Barrett

[sherwood921]

Here's my take on it:

 

- The play was clean, AJP doesn't know where the ball is...I don't necessarily think Barrett should have gotten out of the way, as the ball was on line, and you don't know if it's going to take a skid bounce or a high hop.

 

- AJP didn't need to hit the plate

 

- I don't think AJP said anything, if he did, who cares

 

- Barrett did not need to grab him and stick him in the face

 

- Those that argue AJP had it coming...reminds me of those parents who would scream their kids during my hockey games "Don't let him hit you like that Jimmy! Hit him back" to their 10 year old...I don't care if he had it coming, it's baseball...get him back within the rules.

 

- To those people saying "At least the Cubs can fight (Farns, Barrett, etc)": well I would hope so...Farns ran and tackled Wilson, and Barrett sucker punched him, I wouldn't call those fair fights (plus someone said Mayberry (as they called him today) got whooped)

 

- I believe much of the reason Barrett hit him was pure frustration, but you take your frustration out on the ball, what he did only made it worse

 

- Barrett has been a favorite of mine and I lost a lot of respect for him today

 

- Also, the "fire" argument: if a basketball team is struglling for a while...is it a good thing to have your center clock some guy? I don't see how that's fire. I see fire from Barrett a lot, but this was not fire. When I see Cedeno dive and pump his first, or clap his hands after a double, that's fire. Punching someone on the other team in a primarily non-contact sport doesn't stand out to me as fire.

Edited May 20, 2006 by sherwood921

[mul21]

To all of you claiming this was a clean play:

 

This would have been a clean play if Barrett already had the ball. If you have watched baseball for any extended length of time, you would notice that collisions at home plate occur almost exclusively when the catcher already has the bal or is in the process of catching it. Nearly every other player in the major leagues would have used a hook slide and been safe at the plate without causing a problem of any kind. AJP, with his previously established reputation caused this entire event to happen.

 

I'm not excusing Barrett for his behavior, but he is not the sole bearer of blame for this incident by any stretch.

 

Now that I've said that, let it rip.....

[wastra]

AJP may be an ass.

He may not be well liked by pretty much everyone in the game.

 

But Barret was in the wrong 100% here.

 

This was nothing more than frustration catching up with him. This team is lost, and there can be very little doubt about that now.

[XZero771679666304]

Is that Guillen in the middle of that mess?

 

Wow. Way to get yourself suspended when our offense already sucks, Mike.

 

Barrett was probably thinking he could kill 2 birds with one stone. He'd be the guy that finally got to hit AJ, and he'd get the next 7 or so days off instead of playing on this ridiculous team.

 

I think the home plate ump saved Pods from a good beating as well.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v365/XZero77/23524995.jpg

[WrigleyField 22]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctsYoWLgtuY

 

That was stupid of Barrett, but if he was gonna explode, at least he took out his frustration on AJ.

 

This just adds to the joke of a season we've had. This wont fire up this team. This team will only continue to falter.

 

I have a suggestion.

Trade Barrett for AJ. Barrett deserves to win and this joke of an organization is exactly what AJ deserves. Yea the fans don't deserve AJ, but at this point we are already numbed from the likes of Dusty, Niefi, Hendry, we'll barely notice.

[Chief_Cardinal]

Isn't there a rule that you can not block the plate at all if you don't have the ball?

[FadeToBolivia]

I disagree with the behavior of saving face when "disrespected" because a man needs to have street credibility. That's white trash behavior and doesn't have any place on the baseball diamond either.

 

I also disagree that Barrett was "disrespected" by AJ. That's a play that happens routinely in the game of baseball.

 

This is the second time youve called it "white trash" behavior, as if white people are the only ones who have ever thrown a punch.

[bc2k]

I'm embarrassed to be a Cubs fan today. Not because of the losing effort on the field, but because of the unsportsmanlike, baby-fit that Barrett threw.

 

It's not cool to get into physical fights. You're not any more of a man for punching others in the face. In fact, I think it's white trash behavior. It's disturbing some fans celebrate this.

