Fantastic article about baseball's bullshit rules

I've never liked the unwritten rules thing and think the people who perpetuate them are a bunch of old men yelling at clouds.  Basically, what this guy says.  Written by a former MLB pitcher....definitely worth a read.

Baseball's Bullshit Rules

dubie7006 wrote:I've never liked the unwritten rules thing and think the people who perpetuate them are a bunch of old men yelling at clouds.  Basically, what this guy says.  Written by a former MLB pitcher....definitely worth a read.

Baseball's Bullshit Rules

The unwritten rules of baseball are clearer and more easily understood than the written rules of basketball.

steveschneider wrote:

The unwritten rules of baseball are clearer and more easily understood than the written rules of basketball.

You and I have gone back and forth on this on here before, but I'll just say that when a player thinks it's stupid, it probably is.

dubie7006 wrote:

You and I have gone back and forth on this on here before, but I'll just say that when a player thinks it's stupid, it probably is.

Nah, I think there's some merit to what that writer says. Last time we were debating show boating, this article covers a broader spectrum of the unwritten rules.  I think a lot of players value the unwritten rules so if a player thinks they're that must mean they're good then.

I still think that the unwritten rules of baseball are clearer than the written rules of the NBA. I can't even tell what's a goal tending, what's out of bounds, what's a travel, what is a block or what is a charge anymore.

He sounds like a whiney bitch.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:He sounds like a whiney bitch.

I agree, the guy seems like an a hole that wants to wussify they game of baseball.

He had a few points in there but overall the guy seems like he wants to turn in baseball into a game of jackasses celebrating like the NBA or the NFL.

No thanks.

steveschneider wrote:

I agree, the guy seems like an a hole that wants to wussify they game of baseball.

He had a few points in there but overall the guy seems like he wants to turn in baseball into a game of jackasses celebrating like the NBA or the NFL.

No thanks.

You think he wants to wussify baseball.   

steveschneider wrote:

Nah, I think there's some merit to what that writer says. Last time we were debating show boating, this article covers a broader spectrum of the unwritten rules.  I think a lot of players value the unwritten rules so if a player thinks they're that must mean they're good then.

I still think that the unwritten rules of baseball are clearer than the written rules of the NBA. I can't even tell what's a goal tending, what's out of bounds, what's a travel, what is a block or what is a charge anymore.

What's out of bounds?   Seriously?   

I guess you should just watch more basketball if you want to understand it.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:

What's out of bounds?   Seriously?   

I guess you should just watch more basketball if you want to understand it.

Please explain this one to me. I seriously don't even understand the rules that led to the Clippers not getting the ball. This type of call has happened like two times in the playoffs so far.

http://deadspin.com/doc-rivers-on-blown-out-of-bounds-call-we-got-robbed-1576125079

Here's another example, same situation where there was a foul but the call went the other way.

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24533944/nba-says-chris-paul-was-fouled-by-draymond-green-at-end-of-game

I do not get it.

steveschneider wrote:

Please explain this one to me. I seriously don't even understand the rules that led to the Clippers not getting the ball. This type of call has happened like two times in the playoffs so far.

http://deadspin.com/doc-rivers-on-blown-out-of-bounds-call-we-got-robbed-1576125079

Honestly, I need to do some homework and then go fishing and I didn't see that game so I'm not going to watch it and read about the context of it. but..You're using a blown call in reference to not knowing the rules? How many blown calls are there in sports? You could use that argument for any sport. How about Jim Joyce? What is safe anymore?

Doesn't every sport have a bunch.....like hockey, don't give the goalie a facewash of ice, or shoot the puck after a whistle.

WBill wrote:Doesn't every sport have a bunch.....like hockey, don't give the goalie a facewash of ice, or shoot the puck after a whistle.

Shooting the puck after the whistle is much different than a guy celebrating a homer, IMO. One happens in the course of play. The other is after an official deems the play to be stopped.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:

Honestly, I need to do some homework and then go fishing and I didn't see that game so I'm not going to watch it and read about the context of it. but..You're using a blown call in reference to not knowing the rules? How many blown calls are there in sports? You could use that argument for any sport. How about Jim Joyce? What is safe anymore?

There's three examples of this type of out of bounds play that happened in this years playoffs. The third was Pierce getting fouled by Lebron in the Nets Heat series.

Unlike the James Joyce call these aren't just blown calls that happen during the play, all three plays were reviewed.

The Golden State one you had the head of the NBA officials weigh in that the call was right.

Rod Thorn, NBA President, Basketball Operations, issued the following statement today regarding a play late in the fourth quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 109-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 19, at Staples Center:

“After reviewing postgame video, we have concluded that the instant replay review of the out-of-bounds call with 18.9 seconds remaining in the game involving the Clippers' Chris Paul and the Warriors' Draymond Green was administered correctly by the referees and the correct decision was made in awarding the ball to the Warriors. Under the existing rule, referees may only use instant replay to determine which player caused the ball to go out and a limited set of other reviewable matters. Just prior to the ball going out-of-bounds, Paul was fouled by Green and Paul should have been granted two free throws. Contact preceding out-of-bounds calls is not a reviewable matter.”

The next two plays were inconsistent with what Rod Thorn said above.

Then in the OKC LA Clippers game the call went the other way after review and probably cost the Clippers the series.

