Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Major League Baseball has handed down its ruling for Yadier Molina‘s rage-filled ejection on Tuesday night, hitting the catcher with a five-game suspension, intended to begin tonight, barring appeal.
From the press release sent out by MLB (h/t Adam McCalvy, MLB.com):
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina has been suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount for his inappropriate actions, which included making contact with Umpire Rob Drake multiple times and spraying him with spittle twice while arguing, in the top of the 10th inning of his Club’s game on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Joe Garagiola Jr., Senior Vice President of Standards and On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball, made the announcement.
Molina’s suspension is scheduled to begin tonight, when the Cardinals are to play the Florida Marlins in Miami. If Molina elects to file an appeal, then the discipline issued to him will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.
“Spraying him with spittle”? So, in other words, they have know way of knowing based upon the video what really happened on the field, because Molina said he didn’t spit, Drake was working on an Oscar-worthy performance, and it’s he-said-she-said. Who are they going to side with there, the angry player or the umpire who is a member of a group historically not held responsible for actions or performance?
No word yet on whether Molina will appeal, but he is not currently in tonight’s lineup in Florida. If he begins serving the suspension tonight, he will be back for the second game of the Milwaukee series in St. Louis on August 10th.
(UPDATE: According to a tweet from @FSMidwest, Molina will begin suspension tonight.)
It is absolutely baffling to me that Roberto Alomar can wind up and hock one right on John Hirschbeck‘s face, and Yadi gets the same suspension because perhaps his rendering of the English language results in a bit of say-it-don’t-spray-it when he raises his voice. Not to mention the sweat produced on everyone on the field, given the humidity that we saw (Chris Carpenter‘s soaked cap?) with the roof open in Milwaukee. I guess at least we know this incident won’t ruin his chances at being elected to the Hall of Fame?
Let’s make another comparison… Johnny Cueto anyone? Cueto received a seven-game suspension for kicking Jason LaRue in the head and effectively prematurely ending his career. Seven games that he served as related to the TEAM, not him personally playing. So he missed one game. He was suspended for ONE game. MLB, in no great surprise, is making a statement that they don’t give a damn about the players, so long as they can defend their largely incompetent bunch of umpires.
(BONUS: Watch this video of your favorite jack-ump Bob Davidson tossing Tyler Colvin and Mike Quade yesterday. Davidson is one of the worst examples ever of umpires baiting players and managers. Or, if he can’t get them to take the bait, he just tosses them anyway.)
Here’s what I’d like to see from MLB, in addition to Yadier’s suspension:
Major League Baseball umpire Rob Drake has been suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount for his inappropriate actions, which included poor job performance throughout the game, making contact with catcher Yadier Molina multiple times and grandstanding a farcical reaction to supposedly being spit on while arguing, in the top of the 10th inning of his the Cardinals’ game on Tuesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Joe Garagiola Jr., Senior Vice President of Standards and On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball, made the announcement.
Drake’s suspension is scheduled to begin tonight. If Drake elects to file an appeal, then the discipline issued to him will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.
Unfortunately, umpires aren’t held responsible for virtually anything anymore and find no resistance to injecting themselves into the story of the game. Have you noticed that a handful of umpires have become household names? Why? My favorite umpire is… I don’t know. I don’t know who it is, because I don’t know his name. He calls a game, doesn’t make a scene, and shows up again the next day to do his job, and do it well.
Make no doubt about it, what Yadi did was wrong. You just can’t let your emotions get the best of you like that. What Yadi did was also in the heat of a very important game that he felt wasn’t being fairly officiated. Drake, in my opinion, oversold his reception of “abuse” in the situation. You figure it out, MLB.
{ 7 comments }
Amen.
While I wish sometimes the MLB headmasters would pray more before making these asinine decisions, I can’t help but remember what the announcers said after Yadi was booted the other night.
‘Joe Torre will be responding to this incident soon’
The fact that a former STL manager has a hand in these calls now would be worrisome, but I think it is even more crazy that Torre gets his name thrown out there for no apparent reason!
Yes he works for the head office now, and I’m glad they are keeping baseball guys employed….so as Nick points out with the umps, why talk about him at all? Too many people who don’t matter get much more attention than deserved, probably the big reason why more people favor the pigskin.
I really, really dislike self-important umpires.
Completely agree with ya PH8
Maybe we can take over umpire supervision, eh Craig?
Grant Brisbee at Baseball Nation agrees, too: http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/8/5/2345866/mlb-suspensions-jered-weaver-carlos-carrasco
Love the satire, but the whole situation still makes me pretty angry at times.
Yeah, but really, how else is one supposed to respond to the lunacy that is MLB’s suspension “policies” and their blatant, blind protection of their umpires?
Or maybe they’re scared of the umps union?
Comments on this entry are closed.