 

Barrett was blocking the plate and AJ ran through him. It was not a dirty play on AJ's part. AJ saw that Anderson hit a shallow fly ball to left and knew he was a slow runner so the play at home would likely be close. Add to the fact that AJ couldn't see the throw developing behind him, but had to know it was close since Barrett otherwise wouldn't be blocking the plate, and you can realize that this is a clean play and a part of baseball.

 

Its also prissy (in everyday speak I'd use another word that is p---y') behavior to take crap and not do anything about it. Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself and your team or you will be run over and disrespected all the time.

 

There are some things going for blind masculine violence.

 

I disagree with the behavior of saving face when "disrespected" because a man needs to have street credibility. That's white trash behavior and doesn't have any place on the baseball diamond either.

 

I also disagree that Barrett was "disrespected" by AJ. That's a play that happens routinely in the game of baseball.

 

I haven't seen a guy barrel into a catcher who didn't have the ball for years. Its typical Pierzynski behavior-do something that's totally unncessary, but just barely within the rules, so you can have some deniability. I, for one, am glad that Barrett did what he did. While Pierzynski may not have deserved it for this one incident, think of it as a lifetime achivement award.

 

As far as the suspension, you all should spare your indignation. This team is going nowhere anyway. Losing Barrett for 10 days might change their record over that span from 2-8 to 1-9. It was pretty much the only entertaining thing this Cubs team has done this whole year.

 

Running into a catcher is always acceptable on close plays when a catcher is blocking the plate. Only if Barrett left AJ a lane to slide into, and AJ still chose to run through Barrett, would AJ's play be dirty.

 

Barrett made the decision for AJ.

 

I commend Barrett for staying in front of the plate as long as he did, but there's no justification for punching AJ no matter how much of a jerk AJ has been to others.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Isn't there a rule that you can not block the plate at all if you don't have the ball?

 

He's in the process of receiving the throw(even though he doesn't have it yet), so he's allowed to be there.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Barrett is a jerk and has an IQ of about 50. He's been doing stupid crap since we got him, I honestly DO think he's just not very smart. I don't like him, I don't like his game, I don't like his bonehead mistakes. When the new Cubs GM is ready to trade him, I won't complain.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I think the home plate ump saved Pods from a good beating as well.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v365/XZero77/23524995.jpg

 

Oh yeah, in the video it's really clear that if the home plate umpire didn't grab Barrett, Podsednik was going to get the beatdown of a lifetime.

[abuck1220]

it may technically be w/in the rules, but i wonder how ajp would like it if he got plowed everytime he stood near the plate w/o the ball.

 

i was hoping that aj wouldn't be ejected so that any cub who scored could just nail him regardless of how close the play was...but then i realized the cubs weren't going to score. if by some fluke, the cubs score a run or two, i'd just plow him every time.

[bc2k]

I disagree with the behavior of saving face when "disrespected" because a man needs to have street credibility. That's white trash behavior and doesn't have any place on the baseball diamond either.

 

I also disagree that Barrett was "disrespected" by AJ. That's a play that happens routinely in the game of baseball.

 

This is the second time youve called it "white trash" behavior, as if white people are the only ones who have ever thrown a punch.

 

I didn't mean to say only white people exhibit this behavior. Let me amend my use of "white trash" to "trailer trash."

[Too Tall]

Barrett is a jerk and has an IQ of about 50. He's been doing stupid crap since we got him, I honestly DO think he's just not very smart. I don't like him, I don't like his game, I don't like his bonehead mistakes. When the new Cubs GM is ready to trade him, I won't complain.

He's not very smart because his team has been sucking, showing no life, his team is getting the crapped kicked out of them by the in city rival and he gets barrelled over and knocks the crap out of the person that barrelled him over? So Barretts a jerk, but AJ's not for slapping the plate like an idiot? I think it was great, Barretts the only one on this team that gives a crap. I've been in a few fights in my life so does that make me a jerk, Iq of about 50? What did you want him to do? If he just took it and didn't act like anything was the matter, people would be jumping on him cause he didnt' show any fire.. I don't get it..

