Unwritten for a Reason

Jason Michael Barker

The Diamondbacks beat the Padres 3-1 Saturday behind a stellar performance from Curt Schilling, but that wasn't the real story in San Diego. Here are a few things various members of the Diamondbacks had to say after the game.

Manager Bob Brenly: "Ben Davis is young and has a lot to learn. That was just uncalled for."

Pitcher Curt Schilling: "I was a little stunned by it. I wasn't expecting it. It caught me off guard more than anything."

1B Mark Grace: "[I have] no problem with it. But I wouldn't do it."

For his part, Davis said, "I'll let them worry about it."

For all this talk, you might think Davis charged the mound, knocked down an umpire, or ended an opposing player's career with a nasty slide. Not so -- all Davis did was bunt for a basehit in order to bring the tying run to the plate in the 8th inning of a 2-0. No big deal, right? Yeah, that's what I thought too. But it turns out Schilling was pitching a perfect game.

And there's the rub. Apparently there's an unwritten rule in baseball that states a hitter is required to swing away -- "earn his way on" is how one writer put it -- after the fourth or fifth inning when the pitcher has a perfect game or no-hitter going. No matter that the Padres were trying to win the game, or that Davis reaching base brought Bubba Trammell -- a pretty good power hitter who could have tied the game with one swing of the bat -- to the plate.

Does this sound like a crock to anyone else? Last I checked, the ultimate goal -- the only goal -- of every baseball player was to win baseball games. Ben Davis was giving his team a chance to win the game. It's not as if he was intentionally trying to ruin Schilling's chance at perfection, thought it was a necessary condition for winning the game. If the Diamondbacks weren't expecting the bunt, too bad. More power to Davis for catching the opposition off guard.

Lest you think I'm not giving equal time to the "unwritten rule" argument... fear not. I'm sure Peter Gammons will be more than willing to drone on about it this week over at everyone's favorite four-lettered sports network.

You can almost hear Gammons now...

...screen goes all wavy...

"Sources throughout the game were dismayed when young Ben Davis put down a bunt last weekend to break up Curt Schilling's perfect game. One manager said it speaks to the lack of respect today's players have for the veterans in the game. Another said that if Davis had done that against his pitcher, Davis would have been nailed with a pitch his next time up. Ben Davis is a promising young player, but his career may forever be marred by a bunt against Curt Schilling, one of the game's greatest competitors. I'm Peter Gammons, ESPN..."

Remember that this is the same guy who thinks Ichiro Suzuki should be ineligible to win the Rookie of the Year award despite not having a single MLB at-bat entering this season, so take what he has to say (or what his "sources" have to say) with a grain of salt.

I almost included Joe Morgan along with Gammons, because I figured he'd be anti-bunt as well. Morgan, however, summed it up best on Sunday Night Baseball: "I never knew there was an unwritten rule saying you have to stop trying to win the ballgame, no matter how good the pitcher is pitching." Right on, Joe.

Speaking of which, I had a hard time choosing between "Major League" on Comedy Central and the Tigers vs. White Sox game on ESPN. Fortunately the movie ended early and the game was better than I thought it be: Jeff Weaver against Rocky Biddle is a pretty good pitching match-up. Watch out for Biddle -- and not just because of his great name -- he looks to be a good one.

Saturday's events got me thinking about some of baseball's other "unwritten rules" and how silly they really are. How about the idea that you shouldn't steal bases, hit-and-run or sacrifice bunt with a big lead late in a game? Earlier this year the Cubs scored eight runs in the seventh and eight more in the eighth against the Dodgers. In other words? With offense the way it is these days, no lead is safe. Who's to say that an extra run when you're already up 7-2 isn't going to be the difference between a win and a loss?

Then there's the issue of stealing signs. Placing a spy in centerfield with a pair of binoculars to hone in on what the catcher's throwing down? Yeah, that's going a bit too far. But if you're able to figure out what the other team is doing, why shouldn't you be able to use that information? It really isn't much different than watching video on the starting pitcher or researching what a certain pitcher likes to throw in a certain situation. Besides, if an opposing team can't come up with a sophisticated system of signs in order to keep the other team honest, they deserve to have their signs stolen.

Finally, some fans seem to think that by throwing back an opposing player's homerun ball, they can somehow influence the game by rendering the runs moot. Not so fast, my friends! Not once in all my years as a baseball fan have I ever seen the umpire take the runs off the scoreboard, and suddenly you're without what could have been a prized souvenier. If you really feel the need to throw the ball back, so be it -- but please, don't make some little kid (or anyone else, for that matter) feel guilty for not throwing the ball back, whether it's Barry Bonds' 600th career homer or Frank Catalanotto's 33rd.

about the author

If Jason Michael Barker hit a homer against your favorite team, would you throw the ball back? Let him know at jmb@strikethree.com, but remember that while sticks and stones may break his bones, words will never hurt him.

Web Strikethree.com