Hank Steinbrenner is the biggest...uh...kitty...I've ever seen

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Originally Posted by filihok

I agree. No National League teams choose to bat the pitcher in a DH game. It would be foolish too. The DH absolutely protects the pitcher, who is the most important player in any game.

But he's a player in the game. And as a player in the game, he should field and bat. The league should do whatever they can to protect him from getting injured playing in the game. There's a big maple bat controversy going on right now. The bats are dangerous to fielders and fans. Something probably needed to be done on that yesterday. But, I-me, don't think that having your players not play is the answer. There is risk in playing the sport. L.A. has 60% of the rotation on the DL right now. And it sucks. But if you're a baseball player, you play baseball.

That's how I feel. I respect (more than I thought I would) some of the arguments of the DHers, but they don't change my mind.

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Fair enough. I'm of the opinion that I don't mind this 'slight' compromise to protect those pitchers. Those are the things MLB needs to debate as a whole. I do expect that should Steinbrennar b!tch enough, and should a few other owners come on board (god forbid another start pitcher get hurt again running or swinging) this will come to a vote and may in fact see the DH go to the NL. Thats what my crystal ball says.

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Originally Posted by dickay

I see no reason why Steinbrennar can't b!tch.

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The reason is simple. His last name is Steinbrenner. If anyone else had said it he'd just be a person expressing an opinion, but to some people a Steinbrenner -- and to some, anyone associated with the Yankees -- will always be in the wrong.

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Originally Posted by filihok

Who's to say it's never going to happen?

I bet if you asked some of the real old timers they would find it ludicris that pitchers wouldn't have to bat for themselves.

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real old timers would find alot of todays game lucidris, but we find alot of their game ludicris as well. Theres a time & place for everything. Slavery was seen as noble at one time in the worlds darker past.

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Originally Posted by JayC

The reason is simple. His last name is Steinbrenner. If anyone else had said it he'd just be a person expressing an opinion, but to some people a Steinbrenner -- and to some, anyone associated with the Yankees -- will always be in the wrong.

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That may be true. I think it has more to do with him being owner of the most valuable franchise in the game than the fact he's unpopular. The Yankee owner will always have reporters ready and willing to take a statement.

But, should Jake Peavy, Johan Santana, Brandon Webb, Josh Beckett, Joe Blanton, Mark Buerlhe, Scott Sheilds, or any other top of the rotation pitcher get hurt swining a bat or running the bases, I suspect you'll hear more of this and they will to get a big pedastal to stand on. The players union is all for it, and it protect assets. Its a big business now. I actually think the DH will go NL in the next decade.

Scot Shields? :p lol

It hurts Shields just as much when his ankle snaps off as it does Wang

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Originally Posted by dickay

That may be true. I think it has more to do with him being owner of the most valuable franchise in the game than the fact he's unpopular. The Yankee owner will always have reporters ready and willing to take a statement.

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That may be a more accurate way to put it, but basically it's the same thing: the only reason he is unpopular is because his family owns that team. If not for that, no one would know who he is... so he'd just be some guy stating an opinion (perhaps not even one that was well thought out) in response to a negative event affecting the company he owns. Or, a sports team he likes...

Of course people spout off like that all the time, but when most of us do so it doesn't sell newspapers or generate page views. Or outrage.

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

Than we're arguing semantics.

There isn't even anything to "argue." The fact of the matter is, the DH is in the rules, and is allowed, and it's still baseball. We can argue over whether or not we like the DH, but that's like arguing whether vanilla ice cream or chocolate ice cream is better.

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Lots of rules in the guise of laws have been struck down. The DH violates a fundamental rule so there is no question it shouldn't even be here.

:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by belial

The DH violates a fundamental rule so there is no question it shouldn't even be here.

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Yet it's here in almost every college, amateur, and professional baseball league in the world.

It's time to move on to acceptance.

No, it's time to remove it. Did the US accept slavery? Did women accept they couldn't vote?

Are we really to the point that people are comparing the DH to slavery and woman's rights?

LOL.

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

Are we really to the point that people are comparing the DH to slavery and woman's rights?

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I hope not, because that'd be very inaccurate. The DH rule doesn't infringe on a pitcher's inalienable right to bat. In fact, it provides freedom of choice.

Opposing the DH in un-American! Why do you people hate freedom?

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

Are we really to the point that people are comparing the DH to slavery and woman's rights?

LOL.

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Yes, that's exactly what I was doing. Are you serious?

Wow this took a turn for the worse. I regretably mentioned slavery in an example to state that times change and what once was thought as popular and right is no longer. Bad choice I suppose lol.

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Lots of rules in the guise of laws have been struck down. The DH violates a fundamental rule so there is no question it shouldn't even be here.

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I agree houston, :rolleyes:. Maybe we can get rid of the 9 inning game and go back to the first team to make it to 21, as it was one of the original rules.

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No, it's time to remove it. Did the US accept slavery? Did women accept they couldn't vote?

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No they didn't accept those things. So why should owners accept a rule that says they must expose rare valuable commodities to additional and unnecessary risk when an 'optional' alternative has been tested and proved successful? Works both ways eh?

