Don Mattingly and Rule 8.06

I watched the last few innings of the Giants/Dodgers game last night, and it was certainly a wild and entertaining game. As you probably know, Don Mattingly mistakenly made two trips to the mound... and it "cost the Dodgers a chance to win the game." Some of my thoughts...


~ Bruce Bochy deserves credit for knowing the rule. He clearly did know the rule too, because he's been involved with the rule before (when he was managing the Padres, he called Grady Little of the Dodgers on it). However, let's be reasonable here. I *expect* a major league manager to know the rules. Especially when that manager has managed over 2500 games and played 9 seasons as a catcher (and that's just in the majors)... so A LOT of trips to the mound... so yea, I really do expect him to know the rules that govern trips to the mound. In short, good job doing the job you're being paid to do.

~ By the same token... Don Mattingly deserves to be criticized for not knowing the rules. If the Dodgers are using him on the managerial depth chart (over Larry Bowa with 800+ games as manager) than he needs to know the rules. It's part of the job. Fact is though, Don REALLY didn't know the rules too... as I'll cover later.

~ Speaking of Don Mattingly, he said he cost the Dodgers a chance to win the game. Uh, no he didn't. If we're going to pin it on one person, how about Jonathan Broxton. He's now given up 6 runs in his last 3 games (2.1ip). If he does his job, Mattingly doesn't need to come to the mound. Hard to blame George Sherrill too much, but he could have got out of the jam... or the Dodgers could have scored in the bottom of the 9th... etc-etc. The Dodgers had a very good "chance" of winning that game despite Mattingly's error.

~ The umpires... AWEFUL, they should all be suspended they were that atrocious. Home Plate umpire Adrian Johnson YELLED at Don Mattingly, "No-no-no, you can't go back!" as Mattingly turned from the grass and stepped towards the mound. How dare him. That is NOT his job. If Don Mattingly of the Los Angeles Dodgers is stupid enough to make an error that might benefit the San Francisco Giants... it's not the job of the games neutral arbitrators to try and stop him.

It really would be no different from an ump telling a batter... "hey, you're batting out of order here" as the wrong hitter steps up to the plate. Or, telling a runner sliding into home... "No, no, NO, you missed the plate!" Totally not cool.

Adrian Johnson's antics also could have helped the Giants. If a manager... or anyone on the bench... heard the ump yelling "NO, you can't do that"... it tips them off that *something* is up even if they don't know the rule. Either way, Johnson was totally out of line.

Then to make matters even worse, he clearly was willing to ignore the rule. Bruce Bochy was forced to come out of the dugout and threaten to protest the game to get the umps to take the correct action. Absurd. I'm sure Don Mattingly is a great guy and no one wants him looking like a fool... but... it is not the umps job to prevent that, most especially when it influences the game

Worst of all though... the umps... all of them... completely blew the call. Mattingly should have been thrown out of the game then and there, while Broxton should have been allowed to finish the AB before then also being thrown out of the game. Basic rule, one that comes up on rare occasion... and it was blown.

How basic? I umped High School baseball for one season and knew the rule.

Of course, Don Mattingly ALSO didn't know that rule... nor did anyone else on the Dodgers. I think they should protest the game, but it's doubtful that would matter. Had they called the rule then and there... Broxton gets to finish the AB and with a few tosses to First Base, another pitcher can warm-up. It really did impact the game.

Was an interesting game... one that showed the value of knowing the rules of the game.