April 14, 2009

Beckett Fined, Suspended For 6 Games

Josh Beckett has been fined and suspended for six games for allegedly throwing at Bobby Abreu's head on Saturday afternoon.

AP:
Beckett also was cited for "aggressive actions" after the pitch that led to the benches clearing Sunday, according to [Yankee] Bob Watson, vice president for discipline in the commissioner's office. ...

Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was suspended for one game and fined, and he was to serve the penalty Tuesday night. In addition, Watson fined Angels manager Mike Scioscia and players Torii Hunter and Justin Speier.
It's fair to point out that after the game, crew chief Joe West said (my emphasis):
Did he throw it up and in? Yeah. Do we believe he threw it at Abreu? No. Would we have warned him had both benches not emptied? Probably not ...
Beckett was neither ejected nor warned. The four umpires on the field believed he did absolutely nothing wrong. Yet he was suspended and fined, while Hunter and Speier, who were thrown out of the game, were only fined.

And Abreu, whose idiotic whining started this whole fucking incident, just skates by whistling a happy tune? How does this make goddamn sense at all?

17 comments:

bdubsmitty said...

Talk about your all-time WTF rulings -- geez.

nixon33 said...

Bud Selig is a worthless motherfucker.

Unknown said...

And somehow Joba only got suspended two games when he threw two 99mph pitches at Youk's head...

Hell, Shields was only suspended six games for hitting Coco and then getting into an actual physical fight...

Rob said...

I talk all the time about how NBA officials are the worst in sports and how they tend to take away from the credibility of the game.

Bob Watson comes to mind when I think of an example of someone in baseball who takes away from the credibility of the game. It's obvious that if you want to suspend a starting pitcher you suspend him for six games and make him miss a start, but this shows a clear disregard for the opinions of those umpiring that game who witnessed all of it first hand and said he wouldn't even have been warned if the benches didn't empty! (and the bullpen guys jogging in together. Snicker.)

Anonymous said...

So let me get this straight, Beck gets bascially a week off, he gets to work on his filthy stuff, and he's now going to be a little less tired in time for the final push? AWESOME

FenFan said...

Unbelievable. How does Bob Watson continue to hold a job? I could follow the same logic he uses with only a dart board and a blindfold at my disposal.

Maybe he SHOULD have plunked him just to make it worth his while.

Jere said...

I'm making a citizen's suspension (lifetime) of Bob Watson.

FenFan said...

From that same AP report.

Beckett: Hitting somebody in the head is not on my list of things to accomplish.

nixon33 said...

I don't support throwing at ones head. but I do support purpose pitches. I dint think his intent was to actually HIT Abreu in the head. It wasn't that close to his head, was it? I recall Abreu clearly way out of the batters box and the pitch being high and slightly inside. I mean, jeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzz.

allan said...

And somehow Joba only got suspended two games when he threw two 99mph pitches at Youk's head...

Hell, Shields was only suspended six games for hitting Coco and then getting into an actual physical fight...
***

JtC was a reliever, though. Two games for him pretty much equals six for Beckett and Small Game = one appearance.

It's still complete horseshit.

Beckett has been fined and suspended for something the game's umpires said he did not do.And for anyone thinking Watson does not have some chronic bug up his ass about the Red Sox, here's some reading material. Thanks to SoSH's mabrowndog.

Pepe Lepew said...

We got hosed!
This will not stand, man!

Danie said...

I assume that Beckett and the team is going to appeal the frickin' hell out of this 'ruling'....

*sigh* And people don't believe me that there are people in the MLB that have a bug up their butt about the Red Sox, they tell me it's all in my head.... sure....

9casey said...

Speaking of Coco he is leading the Royals in HR's and RBI'.........He has 1 HR and 3 RBI's

allan said...

Josh Beckett is appealing the suspension/fine:

"We were pretty shocked. I think the appeal kind of speaks for everything that we feel. ... We don't agree. I respect the job everybody has to do. But we don't agree. ... I don't really feel like I did anything. It's unfortunate. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. Am I supposed to go give him a hug? I wasn't really in a hugging mood right then. ...
They made their own judgement on it. I had two umpires tell me that I handled it great. One of them publicly said that. The other one told me twice, once when I was coming off the mound and once right afterwards."

FenFan said...

Josh Beckett is appealing the suspension/fineGood. For once, I'd like to see one of these suspensions lifted - or is it even possible that Bob Watson will realize that he has overreacted once more?

Complete horse-mucky.

andy said...

It was all pretty confusing from where I sat. I heard time then saw the ball coming still and it hit high on the net. I think Josh tried to stop but the pitch was already going to leave his hand. You go outside and try to throw a pitch but try to stop the throw right around the end of it. You will have a ball either sail or go into the dirt feet in front of you. The latter can get you hurt.

Anonymous said...

Yankee Bob strikes again..