Amir Garrett is a Major Leaguer who plays a position where you’re really not supposed to show a lot of emotion.
You know, “Never let ‘em see you sweat” and all that.
But like so many other young big leaguers, Garrett doesn’t really abide by those ‘unwritten rules’ that say it’s a very bad thing to ‘show up your opponent.’
Back on September 19th, Garrett, a left-handed relief specialist for the Cincinnati Reds, entered a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. At that point, the Cubs were fighting for their playoff lives (they’ve since been eliminated) while the Reds were playing spoiler, as they’ve done for many years now.
It was the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, game tied at 2-2. Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber was coming to bat. One swing could end the game.
Garrett had been struggling as of late, so when he threw a slider that Schwarber swung at and missed for strike three, there was a mixture of joy and relief (the Reds would go on to win the game 3-2 in extra innings). Garrett thrust his arms in the air in celebration, and did sort of the pitcher’s version of a bat flip. Schwarber didn’t take kindly to the show of emotion.
He let Garrett know about it.
Schwarber’s reaction was straight out of the old-school unwritten rules book. There aren’t very many hitters who take kindly to a pitcher making a spectacle out of a strikeout, especially an out that doesn’t end or decide a game.
But…what if Schwarber had hit a home run in that situation? Does anyone think there wouldn’t have been a pretty big celebration?
So, what’s good for the hitter isn’t okay for the pitcher?
Double standard much?
But it’s more than that. We’ve entered into an era where we see the MLB TV network telling us to “Let the kids play.” It’s not just about the abundance of young superstar talent, but the ever increasing penchant for over exuberant celebrations by these young stars, most of whom could care less about baseball’s stodgy old unwritten rules of sportsmanship. They want to flip their bats.
Make no mistake, Major League Baseball currently has a whole lot of really young, really good players who are beginning to take over the game. There’s no ceiling for many of these kids. The game has a very bright future.
New school baseball types are saying: “So what” if they want to flip their bat and pound their chests after blasting a tape measure homer?
So what if they want to hop, skip and jump, then slow trot around the bases and make sure everyone in the ballpark knows exactly who hit that bomb?
So what if they want to call attention to themselves at every turn?
It’s a game, right? Let ’em have some fun!
Problem is, it’s not fun for everyone, anymore than it’s fun for a quarterback who just got sacked to watch the defensive end who drilled him in the back dance over him like conquered prey. There’s a pitcher out there – and fielders too – who aren’t enjoying one second of the home run hitter’s spectacle. They’d like to see him get around the bases quickly and get the next man to the plate.
Hence baseball’s long standing unwritten rule that says you don’t show up your opponent. During a 162-game season, every dog has his day, as they say. You might be dancing one day, then grousing the next while the other guy flips his bat and backpedals toward first base.
Baseball lifers will correctly point out that this stuff just gets old after awhile. Most will say it’s okay to celebrate a game winner, a walk off shot for example. But when hitters start admiring solo home runs in the fourth inning of a game between two cellar dwelling teams in mid August, then, well…it gets kind of tiresome, right?
Not to mention time consuming. If every hitter acted like he hit a game winning walk off shot every time he hit a home run, flipping his bat, standing and admiring his hit, then slow trotting around the bases, baseball games – already too long – would take an additional 30 minutes to complete. And if pitchers started celebrating after every strikeout…just imagine the spectacle and the delay.
Does anyone want that?
Truth be told, it’s all very pointless. Just like defenders who celebrate a sack or a pass break up in the third quarter when their team trails by two touchdowns.
What’s the point?
Who are you showing off for?
It’s still a team game, right?
You know, playing for the name on the FRONT of the jersey?
Baseball’s unwritten rules of decorum – including not showing up your opponent, really DO serve a significant purpose. Celebrations should be reserved for game deciding moments – for pitchers AND hitters. Calling excessive attention to yourself when something goes great for you just means you’re going to get that much more attention paid to your failings as well, when you’d rather not.
Schwarber, perhaps realizing the hypocrisy in criticizing a pitcher for celebrating a big out, later walked back his complaints about Garrett showing him up, saying in effect that he’d let his own emotions get the better of him in the moment. Ironically, he was right in the first place. The game would be better served if everyone toned down the showboating and focused on just playing the game the right way.
Do that, and everyone will get all the attention they deserve.
Listen to Mark Knudson on Monday’s at 12:30 with Brady Hull on AM 1310 KFKA and on Saturday mornings on “Klahr and Kompany” on AM 1600 ESPN Denver.
