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Pet Peeves - MLB

10
Vote

by user CardsDeck

Are there some things that happen regularly on a baseball diamond that just piss you off? I’ve decided to name my top five on-field baseball pet peeves and see what kind of agreement (or disagreement) I get from everyone else.

1. Squaring to bunt and then pulling back (on a strike) - I don’t know why this bothers me so much, but it does. I can see the strategy every once in awhile - but most of the time, you see the batter try to lay the bunt down on the next pitch as well. Why not just bunt the ball the first time when the pitch is right down the middle?

2. Lack of Hustle - At every level of baseball, whether it be tee ball or the bigs, I hate it when players don’t hustle. I appreciate Eck, Speiz, J-Rod and the like that much more for running hard on every ground ball they hit.

3. The DH - It takes out the strategy of having to negotiate around a pitcher in your lineup, period.

4. Walking the pitcher - No description necessary.

4A. Working from behind in the count consistently - These guys are getting paid millions to do what they do, and throwing strikes shouldn’t be as difficult for pitchers as it sometimes is. It’s frustrating to watch, and it really lulls the defense to sleep - opening up the possibility for an error as well.

5. The Fake to third fake to first - You all know what I’m talking about - in a 1st and 3rd situation, the pitcher will fake a pickoff throw to the third baseman and then whirl and throw (or fake) to first. I’m sure it’s worked at some point, but I’ve never seen it work, and it seems like a colossal waste of time and energy in my opinion.

There you have it, the things about the game that make me angry. It’s a very short list, because not much about this great game upsets me, but at times, even the greatest game in the world can be less than perfect.


Date

Sun 05/28/06, 10:15 am EST

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RoblefkoLegend
1292 days ago
Score 4+-
Yeah, i hate the lack of hustle, especially to first base. So many times you see a player hit a single, jog to first, the outfielder make an error, and then the player tries to turn it into a double and gets thrown out. I dont get why they just dont run out of the box all the time.
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RoblefkoLegend
1292 days ago
Score 4+-
Also, throwing a ball when the count is 3-0. 98% of the time the hitter isnt going to swing at a 3-0 pitch, you might as well just throw a fastball down the middle.
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Bball3345Draft Pick
1292 days ago
Score 1+-
Pickoffs in general annoy me. The pitcher doesn't gain any advantage by throwing over to a base 5 or 6 times in a row. Maybe they should focus a little more on getting the batter out.
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CoreyisarealboyMajor Leaguer
1292 days ago
Score 6+-
If a pitcher has a good move, pickoffs can be a really effective way to keep runners off the bases. Chris Capuano of the Brewers had something like 20 pickoffs last year, not counting the ones where the runner went as he was tossing the ball over to first (counted as a caught stealing). I've seen guys lead off less than a foot away from the bag on this guy, and what that does is give them absolutely no momentum running the bases, so on a ball hit into the gap, there's a slim chance the guy's gonna score from first, making his pickoff move that much more important. But I'd agree that throwing to first just to throw to first is pointless.
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ChachiOSUDraft Pick
1292 days ago
Score 5+-
I hate the hustle thing too. Also, guys standing at home and admiring their home runs. In the old days, someone like Bob Gibson would have nailed a guy for it and now it is becoming more and more acceptable.
