W.W.B.M.H.D?

Hello and Happy Wednesday everyone. May we all get over the hump.

It’s no secret I have always been a numbers kind if guy. Remembering meaningless factoids and dates in history. Yankee fans will speak ad-infinitum about when problems beset the Bronx Bombers back in the day, it always seemed to be against the Royals. Take last night for example:

34 years ago to the day on a Monday night in Missouri Billy Martin resigns tearfully (some might say he was fired) on the heels of comments made to reporters about Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner. ‘The two deserve each other. One’s a liar…the other’s convicted!’ Ouch and Bye-Bye.

29 years ago to the day at Yankee Stadium the infamous pine-tar game when George Brett took Goose Gossage deep in a game won by the Royals only to have denied when it was discovered Brett had pine-tar up way too high on his bat (the game completed 1 month later). Come to think of it George Brett always seemed to save his best for the Yankees. That game tying 3 run bomb off Grant Jackson in Game 5 of the 1976 playoffs, A 3 homer game in N.Y. in 1978 the same day Thurman Munson found the monuments with one swing, a 3-run blast off Gossage in the 1980 playoffs to sweep New York.

Bye Bye A-Rod

Last night in Seattle I saw three instances of a King applying a crowning touch to a ballclub in a high and tight manner. None of it favorable I might add. Newest Yankee Ichiro Suzuki, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez each getting plunked by a pitch. In the case of A-Rod a broken hand and word of at least 6-8 weeks on the disabled list.

I also noticed that ex-Ranger/current Red Sox reliever Vicente Padilla threw a high hard one up on Adrian Beltre causing a bruise but no concussion.

Four instances of a hit batsman…NOT ONE response in kind in the name of retaliation! Are you kidding me?

Maybe I’m too old school. Maybe it’s that damn designated hitter rule that’s been in place since 1973 (where pitchers in the A.L. simply do not bat), or maybe there’s been a wussification to the Grand Old Game as time has moved on.

I don’t agree with this and I know for damn sure Billy Martin didn’t either. So much so I remind you that in 1973-the year the DH was born-there were a few instances where you had a game of beanball going on in both leagues. Tiger fans will remind you how Lerrin LaGrow hit Bert Campaneris in the 1972 playoffs. Campy served a suspension for throwing his bat at LaGrow to begin the season.

The summer of 1973 the Tigers were ordered by skipper Billy Martin to throw at opposing teams. He tired of his guys being thrown at. It would cost him his job. It’s also common knowledge Billy relished the underdog role on and off the field. He was a winner on the diamond. Usually in the rough off of it.

Can you imagine Billy Martin in Seattle last night having a Goose Gossage or a Ryne Duren available to extract a measure of revenge by throwing at Mariner hitters? He’d do the same if he were in Texas like he was in 1974-1975. The beanings would stop. You need not involve the umps. Teams policed themselves in those days.

I was reminded of two memorable brawls I saw in person. 9/12/84 in Anaheim with the Yankees and Angels. Ray Fontenot threw at Juan Beniquez which emptied both benches. 5/22/96 in Seattle when Randy Johnson hit Jim Leyritz and that got both teams yapping and snapping. Later that summer I remember John Marzano bodyslamming Paul O’Neil in the Kingdome.

Yes, once there was a day where being thrown at was never tolerated without a response. Four times last night I saw no response.

I was left to wonder ‘What Would Billy Martin Have Done?’ Is there any question?

Over and out in Big D.

Mr. Will