Baseball Etiquette!

mgirard11 · Hall of Famer

Baseball Etiquette!

notes · Senior Member

Boo Hoo

blumpkin · Member

Spoken like a true Fordian.

jreel · Grand Poobah

above aside. Might I say Jim Ansel pitched a great game. he allowed only 2 hits. walking 2 in the first. there were SEVEN K's in this 6 inning game. Curt Coons called a fantasitc game behind the plate. i didn't see Jim shaking him off once.
I commented to long time Reds 3rd basemen Ken Zimmer, that this team has made a huge leap this year. from hanging on even to field a team to some depth with talent. They threw three pitchers at us last night. except for some control problems early, that didn't hurt them, they all pitched well. the throws from the CF'er Partridge, (twice nailing runners at 3rd and home) can serve to shut down some scoring just as a good catcher can shut down the running game. Mgr. Dennis Reuter will have quite a different challenge this year, I'm glad this team has come from making a line-up while watching the parking lot to a solid threat to compete for the title. some big bats too albeit Jim twirled a gem last night that didn't showcase that , you could see from the early at bats these guys had a take no prisoners attitude at the plate.
We also showed some early season savvy a the plate. clean-up Chuck Sohl provided the winning run in the 3rd, on a lead off double to right, a steal off a passed ball, then he scored on an IF error. Chuck was 2-2 for the night with a walk and a RBI. the first run of the game was scored with 2 outs by Tom Maney, he reached base on a HBP, stole second and scored on a Mike Girard blast to the LF gap. the Silvers scored 4 more runs off relievers on key RBI's by Sohl, Coons, Ansel, and Mike Clary. Of note here is that we batted all our roster, all 12, and still had productive focused at bats.
Defensively you usually see some plays that make the no hitter try tense for the fielders. with the seven K's , there were 5 rather routine ground balls to second, scooped with relish by returning veteran Mash Godomski. Skip Treece caught 3 fly balls in CF, one he had to run for, (but Skip can make these seem easy!) that leaves only one other interesting play ....... a hot potato ( not the same one bantied about by Ray last year I hope) ground ball to 1b that just caught the hitter in a close 3-1 play. Besides the bunt single by McCarthy , CF Partridge unloaded with a subsequent shot over Treece.
But hey this game was all about Jim Ansel. Jim by the way pitches in all three age divisons. , this maneuver has weakened his chances at the Bill Jones awards, but I can only remind his playoff opponents that he has literally delivered this Silver team and its Golden brothers 8 titles. And this aside, from all the years of pitching in the 30+/28+ divsion with the Greco Braves and Cubs, Seems I remember some great adn epic performances there too as the Braves and Cubs won at least 5 titles. there is no other pitcher around that has consistently performed since he first joined our league in 1991. He simply has no company in this regard. the preformance last night was just another statement in a gutsy and illustrous career.

HERBCARTER · Senior Member

Did Jim finish the game this time? And by the way, if the "perfect drag bunt" had been laid down in the prior inning, would that have made it "etiquettly correct"? Shame on the infielders for not anticipating such an event. Last time I was on a team facing the wrong end of a no-no I remember everyone on the field saying "Watch out for the bunt." Yet a perfectly placed drag bunt reads the same in the paper as a perfectly placed single up the middle. Congratulations to Jim for a great game pitched in a long career full of them, but don't fault an equally competetive spirit on the opposition. As excited as you all were for Jim to gain his no-no, the other side was probably just as excited to break it up.

notes · Senior Member

Bravo Herb

mgirard11 · Hall of Famer

Herb,
I guess we just will have to disagree about how to feel about that perfectly placed drag bunt in that situation. You relish it like an ice cold beer on a hot summer afternoon, and I would rather slip and cut my jugular vein while shaving than have to admit to the pitcher that I had to stoop to that level because I couldn't get a real hit! That is what makes us different and that is OK.

