Who's the bigger baby Dallas Braden or A-rod

[canjond]

OK - I'll admit I was born and raised a Yankee fan. However, I've also never been one to defend the actions of A-rod. With that being said, I watched the game yesterday where A-rod broke the "so-called" unwritten rule and jogged across the pitchers mound. IMO, what A-rod did was not done to be intimidating, disrespectful, or otherwise disruptive. I just didn't SEE it that way. All I saw was A-rod jogging back to the bag with his head down and taking the most direct route (which, by the way, did not take him directly over the mound, but a little to the back side). So, that beckons the question - who's the bigger baby? A-Rod or Braden?

[ChiefBenderForever]

I have always hated A-rod but he did nothing wrong, he should meet Braden in the street and beat in his head until the ambulance needs to bring him to the ER. The only way to knock some sense into him is to knock him OUT !!

[nolemmings]

Braden may have overreacted in today's kinder gentler game, but I gotta believe had Arod done that with Nolan Ryan on the mound, Ryan would have plucked him right at first base on a pickoff and maybe again next AB. Drysdale would have tackled ARod before he made it back to first, and I don't want to think of what Bob Gibson or Juan Marichal would have done.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Braden may have overreacted in today's kinder gentler game, but I gotta believe had Arod done that with Nolan Ryan on the mound, Ryan would have plucked him right at first base on a pickoff and maybe again next AB. Drysdale would have tackled ARod before he made it back to first, and I don't want to think of what Bob Gibson or Juan Marichal would have done.

You are probably right, but that would be the only thing Braden has in common with any of the above mentioned.

[dani0100]

Braden may have overreacted in today's kinder gentler game, but I gotta believe had Arod done that with Nolan Ryan on the mound, Ryan would have plucked him right at first base on a pickoff and maybe again next AB. Drysdale would have tackled ARod before he made it back to first, and I don't want to think of what Bob Gibson or Juan Marichal would have done.

This assumes that Ryan, Drysdale, or Gibson would have cared that a baserunner touched two inches of the pitching mounds on their way back to first base. I have not heard a single baseball person supporting Braden's contention that it's some kind of unwritten rule of baseball that you don't touch the mound. I've certainly never heard that, and when the likes of Joe Girardi and Derek Jeter have never heard of it either, I'm inclined to say that this is one of those strange things that a young person has picked up from some localized place and then amplified in his head to be a universal rule that everybody knows.

Bottom line: A-Rod is right in this case until you find a person who's got more baseball experience than Joe Girardi and has heard of this crazy notion that Braden has state is an unwritten rule of baseball.

[nolemmings]

Maybe you have not, but I have. Even throwing in little league 40 years ago, we were told never to run over the mound. And remember, those aforementioned pitchers would toss the ball at your head just for digging in the box or, in some cases, trying to bunt on them. Thinking you were strutting on their turf, um, no, I don't think so.

[nolemmings]

Former Mets pitcher and current analyst Ron Darling said "absolutely hitters are not supposed to run over the mound, you stay off it," and that the mound is "the pitcher's place."

But Darling seemed to indicate the fraternization of the game now made Braden's outburst somewhat inconsistent.

"The game's changed," Darling said. "These guys are hugging and kissing each other before the game, they share the same agents, everyone's so happy. It's the country club fraternity of baseball now. They've decided to make this a genteel game. For A-Rod not to know that that's inappropriate, though ... everyone knows that. It's just that all these lines have been blurred. It's a country club game."

Braden said it was part of how he was brought up in the game.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, as old school as managers come, told AOLFanhouse that "a lot of guys" in the game don't know about the stay-off-the-mound code and was in Braden's corner.

"He's been taught right," La Russa said, according to Fanhouse.

Former catcher and FOX analyst Tim McCarver recalled Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, a legendary intimidator, and his viewpoint on hitters coming near the mound, which Gibson called his "office."

"You never come into my office unless you're invited," McCarver said. "And you'll never be invited."

Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/04/25/1440856/a-rod-involved-in-another-etiquette.html#ixzz0m5MZ9HwN


I suspect others will chime in as well.

[nolemmings]

Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton, now an Atlanta Braves announcer, took Braden's side Friday.

"No, you don't do it. It's like stealing a base when you're ahead by nine runs in the eighth inning," Sutton said in New York. "It's just common sense and common courtesy. If Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale had been on the mound, it would've been over in 15 seconds."

Braves right-hander Tim Hudson (FSY) said it's not an unwritten rule, just something you know not to do.

"It'd be like going in the other team's dugout," he said. "You have to respect that it's the pitcher's place."

from http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=azcentral&sParam=38311656.story

[nolemmings]

[QUOTE]"A-Rod is full of [bleep], that he never heard of that," Wells told The Post from San Diego yesterday. "He has been around the game long enough to know that."
...
Wells watched Braden snap at Rodriguez, was aware what the lefty said after the game and agreed with Braden.

