Although the Major League Baseball is in its last full week
it couldn’t avoid absurdity as most teams play out the string to either a
playoff berth or earlier tee times on their local golf course. On Sunday, the
disappointing Washington Nationals had their futility summed up by reliever Jonathan
Papelbon after he physically attacked
star outfielder Bryce Harper
late in the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, allegedly because of displeasure
with his lack of hustle on a lazy fly ball he had just hit to left field. Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh wrote a terrific piece
today on the happenings, which left me with the desire to write down some of my
thoughts (that I will do here in lieu of the comments section of his article).
Once widely regarded as a near lock for a serious run at the
World Series, the Nationals season has instead been defined by injuries and dysfunction.
Only this final week will determine if they have enough fortitude to finish
above .500. I state freely that I have no inside stories or connections, and
that the opinions I am about to spout come from what I, like the public at
large, have seen. I freely acknowledge that like most things in life, there is
likely more to the story. Even so, I feel more than justified in my reaction to
this incident.
Numerous reporters have written that Papelbon’s lunging at
Harper was due to his perception that the young star wasn’t giving enough
effort- essentially, not playing “the right way.” There are few things I hate
more in baseball than that premise. It’s most frequently used by those who are
explaining away their own bad behavior. There’s no official book of baseball
etiquette, yet there seems to be no shortage of those who feel it is their duty
to enforce unwritten rules that happen to ruffle their feathers on any given
day.
As Lindbergh pointed out, the players that take it upon
themselves to mete out baseball justice under the guise of playing baseball the
“right way” are often laughable in their hypocrisy. Look no further than
Papelbon, who was suspended
for seven games just over a year ago while with the Phillies for being ejected
from a game and then making an obscene gesture towards the crowd once they
started booing him.
Much has been made of the Sunday’s encounter because of
Harper’s star status. Posting triple crown-worthy numbers, he is a good bet to
be named the 2015 National League MVP when the awards are announced later this
autumn. However, there should be outrage over Papelbon’s actions regardless of
if Harper was the team’s best player, or the bat boy. Simply put, one does not
put one’s hands on a co-worker (or anyone for that matter). Only in sports can
this happen and there is no possibility of legal consequences. Can you imagine
if Greg from your office put his hands around your neck and slammed you into a
wall because you weren’t “filing the right way?” It would be a pretty safe bet that
if that occurred, Greg would be preparing for his arraignment right about now.
That all being said, going after Harper is especially egregious
from a franchise standpoint. At 22, if he isn’t already the best player in
baseball, he is absolutely part of that conversation. With his free agency
looming in a few years, and his agent being the bull dog Scott Boras, being
publicly confronted and embarrassed is not the best way to get in the good
graces of someone who will likely be able to name his own price when the
bidding opens following the 2018 season.
Incredibly, there are those who agree with what Papelbon
did. Fox Sports’ CJ Nitkowki, a
former major leaguer himself, reported
that he spoke with a number of a current and former players—none of whom fully
backed Harper, while most came out in staunch defense of the pitcher. The
consensus reasoning by Pap’s supporters is that Harper had recently spoken out
to the press (although not very strongly) about the pitcher having been recently
ejected for hitting Baltimore Orioles’ star Manny
Machado with a pitch following a home run—in essence, playing the game “the
right way.” I have no problem with a veteran like Papelbon giving a younger
player, or any player for that matter, a dressing down if needed but they
should only do that in a private and non-physical manner while simultaneously
contemplating if their own track record taints
that message in any way.
Finally, Nats’ manger Matt Williams deserves recognition for
the horrible way he has apparently treated the situation. He not only removed
Harper from the game following the altercation, but then allowed Papelbon to go
in and pitch. This effectively took sides as it pertains to the public eye,
even if that was not his intent. Following the game, Williams indicated it was
only afterwards that he knew the severity of what had happened. However, given
that it all took place in a space the size of a school bus, and coaches jumped
in and helped break up the melee, that seems unlikely. Although Papelbon has
now been officially suspended
for what will effectively be the remainder of the season, the bell signaling that
dearth of good leadership cannot be unrung.
Harper may have his faults and may have even played a role
in the dugout encounter but that doesn’t account for the actions of Papelbon.
It was a disappointing conclusion to a disappointing season. It’s hard to say
how this all may impact the players and the team in the future but for right
now it’s impossible to see beyond the ridiculousness of it all.
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