As an A's fan, I'm excited for Braden and the team. In his post-game interview, he did a superb job of giving credit to those around him - he said Powell called a great game and the fielders were running down balls and knocking down balls behind him.
One of my favorite reasons this happened is so that A-Rod can eat poo. After being the epitome of himself (running across the mound, claiming he didn't know he shouldn't, saying it wasn't a big deal) he was about as arrogantly dismissive of Braden as you can be. In an interview, A-Rod asked who had complained, and when the answer came back "Dallas Braden" he said, "exactly". A-Rod is probably enough of an asshole that he doesn't remember a) the incident or b) that Braden was the guy, but I hope he does, and when he is told of Braden's accomplishment in a post-game interview this evening I hope he stammers and recants and looks like a fool. And I hope that makes the Top Ten plays.
Yeah, I'm an optimist.
Atta way, Dallas!
You mean to tell me this guy was a jerk? I do not believe you.
that blew off the pastel sweater that had been tied oh-so-casually 'round his neck, I think you would not be so skeptical. Given this photo evidence, however, I do understand your reluctance to consider him anything but the very salt of the earth.
Easy...I own those same exact Sperry's, with similar pants. The popped collar needs to go though. I learned that the hard way.
Here is a picture of Alex admiring the one he loves most.
What an awesome game, being from the bay area I got to watch it live. A-rod wont be stepping on his mound again!
So someone pitches only the 19th perfect game in baseball history today and all anyone wants to talk about is his confrontation with A-Rod. Figures.
Congratulations to Braden he pitched an excellent game.
"All" is such a strong word. I talked about other stuff first.
Since you mentioned, though, how awesome to see the post-game hug with his grandma. Braden's mother died of cancer about a decade ago (I believe), so Mother's Day was as appropriate a day as any for him to etch his name in the annals of baseball history.
First of all, congratulations to Braden. But, without even going on MGoBlog, I already knew someone would post this; furthermore, I also knew someone would mention A-Rod...even though he has nothing to do with the story, whatsoever.
Second, it really wasn't that big of a deal, Braden overreacted. I've never heard of that "unspoken rule" and if anything, the unspoken rule is exactly that... UNSPOKEN. If he is to retaliate, you'll find out on A-rod's next at bat against him. That is baseball as I know it.
Finally, if you compare quotes after the incident, Braden is the ass. "if you give a fool a rope, he'll hang himself."
As a note, I'm a Mets fan and have absolutely no love for A-Rod.
Yep, not bad for a guy with "a handful of major league wins" or something like that. Not bad at all.
People need to get off of A Rod's dick.
Enough. Congrats to Braden. It is a hell of a feat to accomplish this. I really dont have any interest in Braden or the A's except that Braden is on my fantasy baseball team but none the less, congrats.
It's what you get for cheating. I don't care how many people were doing it. If a player profited more from what the fans paid to see the game, said player deserves a proportionate amount of the public's scorn. Plainly said, these guys defrauded us, the fans, and they deserve all the negativity hurled their way.
That said, I get the point that Braden's accomplishment shouldn't be overshadowed by Alex Rodriguez. But that's the problem with these arrogant cheaters; they overshadow everything else. For example, a guy like Albert Pujols will never get the same credit he would have gotten had he not played in an era of A-Rod, Bonds, and the rest of 'em.
What's with the Rays love of getting Perfect Game'ed. I find it incredibly odd, given the absolute efficiency with that offense. I mean, hell their run differential 1/6th into the season was +84. That's on pace for a +450 run differential. Then they get Perfect Game'ed.
Braden was certainly dealing, damn.
Does this legitimize his beef with A-Rod walking across the mound?
Sure gives him some cred in that discussion. Could not have come at a better time.
I guess but Alex Rodriguez does have a World Series ring and was a big reason why they won. He played excellent in the playoffs and Mark Texeira didnt start hittin until Rodriguez showed up in May.
Either way Braden can hang on to the beef if he wants, he does have a perfect game but thats about it for now. Who knows maybe more great things are to come his way. On the other hand A Rod has a ring and I'm pretty sure he's over the whole stepping on the mound thing.
Just saying it gave him "some" cred, whereas before he had zero. I thought his complaint about A-Rod was pretty much a joke.
No. A Rod is an asshole, but theres nothing wrong with stepping on the mound. Get over yourself Dallas.
as a former pitcher, I do not want anyone stepping on the mound except for those who are pitching i the game.
It's one of the unwritten rule in MLB, not to step on the mound if you're not a pitcher. Do you notice that when a runner is out, they run around the mound when they run across the field? You just don't do it, period.
That's a load of crap, too. There's no unwritten rule about that. It's just a couple cocky pitchers think there is.
like not bunting when a pitcher has a no-no or perfect game going for him or not talking to the pitcher who has a no-no or perfect game going, for example. There is a reason why there is an "unwritten" rule. It's common knowledge for those who played baseball. If you break it, you better be prepared for hell by your teammates or get plunked by pitchers when you're batting.
