Delmon Young is an idiot

by Christian on Apr 26, 2006 7:52 PM PDT

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Durham Bulls outfielder Delmon Young threw a bat into the chest of the home plate umpire after being called out on strikes in the first inning of Wednesday night's game at Pawtucket.

Young argued with the umpire after taking a third strike on a 1-and-2 pitch. The umpire ejected Young, who then threw his bat and hit the umpire in the chest.

Replacement umpires have been working all minor league games this season because the regular umpires are on strike. Bill Wanless, a spokesman for the Pawtucket Red Sox, said minor league teams are not releasing the names of umpires while the regulars are on strike.

Young, 20, is the younger brother of Detroit Tigers outfielder Dmitri Young. He was voted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' minor league player of the year last season and the 2005 minor league player of the year by Baseball America.

The Devils Rays selected Young with the first overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft.

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ehhh

whatever.

by Matthew on Apr 26, 2006 8:14 PM PDT reply actions

Delmon Young

Still an asshole, still not in the majors.

by Gomez on Apr 26, 2006 8:31 PM PDT reply actions

Not a big deal...

Since he can just blame it on shitty replacement umps....

by Grubbie on Apr 26, 2006 9:22 PM PDT reply actions

Wow

Really? My reaction's very different to this one, I don't think this should just be blown over or anything. Physical violence from their players directed towards anyone besides another player simply can't be tolerated by Major League Baseball, in any form. I wouldn't mind seeing a huge penalty for this sucker, maybe a year's suspension or somesuch. That's assault and battery, man, not just being an asshole.

by jimmimoose1 on Apr 26, 2006 10:15 PM PDT reply actions

Assault and battery?

Flipping a bat at a guy wearing a chest protector is assault and battery? Yeeeshh...

Didn't David Ortiz chuck some bats at an umpire a year or two ago?

Anyways, the guys on BBTN seem to think that he'll get slapped with a nice long suspension to put him in his place. They said that TB is growing somewhat alarmed over his behavior and 'tude.

by WAB on Apr 26, 2006 10:33 PM PDT reply actions

If they're worried

they could always trade him to Seattle.

by Rollo Tomasi on Apr 26, 2006 11:18 PM PDT up reply actions

I didn't see the BBTN story

Because I've largely given up watching ESPN. So I haven't seen anything other than that story about this so far, and that doesn't say "Young flipped his bat in mild disgust and walked away." It says that he threw his bat into the chest of the umpire. Anyone have any more information on this? Did Young intentionally hit the umpire in the chest with his bat?

If he did, then I don't care how frustrated he is with the DRays management, he needs to pull it together. Umpires should never have to fear for their physical safety for calling a GAME, else the quality of umpiring suffers, and the little children of the United States see a bad example.

If he just threw his bat down on the ground in disgust, and it bounced up and happened to hit the umpire in the chest, then that's much more understandable/excuseable, though still hardly a great thing.

by jimmimoose1 on Apr 27, 2006 7:30 AM PDT up reply actions

Know what you mean...

Gammons said he talked to some executive guy who was at the game.

by WAB on Apr 27, 2006 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions

Well...

The guy is obviously frustrated by the way that TB is handling him, but it doesn't mean that he can do that crap to umpires, even if they are incompetent. He's supposedly a professional, so he should be treated as such.

Suspend his ass, and trade him away. (Preferably to the Mariners). Being traded to the Mariners will send a serious message, that if they don't want to go through suckitude for the next ten yrs or so, they should act more professional.

by MT on Apr 27, 2006 2:38 AM PDT reply actions

I will throw this out there...

We still don't know the full story of why he did it. He could have a very legit excuse for doing it if the umpire said something him.

I'm not saying the umpire did do something wrong, but we can't rule out that he didn't.

by Grubbie on Apr 27, 2006 9:02 AM PDT reply actions

There is never...

...a legitimate excuse for throwing a big piece of wood directly at somebody, in a sporting context.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Apr 27, 2006 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions

I am just saying....

The umpire COULD of called him a name and that was the cause for Delmon to flip.

I'm not saying the ump did, but woudl the situation be different if the umpire called him a racial slur?

by Grubbie on Apr 27, 2006 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions

No.

Let me expand. Stupid enter key. Baseball bats can kill people. If he was called a name, he could have thrown a punch; he could have shoved.

It's never OK to throw a bat, no matter how benign. Was it OK for Clemens to throw a bat chunk at Piazza? no. It's not OK here, either.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Apr 27, 2006 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Go read Phildopip post at the bottom...

If you read his post and listen to the bulls radio cast of the game you tell that he flipped the bat. He didn't CHUCK or THROW the bat, he flipped it.

If he would of taken a swign at the ump ya he could of killed him. If he had thrown the bat he could of messed up him, doubt he could kill him unless it was a perfect shot.

I'm not saying Delmon was justified in doing it, I doubt the ump did anything besides toss him.

by Grubbie on Apr 27, 2006 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions

Sorry, but no.

He could have a very legit excuse for doing it if the umpire said something him.

In the context of a baseball game, there is never a "very legit excuse" for throwing your bat at the umpire. Flinging it, flipping it, tossing it: all wrong, in all circumstances. Ten year old kids know this. Professional athletes should know it as well, and if they don't, they deserve a nice, long time away from the game in which they can figure it out.