HERBCARTER · Senior Member

Mike,
I'll be the first to admit I like an ice cold beer on a hot summer day. I really can't see the appeal of you cutting your throat though. But I will never agree that a "perfectly placed drag bunt" is not a "real hit."
Carry on big fella you know we all still love you.

The_Hurricane · Grand Poobah

mgirard11 wrote:

Herb,
I guess we just will have to disagree about how to feel about that perfectly placed drag bunt in that situation. You relish it like an ice cold beer on a hot summer afternoon, and I would rather slip and cut my jugular vein while shaving than have to admit to the pitcher that I had to stoop to that level because I couldn't get a real hit!

I can't see the value of adding the term "real hit" in this situation (or any situation). It went down in the books as a hit.

With my own eyes, I watched players like Ricky Henderson, Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith, Otis Nixon, Kenny Lofton, Devon White and Ichiro Suzuki earn a ton of those so-called un-real hits for years. The drag-bunt is a hit. Plain and simple. I never witnessed it myself, but I heard that great players like Robinson, Clemente and Mays used the drag-bunt with ruthless efficiency. Some of these players listed are Hall-of-Famers.

Perhaps rather than complain about the batter not man-ning up and trying to rip a double off the wall you should try focusing your frustration on the defenders who failed to make the play. On a drag bunt, there are three options in terms of fielders who could make a play: the pitcher, the catcher and the first baseman. If the pitcher was so concerned about his no-hitter, perhaps he should've fielded the ball and made the throw. Where was your first baseman? Why wasn't he protecting the bunt? How about the catcher? Couldn't he get out of the crouch?

It's all about execution. The batter made a good bunt and your fielders didn't make the play. For one brief at-bat, you were outplayed. Bottom line. If the batter's best chance of getting on base was to bunt his way on then he did his job. His job is not to concede a no-hitter, his job is to get on base - any way he can.

If you think he should've tried to hit to your defense's strengths just because (in your mind) your pitcher deserved a no-hitter, then I guess you must also think that Michael Strahan is the legitimate holder of the NFL's single season sack title even though Brett Favre gave him the record breaking sack by lying down for him. To me, I'd rather earn the no-hitter knowing that I did everything right INCLUDING beating them at their own game rather than have it just handed to me out of some unwritten courtesy rule. I guess you could say, "I would rather slip and cut my jugular vein while shaving than have to admit to the pitcher" that I grounded to short to preserve his no-hitter rather than take advantage of the fact that his third baseman was playing behind the bag in a potential bunt situation.

I like Jim Ansel a lot. He made a lasting impression on me in my first season in the CDMSBL back in 2002 - a display of great sportsmanship that showed me he is a man of great character. Jim Ansel plays on my 28+ team this year. I'd like to think (and I hope) that Jim Ansel would be one of the first guys to tell you that if he threw a no-hitter he would like to do so knowing that he no-hit his opponents when they threw everything they had at him - including any "un"-real hits in the form of drag-bunts.

jmartin · Guru

Amazing - Jim Ansel's 69 and still flirting with no - no's.

I think some of you guys are missing the baseball "etiquette" point Mr. Girard makes. I Can GUARANTEE you Mays, Clemente, or Robinson never dropped down a bunt in the 9th to break up a no -no. Just like Wills never stole a base with his team up by 10 , another unwritten rule of baseball,. Anyway, thats what makes this league interesting - a full spectrum of "ball players."

