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David Ortiz, the best Designated Hitter in baseball, deserves to be disciplined.
Ortiz simply lost control the other night in Baltimore and had a tantrum that fortunately did not result in any damage, other than to the bullpen phone box and to his own reputation.
He should be fined or suspended, whatever MLB determines is proper for similar, previous situations.
Apparently, Ortiz was most incensed by the umpire’s unwillingness to admit he had made a mistake in the call and is reported to have said something like, “we all make mistakes, but we need to admit when we do. That’s all.”
Will Ortiz apply that to himself?
I hope so.
He’s one of my favorites. And this behavior was not typical of his many years of being one of baseball’s best at what he does. But he is looked to by many in baseball and outside of it as a role model. If he is allowed to escape without consequences, that’s a bad message.
And while he deserves to be disciplined, his loss of control doesn’t deserve to be equated to the behaviors of say Bonds, A-Rod, or Braun. They cheated. Ortiz lost control.
Let’s not be hypocrites, Sox fans. Ortiz lost it that night and deserves punishment, even if that means a loss of Ortiz for one or more games.
It doesn’t matter what the circumstances were that caused him to have a tantrum.
Larry Longenecker said:
I think Ortiz should become a switch hitter.
Edan said:
He should have been punished for dropping the fbomb after the Boston marathon.
BT said:
I think anyone’s viewpoint is related to their viewpoint on this article I read recently. http://www.millerstime.net/2013/07/10/a-lesson-from-a-4-12-year-old/
Ortiz is a Type A, hate-to-lose kind of person. That mentality is part of what makes these guys great. For that, certain aggressive behavior (on-field) is generally accepted. It’s no different than fighting during a hockey game or pushing and shoving after a football play. In baseball, wild outbursts at umpires are considered entertaining. Just like in hockey or football, I’m sure he will be fined by the MLB and/or his team (I have no doubt that the cost of replacing that phone will be payroll deducted).
On the one hand, it’s embarrassing. On the other hand, we have no idea what the umpire said to make him so incensed. What if the umpire said, “my call shouldn’t matter because you swung at ball 4 like you were a child back in Venezuela.” He could have been upset that he was accused of being Venezuelan. You and I will probably never know. He’ll be disciplined; I just don’t think a suspension is warranted. His anger took him to a place where a suspension won’t make him stop and re-think. Anger therapy might be a better solution.
Then again, if he has the “no losers” personality from the article above, he may need help in crisis management to sort through his emotions when he loses.