You had the refs call it the other way in the Miami Nets game where Lebron committed the foul, the ref missed the foul but they gave the ball back to the Nets.

If the same instance happens in the finals, I bet you couldn't predict which way the refs are going to call it because the written rule isn't clear and the officiating is inconsistent.

dubie7006 wrote:

Shooting the puck after the whistle is much different than a guy celebrating a homer, IMO.  One happens in the course of play.  The other is after an official deems the play to be stopped.

If the ball is going out of the stadium , play is over.  All that is left to do is not miss a base or not pass Prince Fielder who may have tripped trying to score from second.

I think it has to do with the word "caused" not necessarily who touched it last. If I recall correctly, one player (team A) had his hand on the ball and the opposing player's (team B) hand struck the former's. Therefore, team A player caused the ball to go out, awarding the ball to team B. That's at least how I interpreted it, and I think that makes sense.

WBill wrote:

If the ball is going out of the stadium , play is over.  All that is left to do is not miss a base or not pass Prince Fielder who may have tripped trying to score from second.

What happens if a gust of wind comes up and knocks it down? In my mind, the play is not officially over until the ball flies over the wall. In the hockey example, there is a very distinct end of play.

dubie7006 wrote:I think it has to do with the word "caused" not necessarily who touched it last.  If I recall correctly, one player (team A) had his hand on the ball and the opposing player's (team B) hand struck the former's.  Therefore, team A player caused the ball to go out, awarding the ball to team B.  That's at least how I interpreted it, and I think that makes sense.

You have that scenario right but out of the three times it happened team A got the ball once, and team B got the ball twice.

The first time it happened the head of operations said the call was right to give team A the ball, then the next two times it happened team B got the ball.

steveschneider wrote:

You have that scenario right but out of the three times it happened team A got the ball once, and team B got the ball twice.

The first time it happened the head of operations said the call was right to give team A the ball, then the next two times it happened team B got the ball.

Then it sounds to me like it's a judgement call on the referees and they need inconclusive evidence to overturn their original call. Which happens in a lot of sports, including baseball.

I am so glad this article was posted. I'm not a baseball guy, but my friend eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball. I was saying how it's stupid that other teams get so easily butthurt when a guy watches his home run. He says "it's a gentleman's game!" Yeah, physically harming someone by whipping a 90+ mph baseball at them because they hurt your feelings is very gentlemanly. Give me a break.

dubie7006 wrote:

Then it sounds to me like it's a judgement call on the referees and they need inconclusive evidence to overturn their original call.  Which happens in a lot of sports, including baseball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2CoiBaTb5k#t=24

Watch the call and tell me how that's not off OKC?

BTW, the league came out and said this one was the right call after the LA Golden State call which went the other way and the league said was the right call.

The same play, same evidence, same foul and the only variables are the way the refs called it after the review and the league came out in support of both calls. So which one is right? I don't know because it's inconsistent, and you can't tell me that if it happened a 4th time and I paused the Tivo that you could tell me which way it would go. It would just be a 50/50 guess on your part.

steveschneider wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2CoiBaTb5k#t=24

Watch the call and tell me how that's not off OKC?

BTW, the league came out and said this one was the right call after the LA Golden State call which went the other way and the league said was the right call.

The same play, same evidence, same foul and the only variables are the way the refs called it after the review and the league came out in support of both calls. So which one is right? I don't know because it's inconsistent, and you can't tell me that if it happened a 4th time and I paused the Tivo that you could tell me which way it would go. It would just be a 50/50 guess on your part.

I'm gonna pass cuz frankly I don't give a flying fukk about the NBA. I'm just speaking in conjecture.

dubie7006 wrote:

I'm gonna pass cuz frankly I don't give a flying fukk about the NBA.  I'm just speaking in conjecture.

I'll take that as I won this debate by forfeit.   

Ned Stark wrote:I am so glad this article was posted. I'm not a baseball guy, but my friend eats, sleeps, and breathes baseball. I was saying how it's stupid that other teams get so easily butthurt when a guy watches his home run. He says "it's a gentleman's game!" Yeah, physically harming someone by whipping a 90+ mph baseball at them because they hurt your feelings is very gentlemanly. Give me a break.

Most of the retaliation that happens when a guy grand stands in baseball is he gets his butt whipped right on the spot.

Gomez, Fernandez were both confronted on the field. Escobar was being a jack ass the other night trying to run up the score and Ross came out and was ready to kick his ass.

Look this is baseball, if you want to watch a sport where people act like jack asses after a feat or run up the score there's always football. Go watch Miami run up the score against a service academy or go watch highlights of Neon Deion Sanders high kicking into the end zone but keep that crap out of baseball.

dubie7006 wrote:
You and I have gone back and forth on this on here before, but I'll just say that when a player thinks it's stupid, it probably is.

So the vast majority of the players that perpetuate these rules are stupid because one former player thinks so?

There are unwritten rules in every walk of life, every industry and at every employer.

If a rookie salesman had a good month, and then told a veteran salesman to get him a cup of coffee, he'd probably feel a bit of push back for that. Maybe he'd get sent on some wild goose chase sales calls, or simply get the silent treatment when he's seeking help for a complicated situation that he hadn't faced before.

Do what you will, in baseball or any other workplace, but realize that it might not be worth it in the long run.