldom the guide who gets punished.

Posted by: Bill at March 14, 2008 11:40 PM

The question stands why does Cabrera get more time that Gnomes? Duncan started it. In my mind Duncan and Gnomes should get equal suspensions. Iwamura somehow kept his cool along with every other Ray until Gnomes charged. I'd be willing to give Gnomes less than Ducan but there's no way Cabrera should get more than Gnomes. Gnomes ineptly tackled Duncan. His intent was to absolutely blindside the guy despite the umpire being right there and having everything under control.

Posted by: Jason at March 15, 2008 01:27 AM

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