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It seems that everyone who has ever played baseball at any level is coming out with an opinion on the situation, but it doesn’t matter who is saying what, Dallas Braden’s outburst against the Yankees has far more to do with Alex Rodriguez than one of the more obscure “unwritten rules” in baseball (though one could make the case that they should all be obscure if they are unwritten). David Wells is one of those individuals weighing in on the topic. He was recently quoted (as closely as he can be quoted in the New York Post at least) as saying the following:
“A-Rod is full of [bleep], that he never heard of that. He has been around the game long enough to know that. I hated it when runners did that. I yelled at plenty of them. It’s one thing to cross in the front of the mound before it goes up, but on top of it, that’s wrong. The cleats [mess] up the mound. Pitchers don’t go in front of fielders and put their spikes in the dirt. I totally agree [with Braden] ‘Get off my mound.’ I would have done the same thing with A-Rod, or anybody else. [Bleep] it. “I would yell at Jeter. There are certain guys you would mother [bleep] and certain guys you would give a little more courtesy to, guys like Jeter and Bernie. A-Rod is not a well-liked guy.“ The last part is the most important part. Alex Rodriguez is not well liked. Of course, it’s a chicken and egg-esque argument because it’s impossible for me to envision Jeter – or anyone else for that matter – blatantly walking right across the mound during play. And that’s why, this is about Alex Rodriguez… (the same Alex Rodriguez who tried to call off Toronto third baseman Howie Clark while advancing to third base and who clapped the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove on his way to first). Dallas Braden joined Grant Napear and Mike Lamb on KHTK in Sacramento to discuss Alex Rodriguez, baseball’s unwritten rules, the psychology of the game, and future games against the Yankees.
On if he took exception to Alex Rodriguez running over the mound during the game:
“Absolutely. It’s a slap in the face to the organization, to my teammates and to myself. Ultimately, he’s making a mockery of the game I love. That’s just not going to be stood for… The take home message was that we are not going to just stand idly by and let certain guys that think they are above the game or better than the game just kind of take over and turn our facility or turn our franchise into a whipping boy. That’s not what we are about here.”
On David Wells’ comments that Alex Rodriguez is not well liked:
“I think (David) Boomer (Wells) hit it perfectly when he said that there are guys that you would give a certain level of courtesy to when trying to convey your opinion. The likes of a Jeter or a Bernie or a Cal Ripken, guys that have a done a lot for the game and have not lost themselves in the game, those are the guys you truly respect. Other guys that tend to put the game and the respect for the the game on the wayside and tend to dig themselves innings one through nine, those are the guys you let it fly with.”
On how Rodriguez made a mockery of the game:
“He was disrespecting our franchise and my teammates and myself and making a mockery of the game of baseball. As you know, in the game of baseball, those are unwritten rules. They are in the game. They are as prevalent as the round bat and ball that we swing and throw. He was very aware of what he was doing. That’s where the disrespect comes in in regards to our team and our organization and then just the lack of judgment that ultimately makes the mockery of the game.”
On if he thought that Rodriguez was trying to get in his head:
“I don’t know if he is a savvy enough guy to do that with the intent of throwing me off my game or throwing another guy of his game. It’s just a respect of the area. It’s just a respect of the game. You don’t steal past the seventh inning when you are up 8-0. You don’t hold runners on when you are getting beat 8-0 later in the game. There are just little things that are not done. There are only two times when he should be on the pitchers’ mound: 1) When he is catching a fly ball and he is calling the pitcher or 2) For a mound visit. That’s the long and the short of it.”
And on facing Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees in the future:
“For me, it ended as quickly as it began. There are no underlying issues here. There is no bad blood. I have no ill-will toward the guy. That franchise is the ultimate class act. It could probably serve him some good to pay little more attention to his captain and the way he runs the ship there. Let’s be honest, I can barely break a pane of glass. I’m definitely not breaking anybody’s skin. I’m nobody to be feared in that respect. I just want the respect that anybody that puts on a major league uniform deserves.”
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