During Sunday’s 12-5 loss to Baylor Texas Tech pitcher Chad Bettis was ejected without warning for hitting a Baylor batter with a pitch. During the ensuing arguments Tech pitcher Jay Johnson was ejected from the dugout. After the game the Big 12 crew chief, Doug Williams, told Texas Tech Baseball Coach Dan Spencer that Bettis would be suspended for the next four games and Johnson one. Seriously? Seriously.
So let’s get this straight Big 12. A Baylor basketball player can throw a punch and break the nose of a Texas Tech athlete and get a two game suspension but a Tech pitcher can be ejected without warning and without known intent for hitting a Baylor batter, fully ready and prepared for a pitch, in the back. Ok.
If these suspensions stand not only could they wreck Tech’s chances at Nebraska and a potential NCAA at-large bid, but they also fly in the face of all reason.
My advice to Dan Spencer and Texas Tech is to not take it from the Big 12 here. Stand-up, say you’re going to play both Bettis and Johnson and dare them, yes dare the wimps at the Big 12 office to do something about it. It will cause a PR stink for the league and will put the Griner story back in the media as well, something I’m sure the boys in Dallas will be thrilled with.
I’m tired of the hypocrisy in this league and I for one wouldn’t mind seeing it go down the drain at this point via being picked apart by the Big 10 and the SEC if this is how things are going to work in the Big 12.
Texas Tech officials must take a strong stand here. What’s the worst that could happen if they do???
Get your thoughts in here on the site today and we’ll read the best of the best on The Show tonight. Don’t worry, we’ll have much more on this story later today.
So Ken McQueen can discern the intent of a pitch thrown after a home run, but can’t figure out a consistent strike zone?
I love your show and listen whenever I can, but I have to respectfully disagree with your thoughts on the Griner/Bettis suspensions (full disclosure: I’m a Baylor alumnus). I had great seats to both games involving the suspensions, and I was able to see what led up to both ejections. In Griner’s case, even Tech fans have admitted that Barncastle and Griner were pretty much in a fist fight for the first 35 minutes of that game. I saw how personal that brawl under the basket had become, and the final response from Griner was directly after Barncastle angrily tried to throw Griner to the floor. Was Griner justified in throwing a haymaker because of this? Absolutely not. She deserved to be reprimanded publically and miss the beginning of her first NCAA tournament. That’s a pretty significant punishment, in my opinion. She may even face a civil suit from Barncastle’s attorneys (I don’t know that Barncastle wants that; I’m just speculating). However, one can see that Griner’s response, while unjustifiable and wrong, was literally made in the heat of a physical battle with the person she hit. Griner did not use a weapon, other than her forearm. Unfortunately, her 5 mph right hook did some damage. Luckily, it was a small fracture of the nose. While it is no walk in the park, it is not a life-changing injury. As someone who has had my nose broken twice, I think Barncastle will move on from that without too many problems. As a physician and compassionate human, I sincerely hope she does.
Now consider Bettis. Firstly, what reason did he have to assault the hitter? Were Bettis and Glime locked in fisticuffs for 35 minutes? Did a Baylor pitcher bean a Tech batter in the previous inning and, thus, force Bettis to act according to the RIDICULOUS code of baseball? Did Glime throw a ball at Bettis, so Bettis responded in kind? No, No, and No. All Glime did was hit a colossal grand slam off of Bettis during Glime’s previous at-bat… that is still in orbit. Glime then committed the horrible crime of following another home run hitter in his next at-bat. Before Glime entered the box, Bettis had a minute or two to stand on the mound and think through his options. He could either compose himself and try to pitch his team out of the inning, OR he could choose to hurl a 90 mph missile at a person STANDING 60 feet away. He chose the latter. Why? He was upset that he was getting badly beat, albeit in a fair manner within the written rules of the game.
Although later medical reports told us Griner had unfortunately fractured Barncastle’s nose, it was still the result of a punch during a very physical battle. Bettis, on the other hand, had no logical reason for his attack with a projectile weapon. He was just frustrated that the other guy was better on that day. The umpire did the right thing in ejecting Bettis for his obvious intentional throw at the batter. Anyone there could tell it was no accident. In addition, there was no way the umpire could have warned Bettis, as the umpire cannot predict the future. While being able to see Bettis’s frustration with his pitching yesterday, the umpire could not have known the pitcher would handle that frustration so poorly. Bettis didn’t give the umpire a chance to warn him since he hit Glime “right off the bat” (pun intended). Subsequently, the umpire did his job by telling the truth about why he ejected Bettis. What should the ump have done, lied?
Furthermore, let’s be clear: it was an attack. Although Glime was lucky to walk away from the incident with a deeply bruised back (because he turned to protect himself), the array of injuries he might have sustained could have been much worse; e.g. concussion, blindness, DEATH (see Ray Chapman). The Big 12 seems to agree, as the 4 game suspension for this crime WAS ALREADY IN THE RULEBOOK. Baseball minds greater than mine decided (before the season started) that throwing beanballs is dangerous enough to warrant that severe of a punishment. It was not a decision made after the fact behind closed doors, as in the case of Griner.
We know the police won’t get involved in either case, but it is still fun to discuss what they might do, as I did with this morning with my father (a local attorney). The great state of Texas considers certain factors when punishing those guilty of assault. Griner, while still being very wrong, would probably have been charged with simple assault (a Class A misdemeanor), as the injury of Barncastle was “minor” and was caused by a forearm in the heat of battle. Bettis, in spite of not causing long term damage, would likely be upgraded to aggravated assault (a 2nd degree felony), as he used a weapon (a baseball).
I love Tech. Also, as a fellow Plainsman, I want Bettis and the Red Raiders to make and go far in the NCAA tournament. I’m sure Bettis is a great guy and just had a lapse in judgment, as we all have. Yet, while I tend to agree with 99% of what you eloquently preach, I cannot see your side on this one.
Of course, it doesn’t matter what anyone wants at this point. The Big 12 baseball rulebook is being followed (as it should be). The only thing I might recommend is that Big 12 basketball rule makers follow the lead set by baseball and establish a defined punishment for basketball players who throw punches in a game. That might resolve the false impression some have that the league is playing favorites. I actually believe that Griner’s suspension might have been longer if the Bettis incident had come first.
Keep up the good work, friend.
The rules broken are NCAA rules, not Big 12 rules. Get over it.
@ Gus. It is up to the Big 12 to enforce the suspension upon appeal. Get over it.
The issue isn’t whether Bettis drilled the kid intentionally or not. The issue isn’t whether Griner should have applied for a license to box in Texas or not. The issue is that the Big 12 Conference is consistently capricious in dealing with punishments in the conference and its high time they answer for it.
How’s that appeal working out for you?
http://beta.lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/george-watson/2010-05-18/no-news-bettis-front
STill waiting. Hopefull that the Big 12 will do the right thing, but not confident it will happen.