VTGreg

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260516118

Both Springer and Phil Garner should be suspended for 5 games. Most others players would have charged the mound after the second time Springer tried to hit him, but Bonds didn't seem too bothered even after being thrown at 3 times (With his brittle condition, he may have been worried about hurting himself).

I'm curious to see how much play this gets in the sports media.

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Merlin

If it were me I'd have hit him in the knee instead. You never get ejected for hitting in the knee and there is no body armor there.

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nickel

not going to be many Bond's supporters in this i'm afraid.

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MikeD

You'll find one here. I'll always support the greatest hitter of all time.

It is absurd. What's even more absurd were the fans cheering. Yeah, we've all got our hated teams / players, but I'd never cheer someone getting injured (or potentially in this case).

Hey, I hate the Yankees but I wouldn't have cheered Matsui breaking his wrist. Bonds getting drilled is no different. Go ahead and dislike the guy, but this type of behavior is uncalled for.

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nickel

but the difference is Matsui is not an egotistical a$s.

for example:

http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-ext...adlines-sports

that's how to treat your fans.


i am not condoning any pitcher deliberately hitting any player, but i am saying because of Bond's reputation he isn't going to get much sympathy.

MikeD

C'mon...you gotta be kidding me. Because the guy doesn't pander to his fans, it's OK to cheer when someone tries to injure him?

That's bush league. Hey, Michael Irvin was considered to be an @ss when he played for the Cowboys...but that did make it acceptable for the Philly fans to cheer when he nearly got his neck broken during an Eagles-Cowboys game?

You gotta remove the player from the situation. Bonds, Matsui, Pujols, Ripken, doesn't matter what you think of the player. Intentionally hitting a guy, and the fans cheering for it, is wrong.

Cubsfan

Wait, hurt Bonds? Does he have military grade body armor covering most of his body when he bats?

IrishSS

Sorry, gotta disagree with ya here Mike... If he was trying to actually hurt him, he would have thrown at his head. Guys get plunked all the time in baseball for a multitude of reasons. I swear on my future children, if I was a pitcher I would either be hitting him or walkign him every at bat. He does not deserve to break any record, especially ones with such magnatitude.

I for one cannot call this person "the greatest hitter" of all time. The biggest cheater sure, or perhaps even the most naive, sure. "I didn't know what I was taking"... please.

Everybody else knew Bond's was on 'roids before the whole Balco thing came to light. Yet he still denies it.

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MikeD

Ehhh, I'm keeping the 'roids issue separate here. I'm on record as saying it's pretty obvious he's cheated and used them. My problem is mainly with the fans, but also the pitcher.

I can't condone cheering a guy getting plunked. And Springer threw at Bonds more than once...several earlier pitches were a bit tight.

I go back to the Irvin analogy. The guy did drugs, hired hookers, was a cocky SOB who showboated every chance he got. Still, to see people cheering him get hurt was wrong. Same as last night w/Bonds.

Yeah, Springer could have thrown at his head. He only got him in the back, but he did throw at him more than once.

BTW, kudos to Alou for calling off the dogs and not having his boys retaliate.

raimin

if i was a pitcher, id continue throwing inside, till he backs off the plate. his elbow with his massive padding is hanging in the strike zone. keep throwing high and inside and more inside and more inside

AlwayzMarel

Not good sportsmanship, even if Bonds is doing steroids or not.

zero2dash

Like him or not, he's one of the most dangerous hitters in the game and if you make a mistake as a pitcher, he will certainly make you pay for it. Granted, it wasn't like it was a close game and he probably could've been intentionally walked vs being pitched at, but that's said in hindsight. Irish is right though - if a pitcher really has it out for a hitter, he'll aim at the guy's head and bean him. You've also got to look at the other side of the fence, which is that Bonds a) crowds the plate, b) is large (nothing to do with muscle - I'm talking about height/weight), and c) wears a large arm/elbow/wrist protector which takes even more out of the strike zone already. How would you pitch to him...? He usually doesn't do too well (from what I've seen) at inside pitches - so there's your game plan.

Sorry...I don't see anything wrong with this picture. He got hit...it happens. I say that with the utmost respect, and I admit that I hate the guy, but it's the truth...he got hit & it happens.

Re: the fans - well, I don't really know what else you expect..I mean he played on the visiting team & the team that was utterly beating the crap out of the home team; I don't think Bonds had many supporters anyway, not even counting all the people that genuinely don't like the guy already.

TofuNinja

I don't think that they were trying to HIT bonds, every knows that Bonds can not hit the inside pitches and no one wants to give up that HR. The pitcher just got tired and lost control, it happens. Just becuase it's Cry Baby Bond doesn't mean anything different. Bonds just needs to find a way to CREAM the ball, or he needs to CLEAR out. And I agree if it he meant to hurt bonds then he would have gone for the head or the knees.

Seeing as Bonds plays for the hated ones I would cheer too. He is not the greatest hitter of all time cause he needed help.

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GraingerGuy

So it's not good sportsmanship to throw inside to someone? Cause that's what Springer was doing....that's what ALL pitchers do.

If I see a scouting report that Bonds can't hit the inside pitches then heck yes I'm going to pitch inside to him. I'll be the first one to tell you that Springer isn't the best of pitchers and ALL his pitches were out of control but if Bonds didn't want to back off and not get hit...that's his choice.

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-Welfareloser
4/13/05

Time to switch to AMD now I guess... (just kidding... )
-Darkfury
5/23/05

I don't think this'll stop anything though - the better you idiot-proof a system, the more impressive the idiot becomes.
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5/30/08

Merlin

I dunno....it looked to me like he was trying to plunk him.

VTGreg

Springer threw the first pitch behind Bonds, then, after a warning threw one high and inside and it hit the knob of Bonds bat. Then, Springer hit Bonds in the upper middle back, not far from his head.

There is a difference between throwing inside and intentionally trying to hit someone. I can understand one pitch getting away from him, but 3, in a single at bat? I'm not buying that.

smeakim

I was also listening to the radio and heard that this pitcher has hit bonds in the past. I think more than once. Pitching inside is one thing, but how it was done is another. He was aiming for him. Also fans cheering for someone to get hurt is out of line. Pitchers have great control over thier pitches since the strike zone is so small. You can see it was not a wild pitch, but three pitches there were deliberate.

MikeD

Springer gets 4 games, Garner 1 for this foolishness...


http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2450863