Some people want to be angry

Brian Wilson makes a gesture when he does well.  Casey Blake homered and mocked Brian Wilson's gesture. Brian Wilson said his gesture honors his religion and his late father -- a revelation to anyone outside the immediate circle of the SanFrancisco Giants fan base. Logic dictates Casey Blake had no idea about this. There is no reason to believe that Casey Blake would go out of his way to mock someone's religion and late father.

So more than 24 hours later, why are some people still upset about this?

Some people want to be angry.

I am writing this not to encourage conversation on the subject.  I am writing in the hopes people will let an obvious misunderstanding die.

Comments

[maps]

Mark Grace just mentioned that someone homered off the facade at Chase Field. Come Gracie, that's not even a frieze. It's a scoreboard!

[Craig88USC]

UDCraig - Yeah you're right but even though the Nats were 6 down again tonight - they do have a little fight in them. Those first 4 hitters they got are pretty good (as we learned the hard way.) And thankyou Reds for sending the DBacks to the cellar 9 back of LA. : )

[K2]

Totally sick of all the religious gestures from all sides. They seem so ostentatious (look how holy I am). And I'm tired of the "God Bless America" every night, too.

It's a ball game. It's not church, it's not a place to take a vow. It's a ball.game.

Let it just be a simple ball game. Please.

[Buck18]

No one ever said that baseball players were the most refined or mannerly people in the world. It is a rough game, a competitive game, a wearying game. I don't think Blake even knew he was insulting the guy. On the other hand, I've seen guys on the same team insult each other on the field. So, let's not get all Miss Manners about this.

[Jen]

Jon, I just wanted to take this off day to tell you how much I enjoyed your book. I received it as a Mother's Day present yesterday morning and read it cover to cover. As a rabid Dodger fan who was transplanted to L.A. after the last Championship, it was very interesting to learn all of the back stories I'd heard Vin referring to all these years. My thorough enjoyment of the book took a bit of the sting out of losing to the Giants in 13 :)

[Keven C]

So Brian Wilson takes a gesture he got from a Mixed Martial Arts clothing company and spins it into his personal salute to Christianity and his late father. That's nice. Good for him.

Personally, I prefer professional wrestling over MMA. I'm making the D-X chop to the groin as my personal salute to epileptic dogs.

So if any Giants fans get mad at me chopping after Broxton shuts them down in August, they must hate epileptic dogs.

[Ted]

The people who want to be angry are usually the people who are already angry. I would guess that Brian Wilson has a lot of anger surrounding his father's death, explaining why he immediately complained to the media about Blake's chest-pumping mockery. He's in pain and wants the world to know about it. Sometimes it's best if that second part of the equation, his wish to get recognition of his suffering, isn't actually fulfilled by writers, bloggers, commentators, etc.

Then again, it's Giants/Dodgers. Personal feuds are the name of the game and I love that there is passion on both sides.

[Bruce Mendenhall]

Real smart and mature of Blake to ape Wilson after he hits a game-tying HR off him. Shows a LOT of class. But we all know the reason he does it is he hates players who show the other team up. It's just not in him to disrespect opponents after such a feat, unless it's doing something real cool like mimicking a religious gesture or salute to a guy's deceased father. And if he didn't know what it meant, then he shouldn't have gone there. If he did, then he should come out and apologize about it afterward. Same thjing as team members insulting each other - man that's in the family - nothing to do with this case at all. Of all the lame justifications! Plus, that idiotic stunt woke the Giants up and cost the Dodgers the game. Blake is due for a couple of cracked ribs next time he faces a Giant pitcher - and richly deserved.

[bigcpa]

Bochy just created another X-salute opportunity for Wilson with the cheapest of cheap saves.

[ucladodger]

Blake, you do understand that players do not like to be shown up, correct. What Wilson does isnt known to be a tribute to his father and/or religion (heck, its been pointed out here that it is found on an MMA clothing line). Especially after the crap Billy Sadler pulled against the dodgers last year, I can imagine the Dodger players were getting tired of an inferior team showing them up after a rare victory. And really, if you believe that was the cause of the Giants scoring two runs in the 13th, and not, say, Guillermo Mota being on the mound, then I'm not really sure what to tell you. Overall, what you wrote is one of the worst takes I've read on DT, so in that, i thank you for the laugh.