"I hated it when runners did that. I yelled at plenty of them," Wells said. "It's one thing to cross in the front of the mound before it goes up, but on top of it, that's wrong. The cleats [mess] up the mound. Pitchers don't go in front of fielders and put their spikes in the dirt.

"I totally agree [with Braden] 'Get off my mound.' I would have done the same thing with A-Rod, or anybody else. [Bleep] it."
...
Wells said he would even call out Jeter, but explained there is a difference between what somebody like Jeter or Bernie Williams would hear than what would pierce Rodriguez's ears.

"I would yell at Jeter. There are certain guys you would mother [bleep] and certain guys you would give a little more courtesy to, guys like Jeter and Bernie. A-Rod is not a well-liked guy," Wells said.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/wells_alex_full_of_it_BURK1uNWegZND0kvCwR0jK#ixzz0 m5V1wvR7

[D. Bergin]

I'm a Yankee fan but I've got to side with Braden on this..........especially with what A-Rod said about Braden afterwards.

A-Rod doesn't get to disrespect him just because he's not a superstar.

Roger Clemens might have stabbed him with a broken bat. :eek:

[yanksfan09]

I think a lot of people are just voting against ARod because they don't like him.
Who's ever even heard of this so=called unwritten rule before this story came up?

I heard John Smoltz in a radio interview the other day and he said he had never heard of that.

Dallas Braden needs to calm down, look in the mirror and realize he's Dallas Braden!

Also, I think everyone would have a different opinion if it had been someone like Jeter or Cal Ripken going over the mound.

[ibuysportsephemera]

Jim Bowden, Rob Dibble and a couple of guys on the MLB radio network (can't remember who..but big names) said A-Rod was absolutely wrong.

[JasonL]

I respectfully disagree.
It is bad etiquette, so A-Rod was wrong,....but it's wrong no matter the character or talent involved in the exchange

[yanksfan09]

Braden ran his mouth off again... anyone see this? A reporter asked him something like will there have to be knuckles invloved next time (half jokingly)? His ([Braden's) response was something to the effect of...(I will have to do something blah blah blah and then went on to say if you give someone enough rope they will hang themself and he's had plenty of rope (A-Rod). )

I heard this on the radio today and couldn't believe that this guy is still going off on this subject, and basiclly saying he's going to hit A-Rod next time he sees him. I believe he also said something like A-Rod should have learned more about this unwritten rule, (like he's the guy to teach A-Rod the nuances of the game)

Found link to the interview....

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/05/oakland-as-pitcher-dallas-braden-to-a-rod-get-ready-to-fight/1

But who does this tool think he is? I can't believe he's still trying to stoke the fire here when A-Rod hasn't said anything else. I think we're learning who the real baby is. It's like he's just craving attention now. I stand by my original assesment and think this guy's a joke.

If this was say some other pitcher who's had a little more than a cup of coffee in the bigs calling out say Pujols or Jeter, for some obscure unwritten rule that many people weren't familiar with, this would be a different ballgame alltogether.

Just the fact that he's making such a big deal out of this now and blowing it out of proportion I think will show this guys true colors....

I also find it ironic that it seems as though he's breaking a sportwide unwrittem rule himself : To not disrespect and call out veteran , established players. (If it was for something really horrible that A-Rod did maybe it would be different, but an obscure thing like this, to make this big a deal of...)

[Jantz]

Braden ran his mouth off again... anyone see this? A reporter asked him something like will there have to be knuckles invloved next time (half jokingly)?

I sure hope knuckles aren't involved next time. Poor Braden will take a beating.

Two words.....roid rage!

Lets not forget, A-roid admitted it.

Jantz

[canjond]

The 15 minutes ticked by long ago.

[nolemmings]

Eric, its pretty clear to me that you either did not read most of the preceding posts in this thread, or that you don't care.

1. Arod was wrong, as observed by several in the game.
2. There's a very good chance he knew exactly what he was doing. I would bet he did. So would David Wells. So would Ron Darling.
3. If this was say some other pitcher who's had a little more than a cup of coffee in the bigs calling out say Pujols or Jeter, for some obscure unwritten rule that many people weren't familiar with, this would be a different ballgame alltogether. Bullshit. If conduct is disrespectful, it's disrespectful.
4. I heard this on the radio today and couldn't believe that this guy is still going off on this subject, and basiclly saying he's going to hit A-Rod next time he sees him. He's answering questions posed to him, not ducking them with cliches buried in doublespeak. And yes, he should drill Arod the next game they play, although it seems he may not
THIS FROM CBS GAME NOTES
A's LHP Dallas Braden insists his incident with Alex Rodriguez in which the Yankees slugger enraged the pitcher by walking across the mound is "a done deal for me." Braden said he doesn't plan retaliation when the Yankees return to Oakland from July 5-7. A-Rod had called Braden's reaction the pitcher's "15 minutes of fame." Said Braden: "Every breathing entity in this world has a right to their opinion. If that's his, so be it." New York manager Joe Girardi said he's "not really worried about it."
5. I can't believe he's still trying to stoke the fire here when A-Rod hasn't said anything else. Arod hasn't said anything else because he knows what he did was wrong, and the next time he apologizes for his conduct (or even hints at admitting he was wrong) will be his first. Of course, dismissing it altogether with a putdown of the kid as someone he'd never heard of is also typical of Arod--you were mentioning something about true colors?
6. I stand by my original assesment and think this guy's a joke. Fair enough. I'm certain many others here will stand by their original assessments too, as will I'm sure many MLB players when asked for their opinions of the two players.

