| I despise the IBB as the most cowardly act in baseball. Indeed, it is not even sporting in the least. It’s like Roger Federer getting to choose to tell Andy Roddick once a game not to serve so darn hard. It’s like a goalie seeing Alex Ovechkin on a breakaway to force him to pass the puck behind him. - Tangotiger |
Wow, talk about hyperbole! An IBB is a cowardly event? It's not even sporting in the least? I beg to differ. The intentional and even "non intentional" intentional walk are both strategical moves. Yes, the intentional walk is overused, misunderstood by most managers and rarely the correct course of action to take, but it's hardly a cowardly act. What about the pitcher intentionally throwing at a batter? Or sliding into second base to break up a double play spikes up? Or a player or manager throwing a hissy fit on the field, arguing a call? To me, those are the cowardly acts that I despise the most. Somewhere way down the list,... Oh, I don't know, perhaps sandwiched in between padding on the outfield walls and stopping games for swarming bees, is where I would put the IBB on the list of cowardly acts.
And I don't quite see the tennis analogy. A better tennis analogy (and I think as an Open level player in my 20s that this is up my alley), would be that Andy Roddick would always purposely serve to or hit the ball to Roger Federers backhand, or would always lob him, because his forehand and volleys are so good. It's the same thing as the IBB, it's a strategy. A strategy where you attempt to avoid your opponents strength to get at his weakness. It's not always, or perhaps ever a "good" strategy, but it's by no means a cowardly act. If every time Roger Federer served, Roddick yelled at him while Federer was in his service motion, then yes, I'd call that a cowardly or unsporting act.
| When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity” - Dale Carnegie |
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