Beanball

All of a sudden, the Atlanta Braves, America's Team for goodness sake, are Public Enemy No. 1 to the Phillies. The latest skirmish in the escalating Otis Nixon War stole the thunder from Tom Glavine, who struck out a career-high 12 batters while becoming the first National League pitcher to win 11 games, as the Braves halted Philadelphia's modest two-game win streak 9-2 Wednesday afternoon.

It is impossible not to be disgusted by the completely unsportsmanlike and dangerous behavior exhibited by any team that supports or engages in the intentional act of throwing a baseball at a batter. Worse yet is the farcical defense given by perpetrators of "retribution" or "pay back." First of all, a ball thrown at 90 m.p.h. is not the baseball equivalent of an in-your-face slam dunk, a clean trap block or a hard body check against the boards, but rather the same as an elbow to the throat, an intentional face-mask penalty or a slash across the eyes.

I'm a consumer of baseball. I get out to maybe 20 or 25 Angels home games a year, and I study the box scores every morning before I have my coffee. I suspect there are a couple of hundred thousand other Orange Countians who do the same thing. We all relate very directly to that wonderful lament in the musical "Damn Yankees" in which a wife sings plaintively to her husband who is glued to the TV set: "Six months out of every year, I might as well be made of stone.

So, what does a guy do while he's sitting around waiting to be voted into baseball's Hall of Fame? Well, if that person is 311-game winner Tom Seaver, he might try his hand at writing whodunits. This would seem to be an unlikely career change for most athletes, but Seaver's been successful in many ventures, and he is a personable, informed and well-traveled gentleman. That he should take up the novelist's pen, as he has the broadcaster's mike, is no great shock.

It is ominous when home run leaders Mark McGwire and Andre Dawson are beaned by pitchers in the very same week Dickie Thon quit the Astros, having never fully recovered from a beaning of a few years ago. The penalty for hitting a batter (award of first base) should be raised and I have two suggestions. First is the "floating DH"--anytime a National League pitcher hits a batter, the batter's team wins use of the designated hitter for the remainder of the game; the offending American League pitcher's team loses the DH for the remainder of the game.

The number of home runs being hit in major league baseball this season has gotten a lot of attention, but there might be another side to this lively ball debate: the beanball. In the wake of the Chicago Cubs' Andre Dawson being hit in the mouth with a pitch by San Diego's Eric Show Tuesday in Chicago, National League President A. Bartlett Giamatti said Wednesday that the upsurge in home runs is at least partially responsible for an increase in batters being hit by pitches.

It's time for a rule change in Baseball. Many times an incompetent pitcher uses the "beanball" to equalize his chances when faced with the prospect of challenging a good hitter. Instead of resorting to violence on the part of the batter as he rushes the pitcher's mound after being struck by a pitched ball, I'm suggesting a rule change. I believe this rule will minimize the use of an intentional "beanball" and allow the true challenge of hitter against pitcher to prevail. My proposed rule: When a batter is struck above the chest with a pitched ball that in the umpire's opinion was radically out of the strike zone, the batter will be awarded third base and any runners on base would be forced to score.

National League President Bart Giamatti warned all teams in the league today that he will take severe measures, including suspensions, against players involved in "acts clearly intended to maim or injure another player."

Probably the most common fear for youngsters learning the game of baseball is one that can stay with them even if they reach the major leagues--the fear of being hit by a pitch. Despite the advances in batting helmets and all the precautions that can be taken, there always is the possibility a Little Leaguer can be severely beaned. Depending upon a child's reaction, he or she may bounce back or have scars that cause them to drop the game.