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Bball3345Draft Pick
1291 days ago
Score -4+-
I don't mind admiring a home run if it is a game-winner, but not if you are up/down by a lot.
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MetsJetsDevilsDraft Pick
1291 days ago
Score 3+-
Lack of fundamental knowledge. Making the last out of an inning at 3b. Trying to throw out a runner at the plate and allowing the winning or tying run to get to get to 2b. Failing to lay down a sacrifice. These are a few of my least favorite things.
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Anonymous Fanatic #1
1291 days ago
Score 1+-
The old fake to third throw to first was perfected by Turk "the Jerk" Wendell several years ago when he was on the Mets. Alot of times it can be annoying, but it worked for Wendell, and some people use it to see if the guy on first will try and steal a base. Its like the pitchout, which is way more annoying than the fake to third and throw to first.
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JetsrsuperWaterboy
1291 days ago
Score 2+-
The old fake to third throw to first was perfected by Turk "the Jerk" Wendell several years ago when he was on the Mets. Alot of times it can be annoying, but it worked for Wendell, and some people use it to see if the guy on first will try and steal a base. Its like the pitchout, which is way more annoying than the fake to third and throw to first.
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CardsDeck
1291 days ago
Score 6+-
The pitchout doesn't bother me as much as the third to first thing for one reason: at least a pitch out is increasing the count - a pitch is being thrown. It also opens up an opportunity for the catcher to make a snap throw to a bag even if the runner isn't stealing.
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CardsDeck
1291 days ago
Score 0+-
I guess that's two reasons.
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XinophDraft Pick
1291 days ago
Score 4+-
You know what I hate? Having the pitcher in your lineup. Generally it means an automatic out that makes other pitcher's lives that much easier. Over in AL-land, the game is more difficult because there aren't necessarily the opportunity for gaping holes in the lineup like that. No easy outs. Who's more fun to watch at the plate, Greg Maddux or David Ortiz? Exactly. So why complain about the DH? It's a great rule that I think many NL fans complain about because they secretly envy the AL, not because they dislike it, in their heart of hearts.
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XinophDraft Pick
1291 days ago
Score 1+-
Mostly, though, I totally agree. I did see (5) work once in a Sox game a couple of years ago - of course I can't remember who we were playing, but I'm fairly certain the pitcher was Oil Can Boyd. Now I'll have to try to look that up, darn you.
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CoreyisarealboyMajor Leaguer
1291 days ago
Score -5+-
We certainly don't envy the AL. We just think your managers have a cakewalk when it comes to baseball strategy. They get all the fame because they can make a lineup card. OOOOOO
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XinophDraft Pick
1291 days ago
Score 3+-
Wow, boy, that's a good point, NL managers are loads better at baseball strategy. That's why the NL is 7-13 in the last twenty World Series, and 5-15 in the last twenty-one All-Star Games, because of superior strategy, then? If that's what strategy gets you I'll leave it to you guys. We'll take the, you know, winning.
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DarrelSoccer Kid
1291 days ago
Score 2+-
Throwing over to first does help to reduce the running game, and the more times you throw the better. It's also insaaaanely boring.

