Self Admiration and a Fist Pump

By JP

Don Mattingly, manager of the LA Dodgers, recently responded to Carlos Beltran's assertion that Yasiel Puig was irksome in his celebration. Jayson Stark of ESPN basically said that it's OK for Yasiel Puig to celebrate like that because he's...just...that...good. With all due respect to Mr. Stark (since he makes a living talking a baseball and I do this blog in my spare time at midnight and often from the bathroom because that's the only place that I can get any peace and quiet), I disagree. To an extent. 

I, too, will let Yasiel Puig off the hook. But based on logical reasons, not reasons that have to do with a players talent. I am not upset at Puig simply because he's young, immature, and has only been playing half a season at the Major League level. He got overly excited and made a dumb mistake. A mistake you ask? He hit a standup triple! That he did, that he did. Except, if Puig hadn't stood there admiring the ball, he could have had an inside the park home run. There is no doubt he has natural ability and will be a superstar within the next year or two. 

Which brings me to my next point. You see, Mr. Stark seems to think, based on the above story I linked to, that Puig has "put his stamp on the NLCS." I disagree with that statement. In game one, Puig went 0 for 6 at the plate and struck out in all four plate appearances in game 2. That's 0-10. Puig has certainly been playing better since the Dodgers returned home, but 4 for 20 with to RBI doesn't make one a stamper. I would say, however, that Puig is showing signs up what is to come in the near future, perhaps later this series, perhaps next post season. But in the four NLCS games so far, I would say that he hasn't put a stamp any more than Juan Uribe or Matt Holliday (who had a 2 run homer tonight in game 4).

Don Mattingly said he didn't have a problem with the Yadier Molina fist pump after the Cardinals got out of a bases loaded situation in game 2. And he shouldn't have a problem with it. There is nothing wrong with players on any team getting excited about a great play or getting out of a tough situation. Kirk Gibson pumped his arm while running the bases during his walk off home run in the 1988 World Series. Again, nothing wrong with that. But standing at home plate and admiring a long home run you just hit is much different than pumping a fist when a great play was just made. Fist pumping, hugging, high fives, those are all just getting caught up in the moment, but admiring your own home run is showboating, plain and simple, in my opinion. I don't like it. I didn't like it when any player does it, even if it's a Cardinals player. Just hustle, dammit, and get excited when it is OFFICIALLY a home run. Any baseball fan knows that home runs get robbed all the time and sometimes a ball looks like it's going to carry and then doesn't. Those are the breaks. 

The rest of this series should be interesting. Puig has shown that he can handle a bat, if quite immaturely, but the real story is the pitching, on both sides. The Cardinals and Dodgers have scored a combined 15 runs in four games so far. The Dodgers scored 13 runs against the Braves in the NLDS. Nearly totally the combined score of both teams in four games. But Wednesdays afternoon game sees a rematch of game 1 with Joe Kelly pitching against Zack Greinke. Even if the Cardinals lose games five and six, they still have Adam Wainwright ready to pitch game 7 at home in St. Louis, so the Cardinals are in a good spot right now. However, they still have to win that last game, which they proved in '68, '96, and last year is not always an easy thing to do. 

So, until tomorrow night, I bid you farewell and ROOT, ROOT, ROOT for the CARDINALS!!!