Folks like the Big Lead and MJD have already made the obvious point regarding the disparity between the suspensions of five games given to both Cubs 1B Derrek Lee and Padres P Chris Young for the brawl after Young had plunked Lee (I still doubt that it was actually on purpose), mentioning the lack of outrage over this brawl in comparison to that of the Knicks and Nuggets that got Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith suspended for a good chunk of the Nuggets’ season. There is a racial/cultural component to this, but the two links above spell it out well enough for you. I’m here to provide another complaint about the suspensions, and it’s got everything to do with the effects of having a pitcher suspended rather than an everyday player.
When a starting pitcher gets suspended for multiple games, it only means one start missed at the most. Sure, this is enough of a fuck-up for the Padres, who will have to find a spot starter on short notice, but if you really want to make this stick as a punishment, if a starter is suspended, apply it to the next five starts, not just five games. I realize this is improbable (managers can say they’re going to start a guy, it doesn’t mean that he necessarily has that rotation), but the Cubs will lose one of their best hitters for five games. The Padres should lose one of their better starters for five starts. Let’s not pretend we don’t find these fights as an interesting side plot. I do. It’s part of why I like hockey, and I thought the brawl between the Knicks and Nuggets was overdramatized to a disgusting extent. So, while we talk about on-the-field justice, let’s even the playing field on the suspensions, and hold the standards consistently across sports.
Filed under: MLB, front office, violence | Tagged: punishment
I don’t think it’s about race and culture so much as it is about trend and history. If there are a few more fights during the baseball season, I think you’ll see the penalties increase so as to discourage the behavior. Also, both were meant to be non-contact sports, but the NBA has grown into a contact sport over time. Remember, they have a more serious history of punches and fights in the game than baseball (e.g. Kermit Washington), so they have more history to protect than MLB. I also can’t help but think that JR Smith and Carmelo were paying for Artest’s brawl at the Palace. IF that never happened, I highly doubt Melo and JR would’ve gotten double-digits.
Yeah, it’s Palace payment for Melo and J.R., but even prior to the suspensions being handed down, everyone was crying for double-digits in the press without any awareness of the discrepancies between sports. Perception of the NBA is that of a “thug” league — now, what Artest and Jackson did in Detroit was completely thuggish, but that perception existed before the incident.
If we see more fights like this, you’re right, MLB will crack down. I just wish that Chris Young and the Padres would have to actually feel the five-game brunt of the suspension.