Old Time Family Baseball

If you’re a baseball player who is traveling through Chicago next year, you had better be careful not to step too close to the plate or accidentally break an unwritten rule. If you do, you’re going to pay for it.

New White Sox bench coach Mark Parent, when asked about how often the White Sox batters were hit last season, had this to say:

“You hit our guy, we’ll hit your guy.” 

Meanwhile, at the Cubs Convention from a few days prior, Cubs pitching coach and owner of a giant head, Chris Bosio, offered this about his approach: 

“Don’t write me a book,” he said at the Cubs Convention. “If you want to write a book, stick it in the mail and give it to someone who cares. Just give me some good information on how I can get this guy out. That’s probably in a nutshell what we’re trying to do.”

Then he is a believer in using certain pitches to get batters out?

“Either that or throw at his (helmet) ear hole,” Bosio said with a laugh. “We’re going to do our share of that. I’m an old-school guy. … There’s a way to do it and do it the right way.”

First, Bosio makes it clear that he will not cotton to this kind of nerdy behavior, and second, he’s proud to say that his pitchers will be aiming for batters ear holes should they offend the Cubs in any way.

It’s a popular trope from “old school” baseball guys that retribution should be made on the baseball field. It’s also in stark contrast to today’s changing on-field ethics where player health is paramount. Considering the new information we have on injuries like concussions, it’s not surprising that it’s the direction we’re moving in. Not only that, but pitchers throw harder now than ever before and, unless I’ve missed the study, our bones haven’t grown any stronger. And yet, there is still a large group who are proud to say they’ll defend their teammates by squaring up and aiming for the ribs. Is there no better way to take care of these issues on the baseball field? What if the pitch slips and all of a sudden that chest high pitch is now hurtling towards the face? Is it still a defensible position?

Intentionally hitting batters has long had its place in the big league game, but I struggle to see how violent retribution really fits into today’s world. Which makes me wonder, has there ever been a pitcher who was a conscientious objector after being asked to hit a man?