Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

 
Watson suspends Piazza and Mota for five games
I really can't say what the proper length of suspension should be for the actions of both Guillermo Mota and Mike Piazza, but one thing is certain in my eyes...Mota's got to be gone longer than Piazza. Not only is that not happening (at least at present, before the appeals process), but Piazza is paying a larger token fine ($3,000) than is Mota ($1,500). In addition to the ridiculousness of having pitchers and position players live by the same rules when it comes to suspensions (because, of course, pitchers aren't expected to play everyday and this isn't taken into account at all), this is a situation in which if Mota doesn't instigate anything, nothing happens. I happened to be watching this particular game as it took place, and I can tell you with absolutely no hesitation that Mike Piazza would happily have gone about his at bat if he weren't hit, there's no question in my mind that this was Mota's fault. In fact, Mota tried to hit Piazza with the first pitch of the at bat, which was pretty clear to anyone watching with some knowledge of the backstory. Piazza stayed in, didn't fly off the handle at that point, and the issue could easily have been laid to rest. Mota refused to let this happen, and we had a scene on our hands.

I've never understood equating retaliation with instigation, as is being done here. Can Piazza really be expected, especially given the history involved here, to just take being thrown at? What kind of example would that set? Much has been written about the incredibly irresponsible act of hurling a baseball at high speed intentionally at a human being and the damage that can be caused as a result. We are very lucky that we don't often have instances where players are badly hurt by pitched balls, but there's no reason it can't happen any given time.

Ordinarily, I think batters need to (and do) show restraint when they are hit, even if there's some doubt as to whether or not their plunking was intentional. The game certainly cannot devolve into a personal war with guys constantly getting hit as revenge, but I think there's a clear distinction here. The Piazza-Mota feud, as far as I know, originated last spring when Mota hit Piazza. Piazza reacted at that point, and an entire year had passed without incident, though the Dodgers and Mets faced each other numerous times in that span. Mota actively chose to resume this idiocy, and has got to pay the price. Piazza's reaction was extreme and deserves some condemnation from the league, but at the same time, it has a responsibility to recognize the villain in this situation...Piazza and Mota just aren't equally at fault. And now the Mets pay the far larger price, losing their star player for five games, while the Dodgers lose a marginal reliever who'll serve his suspension during some games he wouldn't have pitched in anyway. Ridiculous.
posted by VZW Watcher at 10:20 PM -