[delias man]

Bruce, Mota was in the game. That is why the Giants won. I bet Winn does not care and probably barely even knows that closer. That is how locker rooms are.

[Crash Burn]

Why shouldn't Casey respond to this even if he knew what the guy says it means? It means absolutely nothing to everyone watching it except for a guy making a goofy gesture. If you can't mock something as stupid as this gesture, what can you mock?

"It’s just me getting a quick message out to the world"

Yeah we get the message, you like to make goofy gestures. Got it.

[dsm9412]

Come on, Casey Blake wasn't directly intending to disrespect his religion and father. It's a rivalry, and he got caught up in it. This is really a non-story.

[delias man]

My friend talked me into going to SB to scout Schmidt tomorrow. Never been to a minor league game before. Anything special about that stadium?

[underdog]

Bruce, it's too bad you didn't take the time to read Jon's post above, or any of the more level-headed comments on the subject that came here in the previous thread.

Anyway, since Jon wrote "I am writing in the hopes people will let an obvious misunderstanding die", and I feel the same way, onwards and upwards...

Yep, CraigSC, the Nats had some fight in 'em, just couldn't quite come back far enough. They have a good enough lineup now where they could get a win tomorrow. Not that I'm worried about the Giants, because I'm not.

Also, I just caught up on the last 2.5 episodes of The Office, thanks to Tivo. Love it! The last half of this season was especially terrific.

Lastly, back to the Dodgers, new piece up on this very site, from Dylan Hernandez, on Chad B:
"For Dodgers' Chad Billingsley, they were educational games"

http://tinyurl.com/oeuhxb

[ucladodger]

Here's a link to the Dodgers' defensive Fangraphs page- http://tinyurl.com/oxtlj3. As we can all see, its really ugly. Even though it is a small sample size, especially for the defensive side of the ball, it is worth noting that Matt Kemp is our only elite defender. Loney is barely a plus (an improvement over last year), and I would assume Pierre will be a bigger plus after his 50 game stint in left. Even so, Furcal, Hudson, and Ethier grade out pathetically, especially Ethier. All combined, we are one of the 5 worst fielding teams in the game.

[JJ24]

delias man -

It should be a fun game. It's a small stadium and you can get pretty close to the action. A couple seasons ago I went and walked up the day of the game, got seats in the first row behind home plate. Go early and you can watch Schmidt warm up on the 3rd base line with Charlie Hough watching. Since it's a rehab start, you'll probably see Ned or one of the Assistant GM's watching.

[Rob McMillin]

K2 -- hence my opposition to GBA at every single Dodger game. It's a running Rule 5 violation.

[underdog]

"All combined, we are one of the 5 worst fielding teams in the game." Hence my strong feelings that both fangraphs and UZR are seriously overrated and overvalued by some here.

Funny how just about any team's advanced scout will tell you that this year's Dodger team is one of the top 10 fielding teams in baseball. Basically, I disagree.

[Ted]

I have my own method for grading defenses. Assign every position a + a - or a 0. If you are below 0, you potentially have a problem. The Dodgers are below 0, but if Furcal can find himself and Loney can continue, they should be adequate.

[fanerman]

30 something games is a really really small sample size for defense.

[Tripon]

Wow, I'm surprised URZ hates Orlando Hudson so much. -4.1 for the year?

[ucladodger]

I dont see this as a good defensive team any way I look at it, underdog. Basically, the numbers support almost all of what I've witnessed. I was surprised by Hudon's low rating, but everything else seemed about right. Loney is average, Furcal has been awful, Blake is a little below average, Manny is well below average, and Ethier has been really bad in right this year. We've all seen how great Kemp has been, and it shows in the numbers. I've watched a lot of teams this year, and we definitely belong at the bottom when it comes to defensive value.

