Madison Bumgarner was Disrespectful to the Game
A really strange thing happened during last nights game that has been vexing me. In the seventh inning during a very tight game Madison Bumgarner responded to Dodger hitter Alex Guerrero in a manner not appropriate for a professional of his magnitude.
It was simply an act of a child - a kind of bullying you see from the insecure. He allowed himself to verbally harass a player due to an ill-perceived slight; wholly manifested out of nowhere. Bumgarner's own lack of respect for Guerrero (and frankly the game) was sad to witness, and I hope he comes to understand that it was himself who shows disrespect.
If you don't know what I'm talking about then watch the video below.
As you see, even the commentators can tell that whatever Guerrero did while coming out of the box was a sign of his own frustration. Guerrero was clearly not showing up anyone... But clearly, Bumgarner was showing up Guerrero.
Matthew Moreno at Dodgers Nation does some lip reading:
Bumgarner appeared tell Guerrero, "You're not that [expletive] good, man. You're not that [expletive] good." Guerrero, who hit a pinch-hit home run off Bumgarner on April 22, offered no reaction to the comments.
I wonder what are fans suppose to think of Madison? Doesn't this kind of action fall under the "lack of respect" for the game column? Is not his apparent taunting disrespectful to the player, to his opponents, to his teammates and to the game at large?
UPDATE: I thought I'd add, aren't Baseball fans suppose to care about "showing respect for the game," or does Madison (for whatever reason) get a pass?
By ernest at Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Labels: Alexander Guerrero, Giants
JediJeff Wednesday, April 29, 2015 2:58:00 PM
I can see your point. Guerro was not happy he popped that pitch up and was clearly frustrated. Maybe there was something else in the at bat that pissed off Bumgarner.
That being said, is this also disrespectful to the game:
https://youtu.be/Py9ojA2nWY8
Because I have had discussions with Dodger fans that they claim Puig sliding into home was not showing up the other team. And let's not even talk about the bat flip, which we all know is taunting the pitcher.
ernest Wednesday, April 29, 2015 3:12:00 PM
personally, I'm agnostic about the whole thing (and frankly wouldn't mind seeing more emotion in the game)... That said, if Puig's actions such as the incident you point out is to be considered detrimental and disrespectful to the game, then so should the action that Bumgarner did for showing up Guerrero ... I just want balance and I wait patiently for national sports reporters to voice their vociferous exclamations about how Bumgarner is bad for Baseball and disrespectful of the game
night owl Wednesday, April 29, 2015 6:12:00 PM
The bat flip is not necessarily disrespectful in of itself, it is perceived as disrespectful because of a miscommunication between cultures. Players who are more expressive, who are mostly from other cultures, are unfairly criticized because people don't understand differences in culture and environment. All you have to do is look at Asian leagues to see how common (and accepted) the bat flip is. As for Puig's slide, it's been discussed so much that I can't waste any more breath on it with anyone who still thinks its disrespectful. People will be stubborn.
Re: Bumgarner, I think he'll learn as he gets older, but he's got to get that in check because it doesn't present himself in a good light. And us old-time bloggers remember the rant his dad left on the old Wax Heaven site. I think there's an issue there.
Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Steve Garvey in L...
Blog Kiosk: 4/29/2015 - Dodger Links - Kershaw, Pe...