Canadian Press: Frank Thomas always ran to first base

Just as Alan Ashby always runs his mouth…

Two examples created some buzz last week. There was New York Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain screaming on the mound after striking out Thomas at the end of an inning, and Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez standing and watching a big blast in Oakland, one that ironically ended up in centre-fielder’s Chris Denorfia’s glove.

“It bugs me,” says Alan Ashby, the longtime catcher and current Blue Jays radio analyst. “When I first came up seeing guys like Mark (The Bird) Fidrych and Dennis Eckersley, the stuff that was done was showmanship. I remember Eckersley as a rookie, coming in and striking out Rod Carew and telling him, ‘Go sit down, meat,’ so I have a feeling it’s been part of the game to some degree for a long time.

“But when guys stand at home plate after hitting home runs and some of the jogging around that goes on, it’s way too much for me.”

..."When I played you weren’t supposed to smile or show that kind of emotion and I actually think it’s fun to play the game like a kid sometimes,” he says. “But when you’ve got pitchers on the mound, giving the big pump after a strikeout, I think you’ve crossed the line. You can go back in the dugout and show that kind of emotion.”