[FadeToBolivia]

I disagree with the behavior of saving face when "disrespected" because a man needs to have street credibility. That's white trash behavior and doesn't have any place on the baseball diamond either.

 

I also disagree that Barrett was "disrespected" by AJ. That's a play that happens routinely in the game of baseball.

 

This is the second time youve called it "white trash" behavior, as if white people are the only ones who have ever thrown a punch.

 

I didn't mean to say only white people exhibit this behavior. Let me amend my use of "white trash" to "trailer trash."

 

Alright, well again, people who live in trailers arent the only ones who get in fights. People from all walks of life get into fights. You could just say you disagree with what he did instead of trying to categorize him into some low social group.

 

Anyways as to the fight itself, I think if nothing else, it probably shows that Barrett is getting frustrated with the way things are going. Hes probably sick of working hard only to be on the losing end of things, and getting hit at the plate might have sent him over the edge right there. If thats the case, then Im glad he gives a crap.

[Butterscup1679666578]

If we come close to scoring tomorrow, does their catcher get plowed?

 

And how many times is Z going to be throwing at someone tomorrow?

[Outshined_One]

If we come close to scoring tomorrow, does their catcher get plowed?

 

And how many times is Z going to be throwing at someone tomorrow?

 

1) Possibly, depends on who's doing it.

 

2) No, he knows better. He'll save it either until the Wrigley series or until next year.

[Jon]

"I've been punched a lot of times."

 

-AJP

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

It seems that Barrett may have learned much from Sensei Kyle.

[Fro]

I don't think it's any big deal. Baseball needs to be like hockey and allow fighting and beaning players and it'd be a lot more exciting. Edited May 20, 2006 by Fro

[Hornbuckle]

So far, every single person I've heard comment on this incident, including Dusty and Barrett himself, have deemed the hit clean. I can't figure out what it is about this play that some of you don't get.

 

He was blocking the plate. If he didn't think he had a chance to catch the ball and get AJ out, he could have easily stepped up and gotten out of the way.

 

You block the plate, you get hit. Pretty simple.

[Jon]

So far, every single person I've heard comment on this incident, including Dusty and Barrett himself, have deemed the hit clean. I can't figure out what it is about this play that some of you don't get.

 

He was blocking the plate. If he didn't think he had a chance to catch the ball and get AJ out, he could have easily stepped up and gotten out of the way.

 

You block the plate, you get hit. Pretty simple.

The majority of times the catcher blocks the plate with their left leg (just about every play at the plate), the runner slides around it. That's not to say it was a dirty hit, but collisions at the plate aren't all that common.

 

And the majority of the time, the runner doesn't act the way AJP did.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Maybe Barrett just wanted to punch A.J. If so, he's one of many players from around the league who has wanted to do it.

[imb]

That was beautiful, im just glad a cubs player was awake

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Barrett is a jerk and has an IQ of about 50. He's been doing stupid crap since we got him, I honestly DO think he's just not very smart. I don't like him, I don't like his game, I don't like his bonehead mistakes. When the new Cubs GM is ready to trade him, I won't complain.

He's not very smart because his team has been sucking, showing no life, his team is getting the crapped kicked out of them by the in city rival and he gets barrelled over and knocks the crap out of the person that barrelled him over? So Barretts a jerk, but AJ's not for slapping the plate like an idiot? I think it was great, Barretts the only one on this team that gives a crap. I've been in a few fights in my life so does that make me a jerk, Iq of about 50? What did you want him to do? If he just took it and didn't act like anything was the matter, people would be jumping on him cause he didnt' show any fire.. I don't get it..

 

1. The rundown play.

2. The run-in with Oswalt.

3. The fight with AJP.

4. The incredibly dumb called pitches.

5. The impatience at the plate.

6. The quotes in the press.

 

The guy is a dim-witted moron. So he hits 270 every year, big deal. He still sucks, and he is not a long-term solution, contract notwithstanding.