Gardenhire keeping up with Cox’s pace
Posted on May 8th, 2008 – 4:33 PMBy Michael Rand
A quick bit of fun if you’re scoring at home: Ron Gardenhire was ejected for the 37th time in his managerial career today (welcome back, Ron). He’s managed in right around 1,000 games now, which means he’s tossed roughly an average of once every 27 games. All-time ejection leader Bobby Cox, who was tossed yesterday for No. 137 all time, has managed in more than 4,050 games. That’s a pace of one tossing every 30 or so games. So even though Gardy has a long way to go to catch the master — 100 on the nose — he’s keeping a nice pace by actually being ejected more frequently than Cox.
16 Responses to "Gardenhire keeping up with Cox’s pace"
“He’s being ejected more frequently than Cox”
Sorry…had to read that twice.
Thank you very much ladies and gentleman…GOOD NIGHT!
“Gardenhire keeping up with Cox’s pace”
There are just endless jokes on this one, folks. Shooting fish in a barrel.
Bobby’s ejections are legendary to Braves fans here in the ATL. Although a big Twins fan I enjoy watching the Braves at Turner Field and have seen Bobby ejected a few times. Fans here love him and is affectionally known as mostly “Bobby”; he is a great manager and sticks up for his players.
Gardy got tossed because the ump knew he blew the call (meaning the called strike - the strike zone went from Eurasia to Fargo on that pitch). Sometimes the umps aren’t on their games. That was evident in that disputed at bat.
What killed me was Crazy Ozzie in the dugout laughing and gesticulating like an inmate in an insane asylum - when he knew he got away with one.
So here’s my question: Is Ozzie nuts, on drugs, or simply a colorful dork? Or all three?
Meant to say the called “ball”… huh huh…
Did the umpire really do anything wrong? Shouldn’t Mauer be throwing the ball down to 3B just in case it was a strike? I’m not sure that the ump made a mistake on that play.
Well other than the pitch was a strike to begin with but that is not what Gardy was contesting.
When Mauer challenges a swing isn’t that considered a time-out? You can’t steal bases during a time-out.
Dave I look at it like what would Mauer do if those guys were stealing on that pitch anyway. I’m not sure but I don’t think the challenge is considered a time out but I could be wrong. Even if the challenge caused a time out the Players were already almost to the next base by the time Mauer actually challenged.
jama: the ump called it a walk though. I would hope that the players were almost to the next base unless they were cartwheeling there.
There is no way that Thome steals a base legitimately. That’s what it comes down to.
DaveMN,
Only an ump can call a timeout. Mauer can ask for one, but the ump still has to grant it. He got caught sleeping.
I think Ozzie was cracking up because Thome got his first stolen base in about 10 years. But Ozzie is acting like a manager who won’t be around much longer, and who doesn’t care.
Besides, Bert said he uses the “F” word about every other word.
If Ozzie didn’t admire the Twins — and vocally, at that — the laughter would have seemed more malevolent. I think it was just a brief moment of levity for him, seeing another manager get tossed, in what’s been a pretty terrible week.
Right - it wasn’t malevolent… but he still looked like a madman on some kind of psychotropic (sic) meds.
Dave - at one point I could swear I read Gardy’s lips and he was asking the same question. Turns out Gardy was wrong:
Baseball rule 9.02(c)
“…Baserunners must be alert to the possibility that the base umpire on appeal from the plate umpire may reverse the call of a ball to the call of a strike, in which event the runner is in jeopardy of being out by the catcher’s throw. Also, a catcher must be alert in a base stealing situation if a ball call is reversed to a strike by the base umpire upon appeal from the plate umpire. The ball is in play on appeal on a half swing. On a half swing, if the manager comes out to argue with first or third base umpire and if after being warned he persists in arguing, he can be ejected as he is now arguing over a called ball or strike.”
Ironically, two of the nine members of the Playing Rules Committee are Terry Ryan and Rod Carew.
Thanks, ramon, that clears it up.
Seems like a stupid rule though. If it’s the difference between a walk and a full count, it doesn’t seem right to let the baserunners advance, when they were of the mentality that they were able to do so freely. The argument could have gone both ways. I’m sure Ozzie would have gone ballistic if Joe had thrown one of the runners out after the home plate ump called a walk.
