Monday, October 13, 2008

Victorino illustrates the unwritten rules

I just loved this moment in the game. Kudos for Victorino for being as descriptive. Could he have been any clearer?

Bonus like in this picture: the dual ear flaps on the helmet, little league style.

(yes, I know he's a switch hitter, before you write to call me names)



UPDATE: (10/13/08, 12:15pm): Courtesy of Buster (emphasis mine):

As Jimmy Rollins batted with one out, Martin twice gave demonstrative signs for Kuroda to throw the ball the inside, and shifted his body so that he was almost behind Rollins' knee. Kuroda threw a fastball to strike out Rollins; two outs, nobody on base, the Dodgers with a big lead. The conditions were perfect for retaliation. Victorino probably walked to the plate assuming that he was going to get drilled.

Once again, Martin gave a particularly demonstrative sign to Kuroda for a fastball inside, and again, Martin set his target nearly behind Victorino -- and Kuroda threw the ball over Victorino's head.
......
So it was not a surprise that in the instant after Kuroda's fastball buzzed past Victorino's head, he handled it as diplomatically as you could. He didn't rage, he didn't rant. He gestured at his body and then his head and yelled aloud to Kuroda, saying something along these lines: "Hey, throw at my body, but not my head." And as he continued to say this to Kuroda and to Martin, he put a hand on Martin's arm collegially, making it clear that he understood and respected that Martin and the Dodgers were mad, and he understood why they retaliated. He wasn't angry about the pitch, just the placement of it, and he made his point.

Victorino repeated his words to Kuroda after grounding out, and then others rounded out. And when others became involved, the Phillies and Dodgers engaged in one of those silly bench-clearing staredowns, in which nobody really intends to fight. But the whole thing had already been defused by how Victorino had responded.
Well document, Buster. Couldn't agree more.

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