Violence in Baseball

1
Violence in Baseball

• Richard Bough
• PED 4761
• July 9, 2006

2
Violence in Baseball

• Incidents of violence in baseball, including
  brawls, attacks by fans, and other violent
  activities involving baseball players are on the
  rise. The pages that follow will detail some of
  the past examples of violence in Americas
  pastime and will also attempt to provide some
  ideas for resolving the issues the game is now
  facing.

3
Baseball Violence Prior to the Modern Era (1800s
1980s)

• Brushback pitches pitchers used an inside pitch
  to send a message to batters that they were too
  close to the plate
• Bean Balls these were used by pitchers who had
  given up a home run to a previous hitter to
  re-establish their control of the game
• Spikes high base runners were know to slide
  into bases with their spikes up to discourage
  fielders from making a tag
• Brawls Occurred fairly infrequently, but when
  they did occur they were actual fights

4
A Sampling of Violent Incidents Prior to the
Modern Era

• During a game in August of 1965, Giants pitcher
  Juan Marichal attacked Dodger catcher John
  Roseboro with a bat after Roseboro threw close to
  Marichals head on throws back to the pitcher.
  Marichal was suspended for eight games in the
  heat of the pennant race.

5
Sampling of Violent Incidents Prior to the Modern
Era

• On July 4, 1932 Yankees catcher Bill Dickey
  punched and broke the jaw of Senators outfielder
  Carl Reynolds after Reynolds ran over him on a
  play at the plate. Dickey was suspended for 30
  days.
• During the 1973 National League Championship
  Series, there was a 10-minute brawl between the
  Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets after Pete Rose
  slid hard into second base, taking out Mets
  shortstop Bud Harrelson. The game was almost
  forfeited after Mets fans threw objects at Rose
  when he took his position in left field after the
  altercation.

6
Baseball Violence in the Modern Era (1980s
today)

• Brushback pitches thrown more frequently to
  send a message to a player for a number of
  reasons, e.g. showing up a pitcher by watching a
  home run for too long, crowding the plate, the
  pitcher from his team may have thrown at, or hit,
  a player on the pitchers team
• Bean Balls less common because the rules now
  call for ejection of a pitcher who throws at or
  hits a player on the other team intentionally
• Spikes high not as common for fear of
  retaliation by the opponent
• Brawls Occur much more frequently than in the
  past, but less actively violent and more about
  posturing than brawls of the past

7
Sampling of Violent Incidents in the Modern Era

• Kansas City Royals coach Tom Gamboa was attacked
  by two fans while coaching first base during a
  game at Comiskey Park in September of 2002. The
  fans ran onto the field and tackled Gamboa,
  punching him repeatedly before they were drug off
  of him and arrested.
• Former collegiate pitcher Ben Christensen threw a
  pitch at a batter in the on deck circle that he
  thought was timing his pitches. The batter,
  Anthony Molina, was hit in the eye by
  Christensens throw and now suffers from
  permanent vision damage despite operations to
  attempt to repair the damage. Christensen went on
  to be drafted in the first round of the MLB draft.

8
A Sampling of Violent Incidents in the Modern Era

• In a game earlier this year between the Chicago
  Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, Cubs catcher
  Michael Barrett punched White Sox catcher A.J.
  Pierzynski following a collision at the plate.
  Barrett was suspended for 10 days for his
  actions.
• During a minor league game earlier this year,
  Delmon Young, a former 1 overall pick in the
  draft and the reigning Minor League Baseball
  Player of the Year, received a 50-game suspension
  for throwing a bat at an umpire during a game.

9
HBP Numbers Are On The Rise

• One of the causes of the increase in on-field
  violence is the increase in the number of players
  hit by pitch in the past 30 years. The total has
  gone from averaging around 600 to a whopping
  1,890 batters hit by pitch in 2000. More players
  hit by pitch means increased opportunities for
  on-field brawls.

10
Similar Actions, Different Punishments
11
Links with Additional Information About Violence
in Baseball

• Article about college pitcher Ben Christensen
  beaning the on-deck hitter
• Stories about baseball brawls and other sports
  violence
• ESPN Page 2 Top 10 Baseball Fights
• USA Today article on baseballs concern with
  brawls

12
Possible Solutions

• Change from using the current case-by-case method
  of determining punishment to a significant
  mandatory punishment
• Adopt a policy similar to basketball and hockey
  in which any player who leaves the bench to get
  involved in a fight is immediately ejected and
  suspended for a significant number of games
• Allow the local police department to handle on
  the field incidents of assault with charges filed
  and players tried in a court of law

13

• Major League Baseball is fast becoming a game
  that is more known for the problems it is facing
  than the game itself. With the steroids
  controversy center stage, MLB cannot afford to
  allow issues not related to the game to continue
  to plague the league. Unfortunately, the current
  leadership of the league has not successfully
  addressed the issue of violence in the game.
  Until they do, it will continue to tarnish the
  game.

14
References

• Gerlach, Larry R. (2004) Crime and Punishment
  The Marichal-Roseboro Incident. NINE A Journal
  of Baseball History and Culture, 12(2), pp. 1-28.
• Poretto, F. (2003). Part of the Game. Eternity
  Road. Retrieved July 9, 2006 from
  http//www.eternityroad.info/index.php/weblog/comm
  ents/273
• Merron, J. (2006). Put Up Your Dukes. ESPN.
  Retrieved July 9, 2006 from http//espn.go.com/pag
  e2/s/list/basebrawl.html
• Greger, M. (2005). Gauging Violence in Sports.
  Zwire. Retrieved July 9, 2006 from
  http//www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD1597dept_i
  d188817newsid14823958PAG461rfi9
• Marchand, B. (2006). The Stupidity of Baseball
  Brawls. About.com. Retrieved July 9, 2006 from
  http//baseball.about.com/od/players/a/brawls.htm
• Beaton, R. (2003). New Wave of Brawls Concerns
  Baseball. USA Today. Retrieved July 9, 2006 from
  http//www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2003-06-22
  -brawls_x.htm
• Bialik, C. (1999). Dont You Dare Time My
  Pitches. Yale Herald. Retrieved July 9. 2006 from
  http//www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxviii/1999.09.0
  3/sports/p25bialik.html

15
Discussion Questions

• As a sports fan, do you think that the increasing
  amount of violence in baseball is detrimental to
  the game, or does it add to the viewing
  experience?
• Would you like to see players given more severe
  penalties when they cause on on-field brawl? What
  penalties would you suggest? Do you think having
  the local police deal with the problem would be a
  deterrent?
• Do you think a strict policy about leaving your
  position or the bench would cut down on the
  number of incidents that occur?