Jonny Martin

HERBCARTER · Senior Member

Can anyone say Eliassportsbureau

number5 · Newbie

To the League,
First of all I would like to apologize to everyone for my outburst after the game Friday night. I acted out of character. I reacted to a poor sport who would not shake my hand after a recreational baseball game.
Secondly, people need to get their facts straight!!! It was not the last inning of the game, it was the sixth inning. There were 5 outs left in the game for the Reds. 6-0 is not an insurmountable lead in any game, especially an early season game. The Reds had the top of their line-up coming to bat and it was the 9th place hitter who is known to get on base by any means necessary who laid down the bunt. Then went to second on an attempted steal turned into a fielders choice and scored on a gap double that MR. Etiquette failed to mention that followed. Should we as competitors concede a game with five outs left so an opposing player can throw a no-hitter. Where is the legitimacy in that if we do? I say shame on the defense for backing up and letting it happen. And as far as Bush league play goes, what's up with Jim Ansel not shaking Ron McCarthy's hand after the game. That's "bush." There are two philosophies going on here, one is people trying to relive their glory days by taking a recreational game and turning into too serious of an ordeal, and the other are players trying to win ball games, have some fun and never giving up. Take it for what it's worth, but you people really need to get a life, "IT'S A GAME." And as far as MR. Etiquette goes, if you have something to say to me, be a man and say it to my face. I told you when I got on first base, "I was sorry to break up the no hitter but I'm trying to win a ball game." I didn't care if there were no hits or ten hits, I'm trying to get on base. Why should I change my approach because of what "your" pitcher is doing? You had plenty of time after the game to say anything you wanted, why did you choose to hide behind the internet to shoot your mouth off?
Lastly, if bunt singles are not real hits and are so easy, why isn't everyone doing it? Bunting is a talent, a strategy and a huge part of the game. It is just as much a part of the game as anything else.
Ron McCarthy

mgirard11 · Hall of Famer

My apologies for stirring up the bunters of the world. My intention was to try to explain something that spoiled an otherwise enjoyable game in hopes that it wouldn't happen again. Jim got upset and heated words were exchanged after six innings of some great baseball. This is the kind of thing that our league is trying to avoid.
Obviously there are three or four guys that can't seem to understand the point, and that is ok.
Mr. number 5, your teammate Tony Pilatich could probably explain it better to you. Hurricane, you might try to get an explanation from your new 28+ teammate, Mr. Ansel. Herb, I'm not sure that anyone can explain it to you.
I tried.

HERBCARTER · Senior Member

Okay Mike. Don't explain to me the poor sportsmanship of the bunter. Explain to me the poor sportsmanship of the pitcher who refuses to shake hands. Explain to me the sportsmanship of the pitcher who fires the ball onto another field and walks off the field and quits because he didn't get his way. Then maybe I'll "get it"
As for someone getting hurt, that sounds vaguely like a threat. I am not fortunate enough to be able to play this year and perhaps not ever again but I will tell you I was never afraid to get in the box and take one for the team. And I'm not afraid to tell you that you are flat out wrong about this. I have very much enjoyed this forum and the varied opinions expressed in it, however, when the attacks become personal it is time to use the features for private communication. This particular item will very likely break the record for the most views and I believe it is because there are strong feelings on both sides. This is the sort of fodder for newspaper articles use to fire up the home team. It's been a good conversation, let's not ruin it.

Seamus · Member

I suppose it is a matter of opinion, and while I was not at the game, and I am not a pitcher I agree with Mike on this. As a team by the sixth inning of a game you have had 15-17 unsuccessful at-bats, the score is 6-0. A bunt in this instance is a cheap way of breaking up a no-hitter. And, in all honesty, the next batter should have taken one in the ear-hole. But, baseball is different now than it was. I know if my team bunted to break up a no-hitter late in the game I would be embarrassed and ashamed. And, if I was the on-deck hitter I would be PISSED. I would assume that the pitcher would drill me, and he would be correct in doing so, as a matter of fact he would be just as entitled to just start throwing into the dugout. I would feel the same way if a member of my team stole a meaningless base late in a blow-out. If you can't swing the bat and earn your way on 15 times before that at-bat, then show some pride and keep swinging. I have seen this stuff before in the 18+ leagues, I never would have guessed I would see it here. Nolan Ryan once threw at Tony Gwynn for trying to bunt, thats why its wrong to break up a no-hitter late in the game with a bunt. If you don't know what that means or can't understand why, then maybe you haven't been paying attention all these years. It is a matter of respect for your team and teammates, the game, and the achievements of an opposing player. He stymied you for 6 innings, tip your cap and be greateful you are still playing. I would have no respect for the player that bunted even as a teammate. But, that is just one players opinion.