[LogikReader]

Haha, speaking of "wanting to be angry"

http://daveinthecity.podbean.com/2009/05/11/dave-in-the-city-sportstalk-podcast-05-12-09/

Finally! A new podcast, and in it I tear the Lakers, and the Magic a new one.

Oh, and KFC gets some flak too... I'll explain why in the podcast.

Enjoy everyone!

[delias man]

Thanks JJ. Don't know how early I can get there. Leaving from Westchester at 430. Will post comments from game.

[underdog]

I guess my point is more that one month into the season is not the most reliable time to use UZR. I don't think the assessment is that far off the mark for the first month but don't think that is a reliable indicator overall of how the defense will perform over the course of the season. I guess we'll see. Furcal has been well below his usual self, but he also tends to get better in the field and at the plate by June and beyond. Loney has been average. Save a couple of goofs, Hudson has been great, I don't think that's accurate at all. Blake has been average to decent. Save for a couple of goofs (one of which I saw in person, yay!) Kemp has been terrific. Manny and Pierre are both below average to average depending on which part of their defense you're evaluating but either way LF is not strong, and Ethier isn't perfect but he'll get better. Martin and Ausmus have also been getting better over the last week or two. So I would check back with those ratings again in two months. This is a better defense than it's telling you now.

[Alex41592]

L.A Times:

Although anti-doping experts have said HCG is commonly used to replenish testosterone after a cycle of steroids, sources close to Ramirez have suggested the HCG was prescribed to combat issues surrounding sexual performance.

Ramirez is 36. Among men ages 30-39, about 2% have significantly low levels of testosterone, said Dr. Glenn Braunstein, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-manny-dodgers12-2009may12,0,5011837.story

[Marty Leadman (LAT)]

Reading all this Blake/Wilson stuff makes me despair of the species. It's stuff like this that make me wonder why I even bother with sports anymore.

[underdog]

Beats watching many reality TV series at least, Marty. Those will make you really despair for humanity.

Btw, I know this isn't the be all to end all but on ESPN a month ago they published BP's defensive ratings and the Dodgers were ranked #1 in their division at least. Ag

http://tinyurl.com/r8lktn (members only, alas, though when I was able to read it a month ago I recall it not going into great detail, though it singled out Hudson as greatly improving the infield d.)

[Ted]

Regarding the Manny story, it said that the common treatment for low testosterone would be testosterone- but would that be legal under MLB policy either?

[John Mav]

To all Dodger fans who think it's "no big deal" about Blake's mocking gesture... I'm not saying I disagree, but did you feel the same way about Barry Bond's spin-o-rama after belting out that crushing home run a few years ago? No big deal, right?

Go Giants!

[John Mav]

To all Dodger fans who think it's "no big deal" about Blake's mocking gesture... I'm not saying I disagree, but did you feel the same way about Barry Bond's spin-o-rama after belting out that crushing home run a few years ago? No big deal, right?

Go Giants!

[Craig88USC]

Who's better up the middle defensively ??? Who's better than the trio of Bison, Raffy & O-Dog ??? (Now I know someone will come up with an answer. But I'm sticking with what I've seen.) I do think that Loney could use a little Wes Parker tutoring though. We got a problem in left for sure but 'Dre is excellent in right. And losing weight has seemed to help Martin come around. All in all I say we have a pretty good defense. Ask our pitchers.

[Hobo Ambush]

I would think more highly of Casey Blake if he had intended to mock Wilson's faith. Religion should be mocked when it is invoked so frivolously. I knew something bad was going to happen to the the Dodgers after last Wednesday night's game. When asked if it was extra special to make his first Major League appearance in a record setting game, Brent Leach responded that it was a gift from his lord and savior, Jesus Christ. My hand slapped against my forehead and I thought, "That man's lord and savior is going to do something bad to the Dodgers." Daily food, health, being able to watch your children grow up healthy and happy, these are all gifts from G-d. Winning a baseball game is not. If you think it is, keep it to yourself or you will be mocked.

[Craig88USC]

Since the Dodgers are playin' in Philly - Here's the "Lost" creator drilling the gang... http://www.hulu.com/watch/29313/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-sunny-goes-to-comic-con.

