The 2016 Toronto Blue Jays Thread

[CaptainCrunch]

[KootenayFlamesFan]

The initial punch was fine form, but what is with the glove slap on the follow through?

[squiggs96]

Bautista's bat flip last year was ridiculous. He was being a dbag when he did it. The Rangers owed him a ball in the ribs, and that's what he got. It should have ended there. By Bautista going into second with an illegal, dangerous, and dirty slide, he brought that upon himself. He admitted that he went in hard to send a message. Just because he could have made it worse, doesn't mean it was right. If Bautista doesn't get in his face after the slide, and just walks off the field, the fight doesn't happen. After Odor pushes him, Bautista goes to grab him and punch him. Unfortunately for Jose, Odor punches him first. It's not a sucker punch. It's two guys involved in a fight, and one guy's fist makes it to the other's guy's face quicker.

Yes, Odor has done some bad things. His slide into Panik last year was one of them. He didn't try and throw it into Bautista's face. If the dirty slide wasn't made, the throw goes to first, and it's a double play. He's not wrong in his actions. A guy took a slide at his knees and came after him after the play. Odor stood there and took care of business. Jays, and their fans, said it was gutless to wait until this game to retaliate for the bat flip. Odor didn't wait, and didn't get someone else to do it for him. He'll get thrown at next year, which should end it. He'll likely get a suspension too, and I'm fine with that.

For those saying you hope they meet in the playoffs, you might want to get a record over .500 before that happens. After making the Jays made playoffs last year, for the first time in 20 years, it's odd to call out a team that's made the playoffs 4 out of 6 years. The Jays will be lucky to make the wildcard this year.

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Bautista's bat flip last year was ridiculous. He was being a dbag when he did it. The Rangers owed him a ball in the ribs, and that's what he got. It should have ended there. By Bautista going into second with an illegal, dangerous, and dirty slide, he brought that upon himself. He admitted that he went in hard to send a message. Just because he could have made it worse, doesn't mean it was right. If Bautista doesn't get in his face after the slide, and just walks off the field, the fight doesn't happen. After Odor pushes him, Bautista goes to grab him and punch him. Unfortunately for Jose, Odor punches him first. It's not a sucker punch. It's two guys involved in a fight, and one guy's fist makes it to the other's guy's face quicker.

Yes, Odor has done some bad things. His slide into Panik last year was one of them. He didn't try and throw it into Bautista's face. If the dirty slide wasn't made, the throw goes to first, and it's a double play. He's not wrong in his actions. A guy took a slide at his knees and came after him after the play. Odor stood there and took care of business. Jays, and their fans, said it was gutless to wait until this game to retaliate for the bat flip. Odor didn't wait, and didn't get someone else to do it for him. He'll get thrown at next year, which should end it. He'll likely get a suspension too, and I'm fine with that.

For those saying you hope they meet in the playoffs, you might want to get a record over .500 before that happens. After making the Jays made playoffs last year, for the first time in 20 years, it's odd to call out a team that's made the playoffs 4 out of 6 years. The Jays will be lucky to make the wildcard this year.

Don't you think it's kind of perverse that the punishment for something as subjective as a celebration gone too far is a 97 mph ball to the ribs, which is objectively painful? Or that a slide that doesn't even hit Odor is somehow more dirty than said 97 mph fastball?

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

It's two guys involved in a fight, and one guy's fist makes it to the other's guy's face quicker.

Bautista doesn't make a fist.

He's not wrong in his actions.....
He'll likely get a suspension too, and I'm fine with that.

Why is he getting suspended then if he's not wrong in his actions?

I don't think anybody around here is claiming Bautista is innocent, but Odor is extremely far off from being 'not wrong in his actions'. He brought a gun to a knife fight and he should be suspended accordingly.

[KidCanada]

Joey doing the slide was definitely unnecessary, but not surprising.
All this time we heard the talk from the Rangers and media (not everyone, but enough people) about the bat flip being disrespectful, etc. All the talk was about the code.
And then the Rangers wait until the last AB in the 7th time they have played the Jays this year, and get a guy who wasnt in the series last fall to plunk Jose. They should have got it out of the way if they were going to talk about code and they didnt.
I think Jose is far from innocent here - if he wasnt a Jay maybe i hate the bat flip - but the Rangers dragging this out was ridiculous.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by The Big Chill

Bautista doesn't make a fist.

In the clip his left hand closes into a fist followed by the right hand.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by troutman

In the clip his left hand closes into a fist followed by the right hand.

Yeah because his left hand is grabbing at the guy's shirt. And his right hand starts to form a fist when he's getting punched in the face! Seems like a natural reaction to me.

The idea that he's somehow at fault in any way, shape or form because his hands may be forming what looks to maybe be a fist that he could have potentially used to punch the guy are asinine. Odor suckered him plain and simple. Guys just don't toss big right hand punches in baseball scrums very often and especially not in a situation that was essentially unprovoked.

[Galakanokis]

Rangers taking some flack for the way they went about this, very bush league for sure. Can't believe Jose didn't launch a few elbows at Beltre for holding him up. Screw you buddy, I'm getting back to Odur.

I have no real problem with any of this other than the timing, which people are calling the Rangers out for, as it does come across as pretty cowardly. Now this is just going to spill over to playoffs or next year.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by troutman

In the clip his left hand closes into a fist followed by the right hand.

uhhh i think it's quite clear his left hand is a fist because he's grabbing Odors jersey not attempting to punch him.

