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The Max Ramirez/Jeff Mathis collision

Okay, there's been a fair amount of discussion about the Mathis/Ramirez collision at home plate last night, and whether or not that was a dirty play, so I'm putting up a poll...

Cast your vote...

Poll
What do you think of the Jeff Mathis/Max Ramirez play at home plate last night?
Clearly a clean play
168 votes
Borderline clean play
188 votes
Borderline dirty play
229 votes
Clearly a dirty play
57 votes

642 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 43 comments

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Max Ramirez Video

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Comments

Display:

Is there video?

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on Jul 8, 2008 10:34 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Here's a picture

A Lonestar in California

"My keyboard is a Yankees fan" - Whipsmart

by lonestarJon on Jul 8, 2008 10:35 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Looks dirty to me

since his hands are up in the face.

by Coolbean04 on Jul 8, 2008 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

what was the runner suppose to do just walk to home plate.hell no he was trying to score. was not a dirty play at all.

by kaiser bill on Jul 8, 2008 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Someone below makes a good point

It’s not that it was dirty, it was just dumb, because if he’d slid he would have been safe. Ramirez did not have the plate completely blocked. He was just standing in the way as he caught the ball and rotated.

by Brett Perryman on Jul 8, 2008 4:02 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I posted a link to the video in a Fan Shot

Not that anybody ever looks down there….

It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin

by txranger7 on Jul 8, 2008 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

More fun poll

What do you think of Max Ramirez’s throw to third?
- effin’ awesome!
- mother efin’ awesome
- the mother of all awesomes effin’ awesome
- Meh, big deal (for Cahill and other curmudgeons)

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Jul 8, 2008 10:34 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

pure effin' awesomeness

"that suzuki guy should go back to making cars" - My girlfriend after C.J.'s close in game 2

by tdi1985 on Jul 8, 2008 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

What?

That was clearly the mother of all awesomes effin’ awesome.

A Lonestar in California

"My keyboard is a Yankees fan" - Whipsmart

by lonestarJon on Jul 8, 2008 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I’d be happy if he could hit .200, but hey that’s just me (my attempt at curmudgeonness).

I think I have to go with the mother…effin’ awesome choice though.

by Brett Perryman on Jul 8, 2008 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

playing possum

could be on the fun poll :)

That was a great play by Max… He gets trucked at the plate then gets the out. Laying out playing possum with the runner trying to advance to third.

"Over the years, my favorite pastime outside baseball is driving through a pasture looking at cattle." - Nolan Ryan

by hurlerhurley on Jul 8, 2008 3:45 PM CDT up reply actions   1 recs

Lets get diirrrty

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

A Lonestar in California

"My keyboard is a Yankees fan" - Whipsmart

by lonestarJon on Jul 8, 2008 10:34 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Sounds

good to me.

There is no such thing as "untouchable".

by miles on Jul 8, 2008 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Get a

room, you two…

"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley

by Rodney on Jul 8, 2008 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

thought

miles already got laid

"Over the years, my favorite pastime outside baseball is driving through a pasture looking at cattle." - Nolan Ryan

by hurlerhurley on Jul 8, 2008 3:47 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

he did.......

by a dude named Agreen07

I've got a laptop for pleasure.....The Rangers for pain.

by red shoe ranger on Jul 8, 2008 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

-1...

Agreen has standards too.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jul 8, 2008 7:21 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

I've always been of

the opinion that colliding with catchers is stupid. This game was never meant to be a contact sport other than hitting the ball.

Well I can pretend to be Britney Spears. I'm already standing in urine and I'm with someone I don't like.

by Escher on Jul 8, 2008 10:47 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I completely agree

The whole running-into-catchers/blocking-the-plate thing is an attempt to make the sport more “manly” when all it really does is make no sense.

It should be ruled appropriately:

1) If the catcher is blocking the runner from the plate, he should be called for interference.
2) If the runner attempts to dislodge the ball by running into the catcher (if the catcher is not blocking the plate), then, he should be called out a la (A-Rod).

R

by Requiem on Jul 8, 2008 7:28 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Are there standard dos and don'ts of colliding?

is it more acceptable to just lower you shoulder and lean into the catcher?

I couldn’t really see it that well in the video, but the picture really shows how Mathis put his hands in Ramirez’s face. I could see how putting your hands in a guys face and pushing off, thus slamming his head quickly to the ground could be a very dirty move.

"that suzuki guy should go back to making cars" - My girlfriend after C.J.'s close in game 2

by tdi1985 on Jul 8, 2008 10:53 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Are you guys kidding?

Clean play 100% Mathis did what he is taught to do. Baseball fundamentals.

by Agreen07 on Jul 8, 2008 10:59 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Mathis

After seeing the video, VERY dirty…......

by VEGASbB77 on Jul 8, 2008 11:12 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm going to resist

Making the obvious joke right there.

A Lonestar in California

"My keyboard is a Yankees fan" - Whipsmart

by lonestarJon on Jul 8, 2008 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

definitely not clean

After watching the video again, there is no doubt he would have been safe easily if he had slid. He had his mind made up and went in like ludacris trying to throw dem ‘bows.

by 1man5stools on Jul 8, 2008 11:21 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Just saw the play, wow...