I could argue about the DH and strategy for a while. I don't see much strategy being employed in the NL when it comes to pitchers. It's pretty much a nested if statement. If runners are on with less than two out, bunt. If 2 outs or no one on, swing away. If player is 100 pitchers or close, pinch hit. There could be strategy there, but most managers do the same thing. The DH removes an advantage to good managers but adds an advantage for good GMs. I don't like it though, just playing Devil's Advocate.

Anyway, I basically agree with the list, but I don't really like the "these guys are being paid millions" argument. Throwing strikes is a really hard thing to do.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1291 days ago
Score 5+-
The lack of a DH in the NL makes the NL more strategic, what with double switches and everything. But the AL will score more runs, because the pitcher doesn't have to bat. I like the idea of a pitcher batting, because you tend to be more focused on that than a DH batting. For an AL team to have a go at a pitcher in an Interleague game, it is psychologically a blow if he gets a base hit. Moreso than vice versa. In Interleague games, NL struggles with the AL rules more than the other way round, because they have to put in a DH somewhere into a line up, which can be confusing. Whereas, an AL team just takes out the DH, and puts the pitcher in last. Easy. One question though, about the rules, can a manager choose his DH to be the pitcher in the AL?
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SteaksammichRed-Shirting
1291 days ago
Score 3+-
Baseball uses far, far less strategy than any other team sport out there. AL or NL is nearly the same. Any fool knows when to put in a LOOGY or bunt along the baserunners. It's not like baseball managers have to create defensive schemes or call plays. So personally I'll take the DH over having to watch a pitcher bat. Does it take away some strategy? Sure, but not a whole hell of a lot because there's very little strategy to take away.
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XinophDraft Pick
1291 days ago
Score 1+-
Well said, Steak, well said!
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CoreyisarealboyMajor Leaguer
1291 days ago
Score -1+-
Wow, I said the same thing Alex did essentially and he gets +2 and I get -3? Deciding whether or not to take out a pitcher who is due up in a late inning but pitching superbly is probably the most difficult decision in baseball. And no, any fool couldn't make some of these decisions.
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CoreyisarealboyMajor Leaguer
1291 days ago
Score 1+-
And what Darrel said about it removing the opportunity for a good manager but giving an opportunity for a good GM is absolutely true. Take the White Sox for example, their move to bring in Jim Thome was a great one to try to win the AL, but put them in a situation where the DH isn't allowed, and now you have to decide whether to use him or Konerko. Granted, one's righty and one's lefty so you'll alternate based upon who is pitching probably, but you're still losing three to four at-bats from a major power guy either way you go. That's what makes Theo such a great GM, he throws a mediocre regular first basemen out there, so that there's no power struggle during Interleague or WS play. It makes it even better with Youkilis, because he's played other infield positions, and you can basically platoon him if you want. If you want to say Steak made a great point by telling me there's not much strategy to take away, fine, but my point was that the NL takes more strategy than the AL, and he just proved it.
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SteaksammichRed-Shirting
1291 days ago
Score 0+-
I proved it, eh? I must've missed that. All I'm saying is that trying to argue that the NL uses more strategy than the AL is like saying Rosie O'Donnel is prettier than Roseanne Barr. I guess it might be true, but they're both pretty hideous. And sure, the NL uses a little more strategy. But a baseball game, NL or AL, isn't exactly a chess match. 9 out of 10 baseball fans could do just fine as an in-game manager. Major league managers aren't hired because they're brilliant with strategy. They're hired to babysit pampered millionaires, make out line-up cards, and deal with the press.
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Alex HolowczakHall of Famer
1291 days ago
Score 0+-
I'm sorry if you feel hard done by Coreyisarealboy, if it's any consolation, I'll vote you +1. You'll have to ask others why that voting happened. My points was slightly different, it developed it on from your point (or at least was trying to...)
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CoreyisarealboyMajor Leaguer
1291 days ago
Score 1+-
It's amazing how any of them get fired if that's all they do.
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SteaksammichRed-Shirting
1291 days ago
Score 3+-
When a manager gets fired it's because a team needs a scapegoat. Most of the time if a team isn't going to do well with one manager, they won't do well with another one. The firing is to appease the fans and take the heat off the guys who really deserve it (the players, owners, and GM's)
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CoreyisarealboyMajor Leaguer
1291 days ago
Score 2+-
Do owners really think we're that dumb? Do we really think it was Lou Piniella's fault the Devil Rays sucked so bad?
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ChachiOSUDraft Pick
1291 days ago
Score 1+-
Flip side to that is how much credit does Jim Leyland then deserve in Detroit?
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The sharkDraft Pick
1290 days ago
Score 0+-
Pet peeves eh? (sorry i joined this discussion late) How about these - (1) intentionally walking someone with the bases empty. C'mon - I don't care how hot someone is, get some onions! (2) The guy who pounds his chest and points to the heavens after a two-out double in the fifth inning of a game his team is losing by 6. It's like a touchdown dance when your team is down by 30. and (3) Ozzie Guillen.
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BRGJV Squad
1289 days ago
Score 0+-
When I first saw the idea for the DH, I didn't know what I thought of it. But now, after all these decades, I'm 100% for it (even if Joe Torre doesn't like it, and he's the manager of my favorite team!) I can't see that it makes for a lot more strategy, especially now, when "complete game" is as obsolete a bit of baseball terminology as "stolen base" was in the 50s when I started watching baseball games. If I am an NL manager, and it's any time after the 5th inning, I just put in a pinch hitter when the pitcher is due to come to the plate. He isn't going to pitch much longer anyway. But the guys who say there is no room for strategy in baseball -- where do you get your ideas? EVERY situation is different. In basketball, whatever they do, it's just one team trying to score, the guy who gets the rebound running to the other side of the court, and the same is repeated over and over. I can't see why anyone watches basketball at all, except for the last 5 minutes when the game is actually decided... after all, if the score is 107-103, there's no way any of the early scoring even means anything. In baseball, the winning run can score in the first inning or in extra innings, so no play is meaningless. I've seen teams behind 5-0 after 8 innings come from behind and win it.
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