[teetwoohsix]

Even though this is considered an unwritten rule,I do find it hard to believe that A-roid wasn't aware of it.......in all his years of playing?C'mon man,there's no doubt in my mind that he's heard of it!!!

I could see if he were a brand new rookie or something-but not after all these years in the bigs.

I think if he truly hadn't heard of it,he would've simply (and sincerely) just apologized.But it didn't go down like that.........

Clayton

[yanksfan09]

[QUOTE=nolemmings;806097]Eric, its pretty clear to me that you either did not read most of the preceding posts in this thread, or that you don't care.

1. Arod was wrong, as observed by several in the game.
2. There's a very good chance he knew exactly what he was doing. I would bet he did. So would David Wells. So would Ron Darling.
3. Bullshit. If conduct is disrespectful, it's disrespectful.
4. He's answering questions posed to him, not ducking them with cliches buried in doublespeak. And yes, he should drill Arod the next game they play, although it seems he may not
THIS FROM CBS GAME NOTES


Ummmm, okay? It's pretty clear i didn't read the posts? I did actually but don't agree with most. I'm sorry if my different opinion bothers you. I really don't understand why I'm being yelled at here for voicing my different view on this matter and trying to show A-Rods side. I'm not trying to instigate a fight.

I also heard John Smoltz on a WFAN NY radio interview saying he never heard of the rule. I also heard that another retired pitcher said he never heard of this but I can't remember the name right now.....

Yes, some players came out and said this is an unwritten rule. I'm just trying to point out and offer the other side of this story, that not everyone has heard of this.

And also either way, it's my opinion Braden has made way to big a deal out of this now. He said his piece on what he thought right after it happened. He should have left it alone now instead of making this into an even bigger deal!

[Orioles1954]

Dallas Braden is EXACTLY the kind of guy we need on the Orioles right now....the guy's a 300 game winner in my book.

[Batter67up]

I guess the media wants to hype up everything? Before reading this post I didn't even know who Dallas Braden was. I guess he gets his 15 minutes of fame. When I pulled up his stats I had to laugh. I guess when he visits the Hall of Fame he can look at A-Rods plaque and tell his grandkids he got into a skuffle with ARod back in 2010. If it was someone like Clemens, Ryan, or Beckett I could see the media making a story of it. Forget about it and lets play ball.

[ChiefBenderForever]

The 15 minutes ticked by long ago.

He's not done milking it yet, all he did was put pressure on himself. When he gives up 10 runs in a couple of innings I'm sure he'll blame that on A-rod as well.

[yanksfan09]

I can't believe this.... I guess his 15 minutes of fame just got extended (Perfect Game)

[ChiefBenderForever]

I can't believe this.... I guess his 15 minutes of fame just got extended (Perfect Game)

Wow, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy, I'm sure it wont go to his head !

[canjond]

Longoria tried to bunt a hit to break up the no-no. Isn't that an unwritten rule? I wonder if Braden is going to fight him?

[barrysloate]

I started a post about the game on the main board. Didn't see this one already going.

[nolemmings]

Wow, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy, I'm sure it wont go to his head !

Well, if you saw the long, post-game embrace he gave his grandmother and the on the field interview where he paid great respect and compliments to the opponent, or if you listened to Nomar Garciaparra's comments on ESPN as to how, as a teammate of Braden last year, he was impressed with his leadership and savvy, you'd likely make the same remark, sans the sarcasm.

[Orioles1954]

500 Home Runs for A-Roid or a Perfect Game? One has been achieved 30+ times, the other only 19. +1 for Braden.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Well, if you saw the long, post-game embrace he gave his grandmother and the on the field interview where he paid great respect and compliments to the opponent, or if you listened to Nomar Garciaparra's comments on ESPN as to how, as a teammate of Braden last year, he was impressed with his leadership and savvy, you'd likely make the same remark, sans the sarcasm.


It's good to see fire in someone young who takes the game and all the unwritten rules seriously, and for the moment he really backed them up. He has a chance to be really good, maybe even great, time will tell. Today he was perfect, and I'm glad he didn't start a fight with his grandmother, it sounds like she is a wonderful person. Now that he has basically said he is gonna hit A-rod the next time he faces him it's gonna be interesting watching that game, and I doubt it will be a no-hitter !!

[D. Bergin]

Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett was heard to mumble out loud while watching Braden's no-hitter from the dugout:

"Grandma, I Love You But Don't Cross My Mound!"

:D