In the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, Rick Reilly writes about a high school pitcher who deliberately threw at a home plate umpire, instructing his catcher to let the ball go on through. You can read that piece here.
The scenario is eerily reminiscent of a scene from Philip Roth’s The Great American Novel (one of his more underrated efforts) in which Gil Gamesh (”the only Babylonian-American ever to make the big leagues”), a hot-shot rookie pitcher, irate at a called ball the ruined a perfect game, instructed his catcher not to interfere with the next pitch, thrown at the umpire’s throat. The result rendered Mike “The Mouth” Masterson speechless and led to Gamesh’s banishment from the game.
I find myself in a quandary.
On the one hand, such a violent action by a player against an official cannot be condoned. But can you imagine the ballplayer reading Roth’s book in lit class? And retaining that event? Who says kids have too many distractions these days.
More on The Great American Novel: A review from The New York Times and another from AtHomePlate.com.
Swap by Sam Moffie. A funny take on the 2 Yankees who traded their wives.