To formally introduce myself, I'm Felix van der Vaart. As our first post said, I'm covering specifically the Rays but watching this response by Brian Walker told me something else.
We truly have seen nothing bad at baseball until we get to Arkansas's Brian Walker. Sure, Billy Ball was hard with Billy Martin in the 1970's and Earl Weaver had quite a temper. We can even look at the extreme example of Delmon Young when he threw his bat at an umpire during a game which gave him a year's suspension. But when we look at these two examples, they are both because of what the player's thought were a bad call or just sheer anger at the game.
Let's examine more closely about what was going on with Brian Walker. Walker hit .268 in the year, starting the entire time, second on the team with 11 home runs. The point is, he was doing well. Now we look at him during the game. What had he done. Well, it's basically his first at bat and what you want here (There's no outs, no one on) is to simply find the pitch you want and get a short swing and a good hit. Instead something else happens. Watch
WHAT??? Did I see that right? Brian Walker just faked that he got hit! Now we have to ask him some questions...
1. Did the ball hurt your arm hair as it grazed by? What on earth was the justification for doing what you did?
2. Were you aware that you were being broadcasted on live television across the nation (FSN) and that there are multiple camera views?
3. Were you aware that you were draftable until then?
4. What were you thinking?
Sure you want to get on for your team but beyond honesty? Baseball is always an honest sport and should be. It wasn't in 1876 and it won't be changed by you.
The main reason why his reaction was worse than everyone else's was because he cheated. He cheated. He knew he didn't get hit. But that wasn't just it. After he struck out (on a humongous, idiotic for 2 strikes and no outs, swing) he points his bat viciously at the umpire. What the? I mean that's unthinkable. Now you've got your team with a backup catcher who's probably pretty lousy, you're not only out for one at bat, but for the next two games, in which your team may be out by then.
It's not smart. And it's just not baseball.
Now don't get it twisted. I'm not saying (by no means) that it's at all acceptable for Delmon Young to do what he did but here's the difference. Delmon Young didn't cheat. He did throw the bat, yes (it got him suspended for an entire year), but did he fake something?
Lets not turn baseball into soccer's common theatrics. It's America's pastime and its a gentleman's sport.
Not the MLS....
-Felix
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Copyright The Sixth Sense, 2008
25 comments:
Brian Walker needs to attend lessons on honesty.....
Brian Walker is an asshole!!!
your right felix.its not soccer which happens to be a real sport where athletes sweat and bleed not a past time sport where lazy fat so called athletes play..ur a disgrace as well as the sport is.
Quit crying! Go back and watch your soccer..The only sport where the girls in the stands can beat up most of the players!
Throwing a bat at someone can be seen as criminal. I say it was much, much worse than Brian Walker's theatrics.
You are all stupid. I think Brian Walker is awesome.. and he still was draftable if you kept up. The person who wrote this is probably just jealous that Brian made it further than him in baseball..
The person above this comment must be Brian Walker, how is Sonic Burger working out for you, about now?
Brian Walker's actions in this situation make him the biggest pussy in baseball. First, he faked getting hit. Then, he strikes out on a shit pitch, and points the bat at the ump, which naturally (and rightly) gets his sissy ass tossed, and then he chucks his helmet WITH THE SAME ARM THAT APPARENTLY HURTS SO BADLY! You're shit, Walker. Shit.
The man actually "retired" from minor league ball earlier this year. He'll be missed. (Meaning pitches will miss him...)
The article.
Baseball is a gentleman's sport...? Seriously? It's like you chose to completely ignore spitting, cursing, fights, people throwing bats at umps and other shenanigans like what Walker did.
Brian Walker is the biggest pussy in history. How the hell did he think he wouldn't get busted with all those fucking cameras? But that's beside the point. If you play baseball, play the fucking game! Don't puss out like that!
I have had visual analysis training. Less importantly, but somewhat relevant, I was also a shortstop. I analyzed that video and have concluded he was indeed struck a glancing blow on his right forearm.
Keep your eye on the ball, folks! It's approaching trajectory was downward, and it "bumps" less downward, and more "away" slightly after contact.
In the side angle, watch the skin on his forearm (just behind the bandage) react to the ball hitting him there. He wasn't faking! He did get hit by that pitch.
I hope that he dies before he has children. and if he doesnt, than may him AND his children die burnging in oil with their skin peeling off
This is the most embarassing baseball event since joaquín andujar's meltdown in the word series.
pleeze, Mr. 'visual analysis trained' - the forarm was hidden by the elbow. He's holding his wrapped bicep not his forearm...
I think the most disgraceful thing is how angry he gets. He's legitimately mad at the umpire for not believing his lie.
re: visual analysis training - blah blah blah
fake. fail.
hankc - ur rite on
the faker is now asst coach :)
he'll be tossed outta many games for sure.
http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=205088694&DB_OEM_ID=6100
Disgraceful.
Disrepectful to the game.
Disrepectful to all that have played the game.
Hopefully he has found some peace as far away from baseball as possible.
Visual analysis? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Is that like an ocular assessment of the situation?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJnMYJWeP04
Moron!
Hope Brian Walker is enjoying life as a substitute gym teacher.
Actually, he know coaches for the same team showing Arkansas has no moral compass.
http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=205088694
"Brian Walker is in his second season on the Razorback coaching staff and in his first year as the team’s volunteer assistant coach. Walker works primarily with the Razorback catchers."
Ha ha! Brian Walker came back and posted as anonymous on the above post. "He had his bat verticle in his hand and his arm maybe moved a couple inches." First of all, his bat was never vertical. After the follow-through, he brought his bat back and purposely pointed the bat at the umpire. Extending the arm like that is not an involuntary response. That was a lame excuse. Now everyone calling him vulgar names in the comment section is unnecessary. Especially if they have never met the guy. The "die and oil" comment was absurd and out-of-line. But when a guy pulls a stunt like this, it does display a little bit of that young man's character. At that time, he was young and stupid. He also might have jeopardized his career as the author is proposing. Who knows. And he might have changed too after the unnecessary slander he received from this. But don't justify what he did.
Derek Jeter, the golden child of the New York Yankees, faked being hit a couple of years ago. But I guess when you play for a team that won 27 titles, & had more players linked to steroids than any other major league team, people are willing to overlook a few things!
Now that this came up on Fark, a whole new group of people get to witness Walker's cheating and unacceptable behavior.
We all know Walker's read this blog - it comes up very early on any Google search of the guy. That's why this would be a good place for him to step up and apologize for his cowardly and weak actions.
Maybe they were youthful indiscretions that he regrets. As a coach now -- and a father, and presumably, a grown man -- he should distance himself from this "win-at-all-costs" approach to the game...an approach that got him nowhere, by the way. Maybe if he would have worked harder on his game, rather than on figuring out shortcuts, he could have gone further in baseball.
Bottom line, if you can't win by hustle, skill, strategy (within the rules), and teamwork, then you don't deserve to win -- hell, you don't even deserve to play, because when you cheat, you dishonor yourself, the team, and the sport you're playing.
The "anonymous" (Brian Walker's) response should have been proofread by some University of Arkansas freshman student so that it would not have contained numerous spelling errors ("verticle", "over react", "sports caster", "holey than", etc.). Maybe he'll try to fake his way out of those mistakes too.
http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article1121156.html
"Walker uses that moment to show players how emotions can ruin a good day of baseball. He started to realize his mistake when outfielder Blake Parker, now a pitcher with the Cubs, started to put on the catching equipment."
Read the whole thing.
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