Rivalries done right

[gunnarthor]

Right now, Giants/Dodgers is probably the best rivalry in baseball and last night Bumgarner and Kershaw dueled it out.  But the fun part was when Vlad Guerrero popped out to shallow right field and Bumgarner told him "you're not that ****ing good" after Guerrero acted frustrated for popping out.  A nice way for Bumgarner to remind him that he's Vlad Guerrero and he's Madison Bumgarner.

 

http://deadspin.com/madison-bumgarner-to-alex-guerrero-youre-not-that-fuc-1700947591

 

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

Alex Guerrero, not Vlad.

[gunnarthor]

 

Alex Guerrero, not Vlad.

Wow, yeah, that's a bit of a difference.

[TheLeviathan]

Um....yeah.  Chastising a guy for being frustrated with himself qualifies as "good rivalry"?

 

My words for that opinion would not be accepted under current comment policy.

[biggentleben]

Yeah, this rivalry is done so right that it recently caused a man to be beaten to the point of lifelong brain damage.  Go rivalry!

[jimmer]

 

Yeah, this rivalry is done so right that it recently caused a man to be beaten to the point of lifelong brain damage.  Go rivalry!

There are dumb people in every fan base. The Giants/Dodgers rivalry has a long and rich tradition going back to their NY days. IMO, it's always been the best rivalry in the game.

[biggentleben]

 

There are dumb people in every fan base. The Giants/Dodgers rivalry has a long and rich tradition going back to their NY days. IMO, it's always been the best rivalry in the game.

 

Being a part of a forum that is Braves, Cardinals, and Dodgers fans, I would say that Dodgers/Giants is only the second best on that site.  Cardinals/Cubs I would rate better for historical purposes, and as much as it gets overhyped by ESPN and such, Yankees/Red Sox has tremendous tradition, and it'd be my #1 baseball rivalry.  Giants/Dodgers is a top 5 for sure, with Cardinals/Cubs, Yankees/Red Sox, and though realignment has taken away some of the fight in the rivalry, Braves/Dodgers was once an amazing rivalry, as was Tigers/Yankees.

[TheLeviathan]

People beating each other in the stands is just a larger reflection of the dumb stuff in baseball.  Bumgarner just got his undies in a wad over a dude being frustrated at himself for failing.  That's comically asinine.

[Willihammer]

 

Bumgarner just got his undies in a wad over a dude being frustrated at himself for failing.  That's comically asinine.

Bumgarner threw a beautiful backdoor slider on 1-1. Guerrero's reaction was to turn square at the umpire, observe the strike call, and then react by doing a lap around the dirt. Obviously not happy with the call. That's a pitch Bumgarner needs to be successful. What he does not need is some upstart with no track record intimidating or making an impression on an umpire, possibly causing him to hesitate next time Bumgarner makes that pitch. I don't think Bumgarner cared at all about him spinning around. The popup provided an opportunity to make an impression in front of everyone, including the umpire, and remind them that he is the World Series MVP.

 

If you think these mind games are silly then consider this. Baseball Prospectus adjusts its catcher framing stats for pitcher and batter because some pitchers get calls more than others, and likewise with batters. So players aren't just competing over one at-bat, they're waging a longer war over the definition of the strike zone itself within the umpire's mind. It just looks slightly childish when these battles flare up if you don't realize or believe its going on..

 

Here's the plot of the AB.

 

http://i.imgur.com/OEsAT4x.png

 

 

That's a pitch Bumgarner needs.

[TheLeviathan]

 

 I don't think Bumgarner cared at all about him spinning around. The popup provided an opportunity to make an impression in front of everyone, including the umpire, and remind them that he is the World Series MVP.

 

That is an awfully big assumption.  Especially considering just the start before the same dude hit a two run homerun off Bumgarner.

 

I'm going to go with undies in a bunch over that homerun combo'ed with a spin at the plate as the cause of his whining rather than your disagreement about a strike call theory.  Occam's razor and whatnot.