And his right fist only starts to clench way to late after he sees Odors fist incoming.

We see tons of baseball "brawls" which are nothing more then a bunch of shoving, Odor was the one who took this to the next level. This isn't hockey where throwing punches is pretty much accepted, you throw a actual punch in baseball and you get a hefty suspension.

[flames_fan_down_under]

What ever happened to losing with any sort of dignity!?

The Rangers were up 2 games to NONE! Lose two straight and in the deciding game they gave up three errors in one inning, and their bullpen then gives up a home run to one of the best home run hitters of the last 5 years. And the guy to blame for all of this? The guy who hits the home run who in their eyes celebrated too much? Jeez what a bunch of mental midgets. Then they resort to cavemen mentality even after it has basically been dealt with?

A total joke. The umpires lost complete control of this game the second they didn't eject Bush.

It is a total and complete shame that one of my favourite moments in sports ever, and one of the best moments in Jays history, has been subjected to this kind of ridicule, debate and childishness. Bautista celebrated an amazing, awesome, and fun moment in SPORTS! It's a game! He hit a ball with a bat and then flipped the bat! Move on! Sam Dyson, Odor, Holland, please for the love of god move on, you lost! It's over. The game is over and you lost.

I have seen more discussion from broadcasters praising Matt Bush for coming back from jail after from almost killing someone after driving drunk compared to the amount of garbage being spewed at Bautista, calling him a "d-bag" and "whiner" because he argues some balls and strikes and flips a bat. Guess what, he's also pretty god damn good at baseball and has been for a very long time! David Ortiz takes about 35 minutes to walk back to the dugout after he gets thrown out at first, does anyone say anything, isn't that against "THE CODE", shouldn't ball players always be hustling.

No one ever deserves to be PUNCHED IN THE FACE for celebrating a great moment, especially not Bautista. What a shame because he should never feel bad for that moment, it was awesome and it was his right to celebrate it, because he worked his ass off to get where he was, to get to that moment and he had every right to enjoy it and Odor has no right to try and make him feel like he did something wrong.

[GirlySports]

It was a joke. Thats why Bautista should have been the bigger man and let it go. Then the Rangers get all the flack today

[nik-]

Rangers acted like the little bitches they are. Waited until the end so there was no chance of retaliation.

I hope Odor catches one right in the head next series. Throws his punch and runs behind the scrum, then the whole team acts like a bunch of tough guys when they waited right to the end.

Going to be hilarious to watch them choke yet again in the playoffs this year.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It was a joke. Thats why Bautista should have been the bigger man and let it go. Then the Rangers get all the flack today

Have you ever been intentionally beaned with a 98 mph fastball then been told to let it go? lol F that.

If I was Bautista I would have gone out to the mound when he was intentionally beaned. He would have been tossed, Bush would have been tossed and that would have been the end of it.

Perhaps the Rangers should have let it go that he hit a homerun that eliminated them from post season contention rather then running out a minor leaguer in the last AB of the season against them who wasn't even part of the team last year to bean him.

The Rangers were the ones who started this incident then the ones who escalated it with Odor tossing bombs, I don't really see how someone could see it any other way.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Why didn't they plunk Bautista the first time the teams met this season in T.O.?

That's the part that bugs me. Bean him, fight, whatever. But don't wait until the last minute.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It was a joke. Thats why Bautista should have been the bigger man and let it go. Then the Rangers get all the flack today

The Rangers should've let the bat flip go.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It was a joke. Thats why Bautista should have been the bigger man and let it go. Then the Rangers get all the flack today

Bautista should not have to let anything go! Bautista did nothing wrong! Why should he apologize for anything!? What should he apologize for? Celebrating a big moment?

Bautista hit a home run: and he has now been called basically every name in the book, hall of famer Gossage called him a "disgrace to the game", he has was hit by a fastball to the ribs, and has been punched in the face.

Tell me who needs "to be the bigger man and let it go". Because it seems like all of baseball is refusing to let Bautista have his moment.

[calculoso]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Why didn't they plunk Bautista the first time the teams met this season in T.O.?

That's the part that bugs me. Bean him, fight, whatever. But don't wait until the last minute.

Even if they wanted to wait to do it on home turf, do it in game 1, not last game of the series.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Why didn't they plunk Bautista the first time the teams met this season in T.O.?

That's the part that bugs me. Bean him, fight, whatever. But don't wait until the last minute.

Originally Posted by calculoso

Even if they wanted to wait to do it on home turf, do it in game 1, not last game of the series.

Exactly. For a team who are supposedly concerned about baseball's "code", they followed none of the code themselves.

[BOSSY]

I've played and coached both college and professional baseball... The baseball code is that baseball issues get dealt with by baseball plays... Texas should have dealt with it in Bautista's first at bat of the series (circumstances allowing for it - no one on base) - it's cowardly that they waited until the last AB of the season to hit him but not totally unacceptable. That being said Jose could have walked over to one of the Texas leaders during BP and just simply said I got carried away I wasn't trying to show anyone up and that would have been the end of it...This isn't the first time Odor has started throwing punches - in fact he did it in the minors against Vancouver. I guarantee you if they had hit Bautista early in the series there would be words exchanged and that's it. Doing so late got the reaction from Bautista - which by the way would have been a legal (albeit late) slide last year... Bottom line is Jose went in to send a message - Odor is an idiot and that's old school baseball.