I'm familiar with unwritten rules. The only ones that matter are being shown up (admiring a home run too long) or throwing fastballs at a guys head. Breaking up a no hitter with a bunt is only conditional if a team has no shot at the playoffs. If you're in contention, you're job is to get on base at any cost to score runs. That's the ultimate rule, you're there to win a championship.
Walking across the mound is ludicrious. That's just some pitcher being cocky and territorial. I've called enough baseball, I've played enough baseball. Pitcher's are generally the stupidest players on the team. Not all of them, but many of them. If they listened to their catcher and kept their cool, then they're the smart ones. The rest are Meat.
I could not agree with you more. The mound is not sacred territory on a baseball field. If a pitcher gets worked up because a player steps on the mound, then it just shows mental weakness by the pitcher. A pitcher's job is to get outs, not care whether or not people step on the mound.
You're exactly right. I have a follow up (only because it came up recently).... what is your philosophy on phantom tags?
Love 'em. Used to use them whenever I could.
Nope. It's not like Braden unveiled some big secret about A-Rod and his propensity for openly flouting the rules. A-Rod never gave a damn about the rules.
No walking on the mound if you're not a pitcher. There, no longer an unwritten rule, its written now.
Whether it's an unwritten rule or not, its really not that big of a deal. There's definitely no reason for Braden to still be talking about it weeks after it happened. I'm not really defending A Rod because he's definitely a jerk in many ways, I just think Braden is blowing a small thing way out of proportion.
Yes.
The "unstated rule" thing was true from the get-go, but Dallas Braden was, at the time, a nobody, while A-Rod, for better or worse, is one of those guys who will be remembered as long as the game is played.
Now, Dallas is among the most select crowd in baseball. He, too, has transcended the game, for the game itself functions on the principle that no team or player is ever perfect. A game of baseball is a series of mistakes made by pitchers and hitters and runners and fielders until the team who made the fewer mistakes in the right series wins. Except for when a pitcher throws a perfect game. No hitter can do this: if A-Rod hit a home run every time he came to bat, his team could lose 5-4.
Dallas Braden: the mound is yours, buddy.
I had money on Tampa. Figured why not spend a chilly day gambling on sports and the Rays have been the best team all year.
FML
Helluva game. Watched most of it on MLB extra innings.
For any of you fellow ESPN fantasy baseball players, you will see that Braden was actually the #1 most DROPPED player in all of baseball prior to yesterday, with over 27% of those who owned him 7 days ago dropping him
if it had come against the Yankees. Braden is a class act. A-Rod is a tool. That is all.
Braden is a class act? Are you familiar with Dallas Braden?? All he's done his overblow the hell out of the situation and make idiotic statements about the "209".
“He’s a clown,” CC Sabathia said of Braden. “Guy says he’s from the 209, what the [bleep] is that? That’s where I’m from and I don’t know what he’s talking about. Two-oh-nine. He needs to just calm down – put that in the paper. That’s just tired.”
I'm with CC on this one.
CC is from Vallejo, which is 707.
I'm with Braden on this one. All A-Rod has done is cheat his way to everything.
Apparently, some readers here are negging anybody that refers to A-Rod as a cheater. For my own education, can you explain yourself? Why should we not consider A-Rod a cheater, and why should one be negged for considering somebody who broke the rules a cheater?
because he can't count that high.
In any case, there's a reason that not walking across the pitcher's mound on the way back to the dugout is an unwritten rule: Up until A-Rod did it, no one else was stupid enough to need it in writing.
People were doing it, there just wasn't a moron pitcher on the mound throwing a shitfit when someone stepped on the back of it.
This is the most absurd "unwritten rule" I've ever heard. If he jogged across the rubber and kicked dirt on it, that's one thing. He jogged across the back, where the pitcher doesn't even go. Give me a break.
I saw John Smoltz being interviewed recently and he had never heard of the unwritten rule. If a guy like Smoltz has never heard of it, I don't think it really exists.
Yeah, this is more my point. Jason Turbow, the guy who writes for Baseball Codes, can just cherry pick a few quotes in his favor on pretty much any topic. You'll find guys on both sides of the argument, but he tends just to put out things in his favor. It's interesting stuff to read, but it's just a bunch of opinion with no merit.
Perfect games fascinate me. Since 1900 there have been about 350,000 MLB games played, which means there have been 700,000 chances for a perfect game, and only 19 have actually happened.
That's a 0.000027 probability of occurring. Not sure how many other notable sports occurrences happen that (in)frequently.
There has only been one 100-point game in NBA history.
That's a good one, although I guess the point total is somewhat arbitrary. In any case, there have been about 18,500 NBA games played. If you ask the question, what is the probability that an NBA game will have a 100-point performance, the answer is 1/18,500, or 0.000054, which is about twice as likely as a perfect game.
On the other hand, if you multiply 18,500 by 10 to get person-games (assuming starters have the best chance to score 100), you get 185,000, in which case the probability that a player will have a perfect game is 0.0000054, which is about 20% as likely as a perfect game.
Yeah, together Wilt and York Larese put up an astounding 109 points that game!