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 I went over this a little bit last season with the A-Rod slide into second base, but since it's kind of popped up again the last few days....let's make another run at it. Plus, it's nice to talk about general baseball topics around here, no?
During the Cardinals/Astros game on Tuesday night Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols slid into home plate and took out Astros C J.R. Towles (picture at left) even though there really wasn't a play to be made. There was some discussion afterward as to whether or not this was a "dirty play" and Pujols even called the Astros Clubhouse to apologize to Towles (which he accepted). So....is this really a "dirty play"?
As a Cubs fans I'm bred to have a major dislike for the Cardinals and while I'm not a fan of theirs.....I do think they play hard and with respect. That's what I think Pujols was doing here and I don't have a problem with it. Actually, if I have a problem with anything, it's that Towles was blocking the plate when there wasn't a play there. Towles is kind of lucky Pujols slid instead of just running him over. If I was Pujols I probably would have scored the run and then stood up and yelled at Towles....I can be a jerk sometimes.
Nevertheless, the slide by Pujols was the right move because, if you aren't going to knock someone over, what you are supposed to do when a catcher is blocking home plate is....take out their legs. It's not like you are karate kicking them, it's just a hard slide (kind of like breaking up a double play) in an effort to get to the plate without being tagged. I've seen numerous players try to dance their way (Frank Thomas/Alex Rodriguez) around the catcher so that neither party gets hit and it never seems to work out well. Either the player misses home plate entirely, runs out of the baseline or is tagged out because he didn't slide.
Pujols did everything he's supposed to do on this play and if anyone has a problem with it (Brandon Backe) then you probably don't know the right way to play or are just completely overreacting.
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Ah yes; "The Slide"... It was a clean, hard play, and I'd be saying the same thing if the tables were turned on the Cardinals. Go ask Yadier Molina if he thought getting bowled over by Ty Wiggington a few years back was dirty. I wager he'd say no; that it's just baseball. Hell, I was hit harder than that in a game of pickup softball several years back, and I thought nothing of it, but then I'm old school(being in your mid-50s will do that to you).
It's ok if Backe had a problem with Pujols' slide; that's his right. The confrontation should have taken place in private, though.
Sorry for the rambling, piecemeal post; my brain is still asleep.
If Frank Thomas ran anyone over I'm not sure there would be much left.
come on you can't forget about that time he tip-toed around the Indians catcher
100% clean play. If there's no play, the catcher has to vacate or suffer the consequences.
I gotta admit that I haven't seen the play. Been on vacation and work travel the last week so I've been out of it. Even without seeing I would say it was clean though. Pujols isn't a dirty player. He respects the game and other players.
The bad thing about being gone is somewhat missing the Cardinals wonderful start to the season. Hopefully I'll be able to post in the next day or so after I get caught up here at work.
The only iffy thing about the play was that Pujols was coming in on a straight line that would have had him score anyway. He seemed to hook to take out the catcher.
That said, he was trying to keep him from catching the ball and applying the tag, like in your DP example. Nothing really wrong with it, and even if so, he talked to Towles about it afterwards.
Either way, Backe really pissed Pujols off! Should have said something after the previous game or waited til after last night's game. Not before!
I also don't see anything wrong with the slide.
Good point, you would think that after LaRussa pissed off Pujols after the AS Game last year that the rest of the league would figure out that it's not a good thing to do. I wouldn't even look at the guy if I played against him.
I had never played an inch of catcher in my life until several years ago when a few of us started a softball team in Bloomington. I ended up catching for the first few seasons and Cobra and I had a pretty good thing going throwing people out at the plate. In those short couple of years I understood one thing that I think may apply a little. If there isn't a play at the plate don't put yourself in a position to cause trouble. Just take a step to the front of the plate and let the guy in if nothing is going to come of it. It is an opportunity for you to hurt someone or for someone to hurt you but little else will result. I will admit to some gamesmanship at times. Occasionally if Cobra was a setting up a throw I would look disinterested to encourage the runner to take a chance only to get caught, but I wouldn't do it the other way around. I wouldn't pretend a play is coming when there wasn't one. Granted, this was just softball, and I think there may be rules against feinting a play at the plate and inducing an unnecessary slide, but I think the notion holds. Don't risk something for no gain. I see nothing wrong with any part of Pujols' slide