Lest we forget that no scouts are coming to our games, well maybe the Yankees with that "staff".

Donnelly

HERBCARTER · Senior Member

Let me relate a story to you about a similar event. I was on a team facing a no hitter besides one of the two you originally referred to. It was in the 28 leagues and everyone in the park at Suny watched me come to the plate with a wood bat and started to yell watch for the bunt and indeed on the first pitch which was high as baseball etiquette dictates I pulled the bat back and let it go by. Everyone shortened up as they are supposed to and when the next high fastball came in I drilled a double off the fence in straightaway right field. It would probably have been a triple but baseball etiquette dictates that you never make the first or third out at third base. Does that make it a cheap double?

Seamus · Member

First of all, making the first or third out at third base is not baseball etiquette, perhaps we should define the word:
Etiquette- noun 1. conventional requirements as to social behavior; proprieties of conduct as established in any class or community or for any occasion.
2. a prescribed or accepted code of usage in matters of ceremony, as at a court or in official or other formal observances.
Not making the first or third out at third base is a rule of thumb based on strategy, not a polite gesture. Pulling the bat back on a high pitch while bunting is just good common sense, see if you attempt to bunt that ball you will probably pop it up, so again, NOT ETIQUETTE.

Baseball Etiquette would include, but not be limited to: Not stealing a base when winning by 8+ runs in the 5th inning, not watching a homerun go over the fence, not mowing down a catcher when you are out by 30 feet, not arguing balls and strikes when up or down by 8+ runs in the fifth inning, not taking home on a past ball in a blow out (Herb, YOU gave me kudos for my class for not doing this when you were with the Mets, and we were beating you guys by 11 runs in the sixth inning), not tagging up when blowing out a team, and not bunting in the sixth inning of a no-hitter. See all of these things have one common thread, they are all a show of respect for the opposition, and the game. The reason that bunting in the 5-6-7 innings of a no-hitter is bad etiquette is that the game is official.
Again, this is just an opinion, but it is still baseball etiquette, these are the unwritten rules of the game, and I am so surprised that there is even an argument here. I mean really, have you never heard of this before? Do any of these things ring a bell? You don't BUNT in the sixth inning of an 8 run game, period, much less when it is a no-hitter. Take your lumps like a man.

Donnelly

The_Hurricane · Grand Poobah

Seamus wrote:

a show of respect for the opposition, and the game. The reason that bunting in the 5-6-7 innings of a no-hitter is bad etiquette is that the game is official.

I fail to see how lying down for a pitcher to be handed a no-hitter is bad etiquette and a show of disrespect to the game. Seems to me, allowing the other team to get you out is disrespectful. If I bunt in that situation, I am telling the pitcher, the catcher and the rest of the defense that you have to EARN the no-no. That's what makes these "unwriten rules" great. They're unwritten. You want someone to hand you a no-hitter, have it written down inthe by-laws.

One man's interpretation of what is disrespectful to the game is not the same as everyone else's. That's the beauty of living in a place where this sort of thing can be debated. To me, it's disrespectful to the game to succumb to a no-hitter. To others, it isn't.

What I took great exception to was the assumption that a drag-bunt is a not a "real hit." That's called an attack and doesn't lend itself to intelligent discussion; terms like that are meant to incite a war of words where nobody gains anything. It just leaves people angry and that's how people get hurt - they take their anger and frustration from these comments with them to the field and put a little extra something into a pitch or a slide designed to inflict physical harm on someone. As you said, Mr. Donnelly, "no scouts are coming to our games" so we must remember that we are the weekend warriors here and that most of (if not all of) us have families to go home to and provide for. Having someone claim that bunting is not a real hit, or manly as you claim, is just uncalled for.

