Should opposing teams fraternize?
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by user ActiveSports
Team officials weren't happy. Opinions were mixed in the clubhouse. And others around the team and league think it's much ado about nothing. At issue were comments made recently by Phillies pitcher Jon Lieber. As released on the Official Site of Major League Baseball, the right-hander acknowledged received a pointer from former Marlins manager Joe Girardi last year. In a recent interview with the Philadelphia Daily News, Lieber said Girardi told him that some of the Marlins players noted that his pitches were flat.
Lieber and Girardi were former battery mates with the Chicago Cubs from 2000-02. Asked if Girardi's advice was helpful, Lieber said, "Yeah, there is no question."
The issue of fraternizing, though, is addressed in the Major League Baseball rulebook. Rule 3.09 states: "Players in uniform shall not address or mingle with spectators, nor sit in the stands before, during, or after a game. No manager, coach or player shall address any spectator before or during a game. Players of opposing teams shall not fraternize at any time while in uniform."
In years past, umpires paid closer attention to fraternizing. Until the late 1980s and early 1990s, one member of the umpiring crew arrived early to games, specifically to observe batting practice. The designated umpire would monitor if opposing players talked for extended periods of times. Over the past 15 years, however, the league and umpires have relaxed their monitoring of fraternizing because it is so common.
Comments across the league are varied. Marlins left-hander Dontrelle Willis shrugged off the comments about Girardi helping Lieber. "What are you going to do now?" Willis said. "He doesn't even work here anymore. You can't dock his pay. I don't think it's a big deal. If we lost the wild card by two games, OK. But there are so many different other factors."
Conversely, veteran catcher Rod Barajas offered a more competitive perspective. "Me, personally, I wouldn't want to give information to opposing guys when they're playing against me," Barajas said. "If it's a buddy of mine from a different league and [we're not going to face him], I might say something. You have to draw a line somewhere. You don't want to help somebody who you're competing against, even if you are best friends. I stay away from that."
Where do you draw the line?
