Everyone knows how the Nationals have treated the Mets as their private punching bag this year. Here’s how they’ve done against Mets pitching:
Carlos Torres – 8 G, 6.00 ERA
Jeurys Familia – 7 G, 5.68 ERA
Bartolo Colon – 4 G, 4.13 ERA
Zack Wheeler – 4 G, 5.96 ERA
Dillon Gee – 3 G, 5.50 ERA
Jon Niese – 2 G, 8.10 ERA
Jacob deGrom – 1 G, 4.50 ERA
Jenrry Mejia – 4, G, 0.00 ERA
When you look at the club’s top pitchers, the only one to have success is Mejia. So, of course our manager decides now is the time to reprimand him for his antics after he achieves a save. Geez Louise, if there’s any time at all in 2014 where it’s been appropriate to celebrate a victory, it’s after a win over a club that beats you like an unwanted redheaded stepchild.
If anything, Terry Collins should be doing the dance Steve Martin did after his son caught the ball to win the game in “Parenthood.”
Instead, as Adam Rubin tweets: “Terry Collins said he told Jenrry Mejia to tone things down to avoid ‘embarrassing’ other team.”
Generally, my preference is for athletes to act like everything they do is completely expected and that coming through in clutch situations is no big deal. But we know that’s not the way the world works. We know that batters stand in the box after they hit a big home run and now they do a “running of the bulls” thing in the dugout after each home run. Why is this okay?
A player delivers a game-ending hit and his teammates come out en masse to congratulate him. Why is this okay? Especially because we’ve seen athletes getting hurt participating in this over-the-top celebration. We’ve also seen players imitating the champagne celebration for winning a pennant by coming out and dousing the player with water. Again, why is this acceptable and what Mejia does isn’t?
Is it the solo nature of Mejia’s celebration? If his post-game antics were even more choreographed and involved even more people, would it then somehow become okay? Do we need to bring back Justin Turner and have him throw a pie in someone’s face to make this acceptable for the masses?
After the game is over, Mejia stomps around and makes himself look ridiculous in the process and we have to be concerned because the other team might be embarrassed? If Mejia gives up a hit, every player on the other team is jumping up and down and acting like they just found out they had a winning Power Ball ticket. Are they ever concerned about embarrassing Mejia?
It’s a double standard and it stinks.
My compromise is that once the game is over, as long as no one on the team makes a threatening gesture towards anyone on the other club – all celebrations are fine. Mejia can stomp and do his duck walk and no one complains. A batter gets a walk-off hit and the other team can run around like mad men and it’s all good.
But no in-game theatrics, either on the field or in the dugout. Nothing more involved than shaking someone’s hand, giving them a pat on the back or a high-five is allowed. The commissioner should fine those who stand in the batter’s box and those who point or gesticulate, regardless of which side of the ball they are on.
This way, everyone knows what’s allowed and what isn’t. Then we can go on with more important things, like trying to figure out why one team regularly takes us behind the woodshed. And players can be embarrassed for things that really matter, like losing to a team 12 times in 15 tries.
And our manager can focus on the important stuff, too.
When you see Travis or Dan Murph beaned in the head, you’ll understand why.
TC commended him that night, but only the next day did he correct him.
It was bush league for the kid to do, for the coach to commend, and thin for him to only correct him the next day.
I want to see a coaching change. 2015 must be different.
Please list for me the Mets players who’ve been beaned since Wright got hit in the head by Matt Cain, which had nothing to do with retaliation. No one throws at someone else’s head on purpose, It just doesn’t happen.
Brian,
Not everyone who is thrown at gets hit. Sometimes, “message received.”
You cannot “stat” everything.
Had I been the batter and he aimed his fishing line at me, I would have charged the mound.
Had I been a pitcher, I’d make someone pay, either through hitting them, or coming close.
You can “admire” the Colon “plunks”—they were unavoidably aimed at Ribs. You can’t escape them—they hurt alot!….and they are far away from the head.