Why not keep the debate clean, open your mind and realize that there are more than just one opinion on this matter? Clearly, we have a divided opnion and it's healthy to have two opposing sides - it makes for a great way to learn something new. Insulting people is just so childish. We are grown men here and all capable of thinking for ourselves, we're not 15 years-old and still in high-school. Grown-ups acting like men admit when they're wrong or admit when they've been bested and work harder to ensure they don't get bested again. Next time, protect against the bunt.

Seamus · Member

Rob:
You mentioned earlier in the string about Rickey Henderson, do you remember Rickey Henderson striking out against Nolan Ryan for the record? What if he bunted? Its a slap in the face, and the term "real hit" is applicable in this situation. You have to remember that there were at least 15-17 plate appearances by the opposition prior to this at-bat. If a drag bunt is used in the frist four innings then okay, so be it. The fifth inning? If the game is 1-0 and a runner on base is the difference between a win and a loss then that is a different story. But in this case, 6th inning, 6-0 one runner is not a difference maker. You would still need to string together a bunch of hits. I know it starts with one. It is not laying down, no one is asking the opposition to leave their bats in the dugout and look at 3 pitches.

If the opposition had to play with only two outfielders, would you try to hit the ball to the opposite field just to pad your stats? It is a selfish and un-team like thing to do, and is a reflection of the team that I am playing on or against, I just feel that it is a lack of respect. I feel that using a drag bunt in a situation where honestly if it were a 6-0, 4 hitter, would the batter have bunted??? Most likely he wouldn't and if he did then he would need to have his head examined.

I realize that with 4-6 outs in a game a 6-0 lead is not insurmountable, but really, is a bunt in the players repertoire? Is that a wise baseball move? Or is it a selfish and childish way of ruining something so rare? 6-0, 6th inning and bunting is not a wise play plain and simple.

Donnelly
Albany Nationals (as well)

The_Hurricane · Grand Poobah

I guess I'm just not a fan of "unwritten rules." I never understood it.

I don't know Mr. McCarthy and I don't know the type of player he is. I know for me, a bunt is usually the best way for me to try to get on (as a person who carried a .154 average last year). I am your traditional, end of the line-up, scrap your way on base any way you can type of hitter. I have one homerun in my life and it was an inside-the-park homer on a field without a fence and I'd imagine you could count the number of career doubles I have on just two hands. As a consequence of my lousy plate discipline, bunting works very well for me. I actually consider myself to be an exellent bunter.

As a result, for someone to illegitimize the way guys like me play ball is simply uncalled for. Talk all you want about "etiquette" and whether or not the drag-bunt was a form of poor sportsmanship or against some unwritten rule, but if I was put in the same situation - I'm bunting. Plain and simple. If I step up to the plate with a .154 average and my team is looking for runners any way it can get them, I will do what I can to provide that baserunner. It's the defense's job to get the batter out; it's not the batter's job to hit into the defense and hope he gets on base.

So now let's go back to our scenario. What if Mr. McCarthy was that type of hitter? What if his best asset was his ability to bunt? What if that's the best way he gets on base? Should he still be FORCED to swing away and pray for the bloop single over the 2B's head? If he is a great bunter and he adhere's to this "code" he is not just doing himself a disservice, he's doing a disservice to his team, the game of baseball and to the pitcher for giving into an illegitimate no-hitter. A no-hitter is earned by the pitcher and not handed to him by the opposition.

And to answer you Rickey Henderson question......if the 3B is playing deep against Rickey then he should've bunted to get on base. It's the 3B's job in that situation to know who is at the plate and since Rickey is a great bunter and a definate threat with his speed, then he should've been playing in - my guess is he was and THAT is why Henderson was swinging instead of bunting. Ryan was going to get 5000 K's that day anyway - he was playing the A's who had Jose Canseco, Dave Henderson and Mark McGwire in 1989. If it wasn't Rickey it would've come later anyway.