"The Denver game was a bad day for my groin." -- Matt Hasselbeck

by zagreusmd on Apr 27, 2006 9:39 AM PDT up reply actions

weird

Remember how Elijah Dukes had the anger management issues and the volatile personality, and Delmon was just a talented guy who stayed out of umps way?
What a difference a year makes. Dukes gets a nice write up at Baseball america saying how he wants to give back to the community and how he's less angry, etc. and Delmon is throwing a bat at an umpire.

by marc w on Apr 27, 2006 9:16 AM PDT reply actions

Minor League Baseball Story

Has links to the radio calls from both teams announcers at the top.... doesn't sound accidental in the least.

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060426&content_id=61709&vkey=n ews_l117&fext=.jsp&sid=l117

by MfaninAlaska on Apr 27, 2006 9:29 AM PDT reply actions

Eyewitness account

From the Most Valuable Network:

Now I want you all to understand exactly what happened here. I saw it was a toss. He tossed the bat. He didn't hurl it. He didn't exactly throw it. He didn't fling it. He certainly didn't draw back and take a full cut at the umpire. It wasn't a violent act -- as for example, took place once before in Pawtucket, when then-PawSock Izzy Alcantara karate-kicked an opposing catcher after being hit by a pitch, an ugly incident. No, it wasn't like that. It wasn't intended to cause harm, what Delmon did. But it was deliberate. It was calculated. And, although not violent, it was certainly malicious.

Don't bother me, I'm hustling.

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 27, 2006 10:32 AM PDT reply actions

This backs up the radio account...

That MfaninAlaska posted. The bulls radio guy said he tossed/flipped his bat underhand.

I doubt it will be more then 10games. If you get about that for spitting on the ump or bumping/pushing, flipping your bat into them should get the same.

I see the situation the same as if a player started to throw bats from the dugout onto the field. If one of them went flying across the ground and smacked the shin of an ump. 10-15games.

by Grubbie on Apr 27, 2006 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions

suspended indefinitely

Currently, suspended indefinitely pending a review.

by RavingGoat on Apr 27, 2006 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Video of the Incident

now up on MLB.com and Minorleaguebaseball.com

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/index.jsp

That bat had some velocity behind it.

by MfaninAlaska on Apr 27, 2006 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Wow!

You're right. He threw that a lot harder than I thought, judging by the audio commentary.

Seeing that video, I have to think he's gone for the rest of the season.

"The Denver game was a bad day for my groin." -- Matt Hasselbeck

by zagreusmd on Apr 27, 2006 2:09 PM PDT up reply actions

who knows?

no video of what he actually did, just the bat coming on screen.

by Matthew on Apr 27, 2006 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions

And you're suggesting what, exactly?

That something happened off-screen to turn a perfectly innocent action into a bat-flinging?

He tossed his bat at the ump. The video shows that he tossed it pretty hard. I can't think of any things that might have happened off-screen to make that any less bad.

"The Denver game was a bad day for my groin." -- Matt Hasselbeck

by zagreusmd on Apr 27, 2006 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm not suggesting anything

I said that we are not given a view of how Delmon tossed/threw/flung/whatever the bat. Did he wind up and throw it? Did he flip it and it just flipped faster than you'd expect? Did he toss it behind him without looking or did he turn and throw it directly at the ump. Those are important questions.

by Matthew on Apr 27, 2006 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions

Wow, pretty bad there...

that guy shouldn't step foot on the field for the rest of the year.

by basebliman on Apr 27, 2006 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Carl Everett Aside...

...you can pretty much assume that seals Young's fate as one that will never see the light of day in an M's uniform.

Probably shouldn't see the light of day an ANY uniform, really.

His prospect status probably just took a bigger plunge than the stock market did on 10/29/29.

Go M's! Mariners Morsels (aka Free George Sherrill).

by PositivePaul on Apr 27, 2006 2:43 PM PDT up reply actions

riiiiiiiiight

very few people in front offices care. They care way more about the fact that he was decimating AAA at his age. His prospect shine isn't dimming a bit.

by Matthew on Apr 27, 2006 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Don't be so sure

See Ben Christensen.

This ordeal bothers me, aside from the obvious reasons, because I drafted Delmon as a redshirt in my keeper league. I don't want him to get away with this, but I have a vested interest in his developmental progress.

by david h on Apr 27, 2006 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Hmm

Not sure about that comparison. Christensen maliciously turned, DURING A GAME, and threw at a guy in the on-deck circle that had no idea it was coming, hit the guy in the eye and ended his career. Delmon's act was violent but more borne out of immature frustration than a true intent to destroy the umpire, plus the ump had on padding.

by Gomez on Apr 27, 2006 6:33 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree

Christensen's act was much, much worse. I just meant to respond to the notion that this rules out all chance of being an M (though there is no chance anyway)

by david h on Apr 27, 2006 8:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Video is now up on the frontpage of MLB.com

by Alex B on Apr 27, 2006 2:11 PM PDT reply actions

Oops, I should refresh the page before posting :-)

by Alex B on Apr 27, 2006 2:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Wow

Imagine if we were the organization with BJ Upton and Delmon Young in AAA>

by Christian on Apr 27, 2006 3:22 PM PDT reply actions

Holy crap

I just watched the video, and there's no doubt that bat had some zip on it. At least the bat didn't hit the ump in the face, or he might have been arrested after the game.

However, the pitch he was called out on was like 8 inches outside.......

Don't bother me, I'm hustling.

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 27, 2006 3:47 PM PDT reply actions