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I hope not, because that'd be very inaccurate. The DH rule doesn't infringe on a pitcher's inalienable right to bat. In fact, it provides freedom of choice.

Opposing the DH in un-American! Why do you people hate freedom?

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That was a classic spin, you should be a politician or host an extreme political talk show lol. You should've taken it farther and asked if NL teams would be hoisting Communist Soviet flags at upcoming games.

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Originally Posted by dickay

I agree houston, :rolleyes:. Maybe we can get rid of the 9 inning game and go back to the first team to make it to 21, as it was one of the original rules.

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That wasn't me.

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Originally Posted by dickay

That was a classic spin, you should be a politician or host an extreme political talk show lol. You should've taken it farther and asked if NL teams would be hoisting Communist Soviet flags at upcoming games.

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That'd be really out of date. How about this: "When pitchers are forced to hit, the terrorists win."

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Originally Posted by HoustonGM

That wasn't me.

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you posted the :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: though

Oh. Woops. Didn't catch that. lol

[quote]LOS ANGELES -- C.C. Sabathia made a pregame promise to his teammates that he'd swing for the fences.

He backed up that boast in a hurry.

Sabathia hit a tape-measure home run in his first at-bat of the year and also struck out 10, highlighting the Cleveland Indians' 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings Saturday.

"I told everybody I was trying to hit homers today because I had two singles last year and everybody was all over me, saying I was a singles hitter," the reigning AL Cy Young winner said. "It was awesome."

Sabathia enhanced his reputation on the mound and at the plate in the interleague game at Dodger Stadium. He launched a home run estimated at 440 feet and improved to 12-for-40 (.300) lifetime as a hitter with two career homers and seven RBI.

He didn't even take any practice swings in the on-deck circle or going up to the plate because he spent too much time trying to locate his batting helmet.

"It's always fun for me to hit," Sabathia said. "I took BP the other day in Colorado, but that was it. I've been looking forward to this. I started counting the days back in May, trying to figure if I was going to hit in Colorado or hit here. I love to do it, so it was a lot of fun today."

With NL rules in effect, Sabathia wasted little time once he got to the plate. He drove a 1-0 fastball from Chan Ho Park into the lower seats in the right-field corner leading off the third, drawing a collective gasp from the crowd of 45,036.

"I was just looking for a fastball out over the plate," said the 6-foot-7, 290-pound pitcher, who did a slow trot around the bases in the 95-degree heat. "Everybody was laughing when I got back to the dugout."

Sabathia's other home run came in 2005 against Elizardo Ramirez at Cincinnati, a two-run shot to center field in a 10-3 victory.

"C.C. told me he couldn't sleep last night. I don't think it was because of his pitching. I think it was because he knew he was going to get a chance to hit," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's a fantastic athlete." [quote]

Hank? Any thoughts?

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Originally Posted by filihok

LOS ANGELES -- C.C. Sabathia made a pregame promise to his teammates that he'd swing for the fences.

He backed up that boast in a hurry.

Sabathia hit a tape-measure home run in his first at-bat of the year and also struck out 10, highlighting the Cleveland Indians' 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings Saturday.

"I told everybody I was trying to hit homers today because I had two singles last year and everybody was all over me, saying I was a singles hitter," the reigning AL Cy Young winner said. "It was awesome."

Sabathia enhanced his reputation on the mound and at the plate in the interleague game at Dodger Stadium. He launched a home run estimated at 440 feet and improved to 12-for-40 (.300) lifetime as a hitter with two career homers and seven RBI.

He didn't even take any practice swings in the on-deck circle or going up to the plate because he spent too much time trying to locate his batting helmet.

"It's always fun for me to hit," Sabathia said. "I took BP the other day in Colorado, but that was it. I've been looking forward to this. I started counting the days back in May, trying to figure if I was going to hit in Colorado or hit here. I love to do it, so it was a lot of fun today."

With NL rules in effect, Sabathia wasted little time once he got to the plate. He drove a 1-0 fastball from Chan Ho Park into the lower seats in the right-field corner leading off the third, drawing a collective gasp from the crowd of 45,036.

"I was just looking for a fastball out over the plate," said the 6-foot-7, 290-pound pitcher, who did a slow trot around the bases in the 95-degree heat. "Everybody was laughing when I got back to the dugout."

Sabathia's other home run came in 2005 against Elizardo Ramirez at Cincinnati, a two-run shot to center field in a 10-3 victory.

"C.C. told me he couldn't sleep last night. I don't think it was because of his pitching. I think it was because he knew he was going to get a chance to hit," manager Eric Wedge said. "He's a fantastic athlete."

Hank? Any thoughts?

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ROTFLMAO. Another fat guy makes good! ! ! That's two in one week ! ! !

The funny part is " 290-pound pitcher, who did a slow trot around the bases in the 95-degree heat." LOL. He weren't trotting he was sprintin. Trust me on this. GO CC GO ! ! LOL

Wow, the rise of us fatguys. Look out baseball world, here we come! ! ! LOL

I think when Hank overpays to acquire CC, he's still going to support a DH in the NL and wish CC didn't have to run & bat. At least those are what I believe his 'thoughts' are.