Sunday Sitdown: Bean balls and retaliation, is it ok even if it's not on purpose?

[HollywoodLeo]

Angry Guillen issues warning: Expect retaliation for beanings - MLB - CBSSports.com Baseball

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had a warning for the rest of the league: Hit our players and our pitchers will retaliate.

Guillen was upset Sunday after Paul Konerko, Scott Podsednik and Gordon Beckham got hit by pitches by the Cleveland staff a night earlier in Chicago's 8-5 victory. Guillen acknowledged he didn't think the Indians were throwing at them, but he has had enough of watching his players get hit.

"Yesterday I get upset, they hit one guy and they throw in into another guy. I got upset. I know for a fact they're not throwing at nobody, but enough is enough," Guillen said. "I have Konerko bruised all over the place. Around the league, be careful because we're going to hit people. I don't care if I get suspended because I need to protect my players."

"When we went to Cleveland they hit two guys, not on purpose, but someone can get hurt out there. You can pitch in, but if you don't know how don't do it," he said. "It gets to the point when they hit us seven times, 20 times in one week and we hit one and they're the headhunters and that's a [problem] with major league baseball."

So, basically, Guillen admits multiple times that he knows the beanings were not on purpose....but he wants to retaliate anyways.

I know a lot of diehard baseball traditionalists agree with the notion. "Bean our player we bean yours" regardless of intent, but what do the members of strike3forums think?

A second part to this question is, is it fine to bean another player because a pitcher (ie not that player) beaned yours?

Guillen goes on to add

Guillen also warned, if he suspects a pitcher is intentionally throwing at one of his players, expect multiple retaliations.



"If I see someone hit my player, and I know they hit him on purpose it's two guys going down. I don't care if I get suspended," Guillen said. "I rather have me suspended for two games than have my players on the DL for 30 days."

So, if CC Sabathia hits Paul Konerko on purpose Guillen might take it out on Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

Discuss.

[ljshorty89]

I'm fine with retaliation, as long as it's not overdone. David Wright almost got hit in the face by Brad Thompson the other day, and there was no retaliation because a warning was given right away.

I WISH there was more retaliation.

[HollywoodLeo]

I don't like retaliation unless the other team is throwing at you on purpose.

To me, beaning the other team on purpose because they accidentally beaned your player is the equivalent of beating the shit out of some dude who accidentally bumps into you in the street.

It seems like a pointless overreaction to me.

Shit happens, deal with it.

Now, if the pitcher is doing it on purpose I can understand responding in kind. I prefer they respond by beaning the pitcher who did it, but I'm ok with them picking a player on the other team in the AL because they dont' really have the option to bean the pitcher.

[ljshorty89]

I don't like retaliation unless the other team is throwing at you on purpose.

To me, beaning the other team on purpose because they accidentally beaned your player is the equivalent of beating the shit out of some dude who accidentally bumps into you in the street.

It seems like a pointless overreaction to me.

Shit happens, deal with it.

Now, if the pitcher is doing it on purpose I can understand responding in kind. I prefer they respond by beaning the pitcher who did it, but I'm ok with them picking a player on the other team in the AL because they dont' really have the option to bean the pitcher.

I'd say it depends. As Guillen said, if you CAN'T throw inside without hitting someone....then you shouldn't put the batter at risk. I don't think that every hit batter should be retaliated for, but if the pitcher who's teammate gets hit wants to retaliate, I think there should be certain times when it's allowed.

I mean, if one guy gets hit by accident, then no retaliation should happen. But if guys are getting hit repeatedly (D Wright has had 2 or 3 pitches thrown at his head in the past week or 2), or if anything intentional happens, I'm ok with retaliation.

[Kingdom]

I think retaliation should always be part of the game but I don't like them going for someone's head. Hit them in the ribs or the ass, at least they'll only have a bruise rather than risk killing the guy.

[GiantsFanatic]

I also think retaliation should be done based on intend, if they purposely hit your guy, you gota hit'em back.

But this is a gray area, because sometimes you can't tell if the pitcher hit the batter with an intent or not.

[henks]

I think retaliation should always be part of the game but I don't like them going for someone's head. Hit them in the ribs or the ass, at least they'll only have a bruise rather than risk killing the guy.

Concur

I also think retaliation should be done based on intend, if they purposely hit your guy, you gota hit'em back.

But this is a gray area, because sometimes you can't tell if the pitcher hit the batter with an intent or not.

Concurred here as well.


p.s. I like pizza.

[HollywoodLeo]

I also think retaliation should be done based on intend, if they purposely hit your guy, you gota hit'em back.

But this is a gray area, because sometimes you can't tell if the pitcher hit the batter with an intent or not.

But if someone tosses their bat after a home run that's grounds for beaning him in the head, right?

[GiantsFanatic]

But if someone tosses their bat after a home run that's grounds for beaning him in the head, right?

You must love bringing shit up from 2 years ago, get over it man, Hairston not even on the Padres anymore.