Some hitters dive in and every “up” pitch seems close to the head…that said, a pitch thrown purposefully lower accomplishes the same purpose, whether to drive a hitter back or actually hit them.
In game policing should be handled by the players themselves and not the Commissioners Office. If a player likes to admire his home runs (Carlos Gomez), then his next at-bat should be a fast ball in between the numbers. Takes care of the problem and the game continues. You want to shut up a closer who is just a show boat. Then copy his MO and when he blows a save just have the whole winning team come out and celebrate by copying his MO. Fernando Rodney comes to mind. But the baseball gods have a way of evening things out to those who don’t respect the game as Rodney “walked” 4 batters the other night and gave the A’s a cheap win. And as usual TC picks the wrong time to make an example of Mejia. Is he afraid the Nat’s are going to get upset when they have number one jerk in Harper playing for them? Should have done it the first time Mejia did it.
I know it’s manly to take matters into your own hands but when we have a non-violent solution easily available, there’s no reason to do that.
This has zero to do with his stomping around, which itself is ridiculous, but about the pointing towards Desmond and performing his “reeling in the fish” panatmime that Mejia did. It basically pointed out Desmond and so it became more than the simplicity of celebration. In any event cheering for positive is what seems reasonable…stomping around like a child after a win looks a lot less like a celebration and more like a…I don’t know…anyways he looks angry rather than celebratory. I’ve come to terms with the stomp, but “reeling in the fish” is positively stupid.
Sorry Chris, I just re-watched this and Mejia most definitely does not point at Desmond. He pointed directly at TDA. Desmond had already left the box and was nowhere near the area where Mejia pointed.
It’s where he just Kd. It was ridiculous. He looks like a child. I’ll never have a nice thing to say about it. It doesn’t have a ring of celebration, but of showing someone up.
There are some things that transcend culture and time. Sportsmanship is one of them.
This was bush league, and shameful.
ESPN era has fostered lots of these moments, to the point where even Alex Ovetchkin admitted choreographing his nonsense in front of a mirror before a game.
I hate it.
I don’t see a pitcher like Tom Seaver, for example, allowing one of his players to be a recipient of this fishing pole nonsense. There would be no consequence from keeping me from rushing the mound had it been done to me. Whether or not the batter was walking to the dugout and the pole was aimed at the catcher or the fans, I will repay.
Smart players do not fill their opponents with resolve. Smart managers do not allow their young players to fill their opponents with resolve.
The pitcher is a young, stupid kid.
Read Collins initial comments. Ridiculous. This was before his flip flop::
“You’ve got to have some emotion in the game. We see it everywhere. I see other teams doing it. Others can get mad, I want these guys to have some fun. I don’t want to corral them and worry about every move they make. We’ll try to settle them down a little bit, but gosh, it’s a big win for us against a first-place team and there’s no reason not to be excited.”
A whopping moron.
“my preference is for athletes to act like everything they do is completely expected and that coming through in clutch situations is no big deal” and IMO would call that professionalism and class.
“stomps around and makes himself look ridiculous ” and IMO would call that player an ass.
“A player delivers a game-ending hit and his teammates come out en masse ……in this over-the-top celebration” and IMO would call it choreographed bs.
“throw a pie in someone’s face” and IMO is funny when Soupy Sales did it.
That last statement just shows that I am too old to understand where respect, dignity, and professionalism is in today’s game.
You’re not too old. Sportsmanship may be out of vogue right now, but it may make a comeback some day. I hope in our lifetime.
The “walk off” celebrations were once reserved for championships.
When I see a last place team celebrate like they’ve just won the 7th game of the World Series, I turn the television off.
I wonder how much creepy agents are behind the excesses. Picture Scott Boras presenting a video montage!
“You made me play second base!” Haha great movie.