Seamus · Member

If that is the case then he should have bunted in one of his previous at-bats. Regardless of what kind of hitter you are, unless you bunt EVERY at-bat, then that is not a wise baseball play. Again, is the reason for the bunt simply to end a no-hitter or is there some benefit to your team? 6-0, 6th inning, a bunt is not a wise play, case closed.

Now, with that being said Rob, I have played against you for the better part of the last 4 years, and I can never recall you bunting, in the 18+ or 28+ league. I'm sure you have, but I have seen you come to the plate on a number of occasions, and know for a fact that you don't bunt every time up.

The Rickey Henderson thing: Did you know that he asked the catcher to let him take the ball to Nolan Ryan if he struck out? That is respect. Rickey Henderson (1990), Davey Lopes (1981), Lou Brock (1978), and Kenny Lofton (1993), all speedsters that were in teams and in the lineup when their team was no-hit. NONE of them bunted. If it was the right thing to do, then why not do it with two strikes when the infield is back?

I mean seriously do we have to write out the un-written rules? Are you guys the ones I'm screaming at that do 55 in the left hand lane when I am going to work in the morning?

Love the discussion, and I know I will never convince anyone of what I am saying, but it is a refreshing distraction from work.

The_Hurricane · Grand Poobah

That does it Donnelly.......I'LL SEE YOU IN THE DUGOUT!

But I do bunt (and pretty well), you can ask Bearup. It's the running part I tend to screw up.....

Rooster · Newbie

everyone is forgetting one thing, their was another hit after the single to 3rd

blumpkin · Member

Correct; apparently it was a perfectly placed drag bunt over the center fielder's head.

mgirard11 · Hall of Famer

The Hurricane Wrote: "I fail to see how lying down for a pitcher to be handed a no hitter is bad etiquette."

I now understand The Hurricane's point of view. Thanks for explaining to us all that you think of "swinging away" as "lying down" for a pitcher and "handing him a no hitter". The stats you provided and the description of your talents in the batters box explain your point of view on this discussion fully.
Rest assured that Mr. McArthy does not "need" to bunt to get on base. He seemed to handle the bat well in his other plate appearances. It was just that this particular bunt seemed aimed at solely breaking up the no-no. He has since cliamed that its aim was to help his team win, and that would be more understandable. At the time, there was one out and nobody on in what was definitely going to be the last inning (due to impending darkness) of a 6-0 game. The opposing pitcher didn't share his point of view and my first post was to explain to him why the post game hubub took place.
Mr. Hurricane, don't get your shorts in a bunch. You always seem to try to make everything personal. Believe me I have nothing personal against you. I couldn't pick you out of a two man police line-up. It is ok that you don't understand our point of view. At least now I understand yours.

The_Hurricane · Grand Poobah

A few points:

mgirard11:

"it was just "BUSH LEAGUE"!!!"
"It was completely legal, but it is usually followed with that same batter ending up with sore ribs, and we don't need that kind of escalation in our league."

The compliments you paid at the end your first post are phony at best when you have statements like these preceding them.

mgirard11:

"I am just explaining this here so that others who don't understand this kind of etiquette might get it before something like this happens again."
"This is the kind of thing that our league is trying to avoid."

At what point did you become the spokesman for the league? I missed the memo....

mgirard11:

"I now understand The Hurricane's point of view. Thanks for explaining to us all that you think of "swinging away" as "lying down" for a pitcher and "handing him a no hitter". The stats you provided and the description of your talents in the batters box explain your point of view on this discussion fully."

If you're trying to veil some sarcasm here, you have some work to do......

mgirard11:

"Mr. Hurricane, don't get your shorts in a bunch. You always seem to try to make everything personal. Believe me I have nothing personal against you. I couldn't pick you out of a two man police line-up."

I ask......if you couldn't pick me out of a two-person police line-up, how is you know me well enough to think I always take things personally? It makes no sense.

