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Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
It was still batshit and a sign that the guy is as much of a loose cannon as he's ever been.
Sorry but this gets back to my gripe with Lofton - every time that guy got hit he had something to say to the pitcher and Cain's the same in that regard. Quibble with the terminology if you will, but Cain's thin skinned. Again I'll reference Wong - that dude has been hit 13 times this season and he doesn't feel compelled to chatter at the P every time it happens. Jon Jay got hit 20 times last year and his response was the same every time; flips bat and goes. That's the normal reaction. Your position that most hitters are talking to the pitcher as they go up the line just isn't true. Most don't. Some do.
And Samardzija probably isn't yelling shit from the dugout if Hosmer and Moustakas aren't yelling at him from the dugout after the Cain HBP in the season opener. The bad blood there started from opening day and as near as I can tell was just carryover from the Royals still really hating that guy from his Oakland days. You want to tell someone to let it go...that's probably where I'd start. And of course Volquez and Herrera are in the middle of that one as well.
Nobody's ever wholly to blame in these things, but again, at some point you have to acknowledge that the Royals are disproportionately featured in them. Royals fans can claim all they want that it's because teams don't like that they're not bad anymore but gimme a break - the plucky upstart thing works in your own locker room but it's not like Samardzija and Lawrie were thinking fondly back on the good ol' days when the Royals lost games and were livid at the Royals newfound success.
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I said Ventura needed to mature. He's got growing to do if he's going to reach his potential. We agree there. I've seen some try to act like that was an isolated, out of left field thing, though, that Ventura started. Not the case.
There's a big difference between the "thin-skin" you reference there and 'temper tantrums,' no?
Most hitters at least look/glare at the pitcher. Some talk occasionally, if there's some sort of prior history. Cain doesn't always talk. He doesn't always glare. But either way... not temper tantrums.
The stuff with Samardzija started with him yelling at the Royals from the dugout during the playoff series last season. It carried over to this year, obviously. Samardzija is also a red ass. Where's the criticism of him?
Where's the criticism of Chris Sale for pounding several beers after getting sent to the showers early and then showing up at the KC clubhouse door looking for a fight?
I'll give you that blame can be assigned to both place regarding the White Sox and Royals (though I certainly understand why teammates might take issue with a hitter getting drilled after the previous guy hit a HR that he treated 100 percent professionally, with no hand signs, no antics, no pimping, just a fast jog around the bases).
But making that situation all about KC is one-sided and ignores that aspect. Many have tried to do that.
Ultimately, KC hitters got drilled a LOT in the early going. It happened enough that the team felt the need to stand up for itself and take a stand. It's a mindset that likely carries over for the rest of the season.
It had not been an issue for over two months, until this weekend, when Donaldson pimped a few home runs and the team thought it had caught him stealing signs/passing signs.
I get why he was upset. It makes sense. But the reactions from guys like Gregg Zaun and Bautista in regards to the way Wolf handled it are hysterical bullshit, and those guys should recognize in hindsight they were lucky to not have Donaldson tossed then and there.