If Terry Collins did say something to Mejia, he doesn’t have to tell the world about it. You’re basically saying “Don’t get the Nats mad, that’s not nice”. They’ve smacked the Mets around all year while plunking a few of their players along the way. Let them be annoyed, that shouldn’t be any of Collins’ concern
And on another note, Terry has again put Eric Young Jr. in LF today (instead of Kirk, with a RHP on the mound) and has Tejada at SS (instead of Flores, who hit a HR last night). Sheesh…..
Steve,
I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. It is so frustrating to watch.
Bobby A, at 40: Is he our future? He’s pinch hitting because he has had so much success pinch hitting? (Brian, stats?)
Curtis Granderson has failed all season, sans a few hot spots. His latest streak of a few games has ended. He continues to get at bats and continues to strike out. He out-Bayed Jason.
Is it Collins? Is he as stupid as his language indicates? Or is it Sandy Alderson, who doesn’t seem to be able to control his deceptive language?
Is it the owners, who feel that we, the fans, must pay for their greed in rolling the dice with their friend, Bernie?
I don’t know.
Perhaps it is the owners, of whom Sandy and Terry both implement their policies.
I don’t know.
The frustration has no ceiling.
I think a lot of the blame goes to Collins on the lineups. Otherwise, Alderson gets credit for making good trades, overall, and blame for signing crappy free agents (although the Wilponzis probably told him to forget about Peralta and the Cuban Abreu). And, of course, one has to blame Selig for keeping the Wilponzis as owners.
Attendance has probably bottomed out at a pathetic level. I wish more people would boycott and really send a message.
As for Granderson, I am less pessimistic, since I think he can put up decent numbers at least next year. Hot and cold as he is, Granny is .275 .370 .575 over the last two weeks. Maybe he has finally figured things out.
If they don’t spend next year to improve the hitting, NO one should attend games, etc.
Sorry Flores is at 2B; it’s Herrera who’s out today.
You’re right that it is a double standard for pitchers and hitters.
However, if you compare Mejia to his counterparts, other closers, his celebrations are certainly on the excessive side, especially the finger wagging, whether it was directed or not.
With Granderson’s season, along with Chris Young’s season, combined with their salaries…
if someone a bit more humble be able to say “These two did not work out; neither has earned starts, play the kids”, I think September, itself, would be more interesting.
When a team is basically fighting to stay out of the cellar, September call ups can be a reason to watch them.
40 year old Bobby Abreu? Really?
I thought they wanted to cut the pitching of De Grom and Wheeler, but put Montero, after a brilliant outing, in the bull pen.
I agree that Sandy Alderson has had good trades, but I think we could have seen others playing the outfield, instead of Granderson taking at-bats. Today’s line up leaves little to enjoy watching.
I wanted to see Herrera in the line up.
I wanted to see Kirk N in the outfield, (Den Dekker injured)
I wanted to see Travis behind the plate.
I got Reuben Tejada, Anthony Recker and Curtis Granderson, instead.
I tuned out.
I would have loved to have seen Matt Reynolds at SS today! It’s mid September. We are not going to the post season. But I did get to see Bobby Abreu hit.
ugh!
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There’s nothing wrong with celebrating after success, but it should be a personal or team celebration it should not be directed at the other team or specific players. That’s it, it’s very simple. That’s the line that shouldn’t be crossed and Mejia crossed it when he did his fishing reel celebration. Terry told him to turn it down.. not stop. My guess is he said something similar to what I have just outlined. He can do his stomp that’s personal and fun to watch but just leave it there.
This whole issue is a load of bull poop. Any sort of celebration, short of taunting, should be perfectly acceptable. That a celebration offends the other player is ridiculous. What are these ballplayers? A bunch of babies on the schoolyard? Flipping the bat, or a slow trot around the bases would only be considered as showing the opponent up by an infant or a professional ballplayer.
Completely agree Brian! The only one who should be embarrassed is Meija. Those dance moves stink.