Mike, you're a great ball-player and a great teammate - I have a great deal of respect for the Cubs; part and parcel. You guys conduct yourselves with the utmost class on the ball-field. But I think you may just want to open your mind a bit here. This is a diverse league containing people from all sorts of backgrounds. Obviously, I am not the only guy here who thinks this hitter was right to bunt. What I take exception to is the personal attacks you made on him. It's just wrong.

If you want people to see your point of view don't attack them. When you call someone's play "BUSH LEAGUE" or make threats to throw at them next time they're up, how is a person supposed to take it? Of course it's personal. Do you think I bring up my .154 average or my career "power" numbers because I am proud of them? I bring them up to show you that there are people who bunt when the time is right because it's the best way to get on base - it is, after all, why I followed it with, "so now let's go back to our scenario." It's called using logic.

Because this is a men's league, I'd like to think that childish behavior is, "the kind of thing that our league is trying to avoid."

Drag bunts are not real hits.

That sort of thing is "BUSH LEAGUE!"

That's how someone ends up with sore ribs.

What are we, 15 years old? Come on, we're better than this.

Seamus · Member

A couple of things, first, the fact that there was a hit later in the inning to center field is meaningless. See, who knows, without the benefit of a time machine, what would have happened if that series of events would have changed pitch selection. So, that point is moot.

I agree with Mr. Girard that it was a bush league play. It is not meant to be personal, but it is what it is. The thing about the sore ribs is also not a personal attack in my mind. Baseball has always had a way of governing itself, not saying its right, but again it is what it is. If you go into second base hard for no reason, you or your teammate-depending on the time of the game would have gotten a new ear-hole. But,, this is a recreational league, and I do understand that.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to two points. 1. What was the real benefit of the bunt? What was the strategy behind it? If someone can really explain to me how 6-0, 6th inning and one out, a bunt is a good play, no hitter or not, then I would be a little more understanding I suppose.
2. Emotion is just human nature, and if you feel slighted then you can very well feed off of your emotions, and lose sight of the fact that it is just a game. That is how people can get hurt, and we have all seen it. A hard slide to break up a DP, a fastball a little too high and tight, etc...

I just wonder if those who feel otherwise would still feel that way if it were the other way around, or even worse, if none of the "unwritten rules" were adhered to. Just because there is no rule etched in stone that I shouldn't steal bases when winning by 11 runs in the seventh, does that make it okay? I mean, I am not just gonna hand you a loss, you will have to earn it. Sixth inning, 6-0, 1 out, getting dark, swing the damn bat. There now the unwritten rule has been written. We can write out the rest of them for you if you would like.

Pretty sure the dead horse has been beaten about as much as it is gonna be now.

HERBCARTER · Senior Member

I would like to beat this dead horse just a little bit more and not just because it is close to being the most viewed and commented upon forum entry.
After the third or fourth comments about the situation I did some googling.(And no they weren't porno) I found the unwritten rules of sports written down on about 500 sights. I found drag bunts to break up no hitters at every level from little league through the Majors. I even found a quote from Casey Stengel to Mickey Mantle in which Casey screams from the dugout to Mickey to drag a bunt don't let them no-hit us. This was in the ninth inning of a gem by Virgil Trucks of the Philadelphia Athletics.
The beauty of this league and this bunch of guys is that we can have these discussions without any animosity. I don't think Mike Girard hates me because I feel the way I do. (There are so many other reasons) I don't think Seamus will be waiting in any parking lots for me either. Enjoy the distractions of the bulletin board, keep playing the game the way we all love to and whatever you do if Jim Ansell is throwing, everyone lay down your drag bunts in the first inning please.

Seamus · Member

Did Mickey Mantle bunt?

Don't be so sure that I won't be waiting Herb. What? I kid, I kid.

Seamus · Member

http://www.action-squad.com/?p=1483 Heres a website that has it for you.