[casey]

the gesture is lame and where he got the idea from is moronic. if he wants to honor his dad or religion, he can do it at home and not make it a public spectacle. if he brings it to the field, it's fair game. what a baby.

[Fred]

If sitting in the dugout mostly out of sight and crossing one's arms is insulting and deserves to have ribs cracked as one poster said, where does beating the Cowboys in Dallas and then dancing on their Star in the middle of the field rate as an insult?

[Tim]

I seriously thought we were talking about the lead singer of the Beach Boys.

[SteelMohawk]

Man its baseball, this stuff happens all the time, weren't there shenanigans recently after someone touched off Joba Chamberlin? I know its a dedication to his father, and may have crossed some lines, but in the real world, people disrespect monuments to figures of history, and I dont see this much outrage. Giants fans can get out raged, its a bit extreme, but they can, but it should be handled between the Giants and Dodgers, and mainly Brian and Casey. And it should end there.

[Bob Hendley]

Seems to me that we looked at the defensive stats about two weeks in the season and the Dodgers were performing quite well. That these numbers have deteriorated over the past couple of weeks certainly reflects what I have been seeing.

[Jon Weisman]

John Mav | May 12, 2009 at 01:24 AM

I had no recollection of Barry's "spin-o-rama" until Bill Plaschke brought it up a couple years ago. It had absolutely no impact that I can recall. There hasn't been a time that I thought it was any kind of deal, let alone a big deal.

[Bob Hendley]

Recent events have overshadowed this, but I am starting to get excited by the rematch with the Phillies.

[regfairfield]

UZR is completely meaningless until at least half way through the season and it's really recommended you use numbers from multiple seasons. At this stage in the season, UZR is more of a measure of how many balls get more balls hit directly at you when you're cheating to one side.

[Xeifrank]

Amazingly, the Phillies pitching staff has a HR/9 ratio of 1.84 so far this season. That's awful! And so far this season it's not all due to it's hitter friendly ballpark. The number is 1.87 at home and 1.80 on the road.
vr, Xei

[Eric Stephen]

Delias man, I'll be at the Schmidt game in San Bernardino as well. Email me if you want to meet up: eric d stephen at gmail dot com (all together).

[DL]

Whenever I have a successful result when playing basketball, poker, bowling, or whatever, I like to jump up and down repeatedly, pump my fists, and yell, "I'm the best! You all suck!" over and over.

However, I do this to honor my religion and my father, who passed away several years ago. Anyone who mocks my tribute is therefore insulting my religion and my dead father.

[Jack]

Are Furcal & Loney under performing or is it more a true statement of their current talent level? Furcal is over 30 & has injuries issues, while Loney is showing the same lack of power now that he showed in the minor leagues.

Likewise, it'd seem Ethier/Hudson are over performing, yet could it be that its their true talent level and their performance is sustainable?

Blake, Kemp, Martin - meeting expectations.
Ethier, Hudson - exceeding expectations
Loney, Furcal - not meeting expectations.

Fair to say?

The difference in the offense this year over last year is Hudson over Kent, and obviously Manny over Pierre.

[Jack]

Bob Hendley - it difficult to determine whether its good defense or good luck in explaining random fluctuations in BABIP.

[kinbote]

The bench has also been a pleasant surprise.

[Eric Stephen]

I would put Martin, .393 OBP and all, in the underperforming category as well.

[Kevin Lewis]

Jack,

There was a Fox Sports article the other day talking about how Manny is the one making the bid difference compared to last year, but that Hudson in place of Kent is making the difference

Small sample size for sure

[D4P]

Martin should be at the top of the lineup. I think we've seen enough of him to reasonably conclude for the time being that he's better at OBPing than SLGing.

[Kevin Lewis]

Marty,

This one is for you... Best Sandwich places in Pasadena?

[Jon Weisman]

New post up top.

[SaMo]

Who's better than the trio of Bison, Raffy & O-Dog ???

How about Rollins, Utley, and Victorino?
Reyes, Castillo and Beltran?

Hudson has been a gold glover as advertised, but Raffy has been mediocre at best. Kemp is going to be better than all the rest, but he's still not there yet.