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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Rays’ Maddon miffed over plunking of Navarro

He’s miffed? How do you think Tilly Walker feels!

Rays manager Joe Maddon took issue with the Blue Jays plunking C Dioner Navarro with a pitch in the eighth inning Saturday.

...“I really disagree with what they did,” Maddon said. “We’ll stop trying to score runs when they stop trying.”

Maddon pointed to how the Jays scored four runs in the ninth and got the tying run to the plate. Navarro said afterward that the Rays were just trying to score runs off All-Star Roy Halladay.

“Too many times people have had things passed down through legend or lore in regard to the appropriate or inappropriate things to do,” Maddon said. “Maybe in 1922, you wouldn’t (bunt) because nobody is going to hit a home run. But in the year 2008, people hit home runs. And you could see how they came back. Once again, in baseball, for me, there are moments when people definitely mentally move at a glacier pace, and they really have to get beyond it. That’s what I think about that situation. And it stunk.”

Repoz Posted: July 20, 2008 at 07:22 PM | 9 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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1. Boileryard Posted: July 20, 2008 at 09:32 PM (#2865857)

It was really stupid for the Jays to be upset over this. On the pregame show today, Cito was complaining about the bunt last night and questioned what Maddon was teaching Navarro. It basically amounted to saying that Navarro wasn't playing the game right. Navarro got a hit out of it, so Maddon's teachings seem fine to me. It would be nice if the Blue Jays could teach their hitters how to get hits.

2. JRVJ (formerly Delta Socrates) Posted: July 20, 2008 at 10:00 PM (#2865877)

I didn't watch this game, but I certainly don't think that a 6-0 game is a laugher where you shouldn't show up the losing team.

3. ValueArb Posted: July 20, 2008 at 10:03 PM (#2865879)

Wow, Maddon calmly handles his player being plunked, and makes reasonable comments afterwards. Cito acts like a classless jerk.

Are they playing in the Bizzaro league?

4. Eraser-X is emphatically dominating teh site!!! Posted: July 20, 2008 at 10:06 PM (#2865885)

Here's a theory: How about you stop scoring runs when the other team stops sucking enough to prevent you from scoring runs?

5. Boileryard Posted: July 20, 2008 at 10:37 PM (#2865908)

The Blue Jays scored four runs in the 9th, with the tying run at the plate when the game ended. The game was far from out of reach in the 6th inning.

Would Cito have objected to Navarro banging a clean single through the infield in that situation? If not, why not? They would've both resulted in Navarro standing at first base with a hit.

This reminds me a lot of Schilling's lost no-hitter against the Padres, when Ben Davis bunted for a single in (I think) a 2-0 game. Bob Brenley's reaction was similarly silly.

6. Justin T contains indigenous nudity Posted: July 20, 2008 at 10:48 PM (#2865918)

The Schilling situation was far sillier. At least Gaston wanted the Rays to roll over yet still win the game in a way that didn't humiliate the Jays. Schilling and Brenly wanted the Padres to throw up the white flag in a close game and graciously allow the D-backs a win.

7. Kyle S Posted: July 20, 2008 at 11:05 PM (#2865934)

Let's say teams all agreed that bunting for a hit when getting no-hit is "cheating" and no one did it. If that was the case, the third baseman for that team would always play well back of where he should be playing if the game had no such silly "unspoken rule" - which gives an advantage to that team! Would Schilling argue that he should be allowed to throw a spitter after throwing 6 or more no hit innings?

8. Matthew E Posted: July 21, 2008 at 12:30 AM (#2866050)

I was watching the game, and if I were the Jays, I would have plunked one of the Rays hitters too. I might not have been justified in so doing, but I would have been frustrated enough to do it. Here you go, Dioner, here's an HBP for being annoying. That one inning was enough to make you want to chew your own foot off.

9. gps Posted: July 21, 2008 at 12:58 AM (#2866060)

I was at the game, and agree with Matthew -- when Navi got hit, I wasn't even thinking about it being as retaliation for the bunt, but more as frustration for the inning (and the questionable ump calls, etc).

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Rays’ Maddon miffed over plunking of Navarro

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