Mathis is going to get drilled if he plays tonight…i doubt he will.

"I really think JD is probably going to be one of the best things ever to happen to the Rangers." - Longhorn, May 27th, 2007

by Longhorn on Jul 8, 2008 11:37 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

hhmm....

Mathis knew he was going to be out, so his only choice was to get the catcher to drop the ball. Since Max was standing up, and not kneeling, he had to get him up high where the glove and ball was. Max was the one who had his torso protected with a chest protector, his face and head covered with a mask, and his hands protected with his glove. It seems to me, Mathis was the one at risk there in getting hurt even though he was the one doing the hitting. I don’t think Mathis was intending to go all the way up to Max’s head with his arms, but they just ended up there as Max was falling back in a bang-bang play.

Mathis is a catcher and is usually the one getting hit, this time he wanted to be the one to give a little back.

It’s part of being a catcher and a part of baseball.

However, I hope Mathis gets beaned anyway just for being a Halo…..DOH!!

"GO RANGERS!!!" - bspate

by bspate on Jul 8, 2008 12:00 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

tag

Well tag didnt seem to think that it was too dirty, but then again they dont have a dirt tracker at their disposal.

by ewmvv6 on Jul 8, 2008 12:02 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

+1

Greatness.

There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.

by SarasotaRanger on Jul 8, 2008 12:21 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Kinsler's last AB

When a guy hits a double, you’ll usually see him talking to the 2nd basemen or shortstop. Maybe even a smile. We’ve seen a lot of Kinsler smiling lately.

Did anyone else see this:
In the 9th, against K-Rod, Kinsler pulls into second base and his face looks mad. He then shouts something. The camera was pulled in too close to see if he directed that shout at someone. He didn’t have anything close to a smile whenever the camera came back to him. Then he takes off for a steal of 3rd. TAG explains that it’s pretty much a waste to try that steal.

Kinsler isn’t stupid… he knows there’s a three run lead and getting to 3rd is useless. Did he attempt the stolen base just to give Mathis a stolen base on the stat line?

Between the unnecessary steal, and the frown he had the entire time, I’d say that Kinsler would answer the survey as “it was a dirty play”. I’m expecting a Halo to be hit, then a Ranger to be hit, and a good chance at a dugout emptying brawl.

Your low self-esteem is just good common sense.

by Oracle Galvez on Jul 8, 2008 12:12 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Oh Goody!

Channel 27 it is…7:05 sharp.

"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," Bo Diddley

by Rodney on Jul 8, 2008 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah

I saw that too. And I assumed it was in response to K-Rod’s extreme over-animation whenever he gets a K. He falls in the same group as MB and Swisher as over-animators who annoy the piss out of me when they are the opponents, but who I guess I like when they are on my team (MB is the prime example)

Oh and by the way, I think Mathis’s play was clean enough. Wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And the fact that he’s a Catcher, he SHOULD know what to do in that situation. Oh well, we got a DP out of it and Max got instant respect from his teammates as a result so it all works out for the best.

Here are just a few of the key ingredients: dynamite, pole vaulting, laughing gas, choppers - can you see how incredible this is going to be? - hang gliding, come on! -- Dignan

by Hypo-Luxa on Jul 8, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Makes sense

I don’t see why Kinsler would be yelling at the pitcher for what Mathis did.

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.

by t ball on Jul 8, 2008 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah...

I saw that too and wondered who he was jawing at. It looked to me like he was looking over at the 3rd baseman at first. Then I realized KRod was probably over there backing up the throw in case he went to third.

Between Scioscia, KRod, Vlad, GMJ, and now Mathis there is plenty to hate about the Halos.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jul 8, 2008 7:25 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Chose borderline dirty

And I’m going waaaayy back to umpiring so it isn’t heat of the moment. The runner is expected to try to reach the plate. It was apparent that Mathis chose to try to reach the plate by dislodging Max, rather than a slide into Max or a sweep-by hand tag like MY and Kinsler usually do. Thus, borderline dirty since Jeff actually had three immediate choices and took the most aggressive one.

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

by Ed Coffin on Jul 8, 2008 12:17 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Good Assessment

I also choose borderline dirty.

Home plate collisions are a part of the game, but I don’t care for them when they are not needed. And this one was not needed.

by T Coleman on Jul 8, 2008 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Went with borderline dirty as well...

the hands up to the face is what did it for me.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jul 8, 2008 7:26 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

i think it was a borderline clean play,

if it was josh hamilton, wed all be talking about how hard he plays and is willing to give his body to score.. but regradless i hope someone beans mathis cuz i love brawls.

by Andrew L on Jul 8, 2008 12:55 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

ramirez

I would bet that the Angels knew that Max was a rookie and probably discussed how to try and intimidate him before the game. No one could guess Mathis was gonna get a chance to run into him but I bet something was said in the locker room regarding his rookie status and how to take advantage.

¡yo soy Horsedooty!

I soloed in the Mile High Club!

by horsedooty on Jul 8, 2008 3:57 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

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