Last weekend's series with the LA Dodgers caused some serious migraines and nausea for Giants fans. The Dodgers took the series 2-1, put Aaron Rowand on the DL and put Manny Ramirez, who hadn't played a moment during the rest of the series, in as a pinch hitter during the 3rd game 8th inning. The series was exciting and frankly a bit crazy; a perfect example of what to expect when watching two of baseball's greatest rival teams.
I've spent a lot of time listening to KNBR and following the #sfgiants twitter feed. Giants fans are pissed, there is some serious raw emotion tied around the way things went down. During game one of the series, Dodger's pitcher Vicente Padilla, threw a pitch so high and inside that it hit Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand in the face. It was terrible to watch. Rowand dropped to his knees immediately, the Dodgers catcher looked worried and Padilla didn't seem to be fazed at all. I've heard that he is known as the "head hunter." A pinch runner was brought and Rowand walked off the field. No warnings were issued; I guess the ump thought the hit was unintentional. Watch the video and judge for yourself.
There was talk on the radio and online as to whether or not the Giants should have sought a little "frontier justice" and pitched a fast-ball into the ribs of say Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp. My initial take was absolutely not. Isn't classier to prove your better by winning a game, which is what the Giants did in a big bad way on Saturday thanks to Tim Lincecum's skills on the mound and in the batter's box. We aren't really on a battlefield right, baseball is just a game. I'm starting understand that even though it sounds crazy, sometimes retaliation is warranted.
First of all you can't hit someone in the head. According to Damon Bruce of KNBR, "once you're above the shoulders, all bets are off." Accident or not, I think Padilla should have received a warning, especially with his history. Second if you do hit someone with a pitch above the shoulders, you absolutely should call them to check in. Padilla did not follow through with this custom and I think that is one of the reasons we were expecting a little retaliation later in the series. If you hit us, we'll hit you. But it never happened.
Saturday's game was fantastic and Barry Zito pulled through on Sunday, which looked like a win until Sergio Romo was brought in from the bullpen during the 8th inning. Manny Ramirez drove a 1-2 pitch from Romo into the left field pavillion. Personally, I would have like to see Romo pitch one into Manny's ribs, but he did not. The series ended and the Giants were left with no justice for Rowand, who thankfully won't have surgery and should return to the field in mid-May. Readers, what do you think? Would you have been happier if a Dodger had been hit too?
It's been a few days we've faced more losses, and there is still talk of why the Giants did not retaliate. Have we mistakenly said "it's ok to pitch really high and inside, you win the tough contest LA?" I wonder if there would have been a different outcome during the Padres series with the Giants that ended Wednesday if Rowand had not been hit, or if justice had been served.
I am very curious about why fans are so wrapped up in this rivalry. What is it about these two teams that prevents people from being friends, causes fear of wearing the wrong colors in the wrong city or could actually bring people to blows. As I mentioned in my first post, I was born into a Giants family. I know the rules as they have been passed down to me, and I'll bet it is this way many every Dodgers/Giants family. I decided to research the history of this great rivalry and here is what I found.
Both teams originated in New York. The Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants played their first unofficial game at the Polo Grounds as part of an exhibition World Series between the American Association and the National League. It was played on October 18, 1889 and the Dodgers won 12-10. In May 1890 the first official game between the franchises was played, after the Brooklyn Dodgers joined the National League.
In January 1898, the city of Brooklyn became a borough of greater New York City. This transition was tough for Brooklynites, who still considered themselves residents of their own city and not a part of NYC. They saw themselves as working class underdogs in comparison to the wealthy successful individuals of Manhattan. Without much opportunity, the Dodgers became a source of pride for Brooklyn. Just the opposite was happening in Manhattan, where the Giants came to represent the higher social status of their fan base. In 1957, both teams moved to California. The Dodgers took up residence in LA and the Giants in San Francisco. Similar to the cultural and economic differences of Brooklyn and Manhattan, during this era LA embodied the Hollywood image while San Francisco sought to become the progressive capital of the West. The fan bases followed.
During the pennant race of 1965, Giants pitcher Juan Marichal hit two batters. Later in that game Dodgers catcher John Roseboro buzzed Marichal's ear with a few return throws. The event escalated to Marichal hitting Roseboro over the head with a bat and then a bench clearing ball. That must have been something to see.
Clearly Rowand's hit was not a new or even unusual event during a Dodgers/Giants game. I expect we are going to see a rowdy season in this rivalry. We still have 16 games to play, but unfortunately we have to wait until the end of July. Looking forward to it and I do hope we see some frontier justice.
This baseball fan is signing out wearing her black and orange. I'm ready to watch Lincecum on the mound tonight against the St. Louis Cardinals. Let's go Giants!
PS. I am not done with this topic yet, more about this rivalry in future postings.
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