Stickygate, 2024

[kcmets]

I demand a full investigation of Vic Carapazza, his family and all

their immediate neighbors. Probably YLD's, the whole lot of 'em.

[bmfc1]

The picture above is meaningless without comparisons to acceptable sticky hands or even his hand the last time he pitched.



The fact that it is subjective is what is most troubling here. Everything else in baseball is defined: fair or foul, safe or out, ball or strike, but this decision is in the umpire's opinion. Here, Carapazza said he's done this a lot and knows what too much is. OK, but what's the criteria? How does he know? It shouldn't depend on the umpire--it should be a defined standard. The Mets will appeal but Manfred won't have the spine to contradict the umpires so the Mets have to play short for 10 games due to an umpire's opinion based on undefined criteria.

[Edgy MD]

=bmfc1 post_id=160202 time=1719248177 user_id=73]
The picture above is meaningless without comparisons to acceptable sticky hands or even his hand the last time he pitched.

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: That's incorrect. A hand being (or actually seeming) sticky isn't illegal. A hand having foreign, explicitly disallowed, substances applied to it is. The hand seeming to be sticky is (ambiguous) evidence, but it is not the violation itself, and thus the umpires are forced to make an unfortunate judgment call.

How can a hand be (naturally) sticky without the application of a foreign substance?



Later

[MFS62]

=nymr83 post_id=160200 time=1719247336 user_id=54]
Maybe the umpire should be equipped with an item of appropriate weight (an index card? a quarter?) and press it to the guy's hand, turn the hand over, and see if gravity or the sticky shit wins... if the latter, you are out of the game - and you can test yourself in the dugout so anyone who fails really deserves it.

[Edgy MD]

Edgy MD wrote: That's incorrect. A hand being (or actually seeming) sticky isn't illegal. A hand having foreign, explicitly disallowed, substances applied to it is. The hand seeming to be sticky is (ambiguous) evidence, but it is not the violation itself, and thus the umpires are forced to make an unfortunate judgment call. How can a hand be (naturally) sticky without the application of a foreign substance? Later

One could have innocently made recent contact with a chocolate bar, a candy wrapper, hair gel, sexual fluids, sunscreen, eyeblack, a sugary drink, bubble gum, or all of the above.



None of these things are explicitly disallowed or necessarily indicate malicious intent.



Even more innocently, one's metabolism could theoretically turn his or her naturally occurring hand oil and/or sweat to be stickier than the mean, especially when combined with resin and/or dirt. it's just guesswork that the umps are forced to exercise.

[bmfc1]

[bLOCKQUOTE]Balls and strikes, too, are the umpire's opinion in the end, but your point stands.[/bLOCKQUOTE]

Thanks... I was thinking of checked swings and the future "challenge system".

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: Even more innocently, one's metabolism could theoretically turn his or her naturally occurring hand oil and/or sweat to be stickier than the mean, especially when combined with resin and/or dirt. it's just guesswork that the umps are forced to exercise.

If the pitcher has a natural condition that turns his sweat sticky, he is one lucky pitcher.

I can just picture it now - agents spending millions in medical research to determine how that happened and if their client pitchers can be similarly infected.

LOL!

Later

[metirish]

[Edgy MD]

Edgy MD wrote: Even more innocently, one's metabolism could theoretically turn his or her naturally occurring hand oil and/or sweat to be stickier than the mean, especially when combined with resin and/or dirt. it's just guesswork that the umps are forced to exercise. If the pitcher has a natural condition that turns his sweat sticky, he is one lucky pitcher. I can just picture it now - agents spending millions in medical research to determine how that happened and if their client pitchers can be similarly infected. LOL! Later

I didn't think it was laugh-out-loud funny. I only meant to indicate that, if what is sticky vs. what isn't sticky, and what is illegally sticky vs. allowably sticky, is a judgment call, it's problematic, and these aren't easy and obvious calls to make at all.

[MFS62]

Agree.

Later

[nymr83]

Edgy MD wrote: Edgy MD wrote: That's incorrect. A hand being (or actually seeming) sticky isn't illegal. A hand having foreign, explicitly disallowed, substances applied to it is. The hand seeming to be sticky is (ambiguous) evidence, but it is not the violation itself, and thus the umpires are forced to make an unfortunate judgment call. How can a hand be (naturally) sticky without the application of a foreign substance? Later One could have innocently made recent contact with a chocolate bar, a candy wrapper, hair gel, sexual fluids, sunscreen, eyeblack, a sugary drink, bubble gum, or all of the above. None of these things are explicitly disallowed or necessarily indicate malicious intent. Even more innocently, one's metabolism could theoretically turn his or her naturally occurring hand oil and/or sweat to be stickier than the mean, especially when combined with resin and/or dirt. it's just guesswork that the umps are forced to exercise.

Can't believe I missed the opportunity to list cum as a hypothetical acceptable substance. Do better, Nymr.

[Edgy MD]

Ben Grimm's Pop-Tart addiction would have him banned for life.

[MFS62]

tacky or sticky

More detail on how the umps have been trained and the guidelines they use:

https://sny.tv/articles/further-reporting-mets-edwin-diaz-ejected-specific-fallouthttps://sny.tv/articles/further-reporting-mets-edwin-diaz-ejected-specific-fallout



Later

[kcmets]

There is basically nothing new in that story. Nothing.

[bmfc1]

=kcmets post_id=160226 time=1719260094 user_id=53]
There is basically nothing new in that story. Nothing.

[bmfc1]

It's possible (and perhaps paranoid) that Tomas Nido “dropped a dime” on Diaz. I've wondered if the Dodgers did the same with Scherzer.

[SteveCohenStan]

What do we think Vic Carapazza's wager was? Probably something involving Diaz not getting a save would seem the most likely, but maybe it was some long parlay.

[Edgy MD]

=bmfc1 post_id=160228 time=1719260438 user_id=73]
It's possible (and perhaps paranoid) that Tomas Nido “dropped a dime” on Diaz. I've wondered if the Dodgers did the same with Scherzer.

[Frayed Knot]

As mentioned by the TV crew last night, the umps check incoming closers before the inning starts because the game is generally on the line.

Bottom line is they didn't, and are not going to, check him based on the insistence of the opposing backup catcher or his team.

[metirish]

Officially suspended 10 games by MLB

[Frayed Knot]

He can appeal but there's scant hope of winning even a reduction much less a reversal.

[kcmets]

The whole thing still seems kind of fishy to me, but whatever...



Was it Mike Scott that had that small piece of sandpaper on his finger

and when accused he threw his arms up like, 'wuh?' - but the cameras

caught him flicking it off?



Advantages, adschmantages... old as the baseball hills...

[Frayed Knot]

That was Joe Niekro and the nail file out of his back pocket.

[bmfc1]

Frayed Knot wrote: He can appeal but there's scant hope of winning even a reduction much less a reversal.

Scherzer was supposed to appeal but did not. An appeal might allow Diaz to play in Tuesday's game.

[MFS62]

In Ball Four, Jim Bouton tells the story of when the umpire told Whitey Ford to remove his wedding ring. He said the ring could cut the ball so much, Ford could make it "whistle Dixie".



Later

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: That was Joe Niekro and the nail file out of his back pocket.

I never particularly liked that one either. It badly damaged Niekro's rep, but an emery board in the back pocket isn't as implicating as it seems at the surface. Knucklers live and die by their manicures, and how is something in his butt pocket going to help him, anyhow?



Certainly came across as guilty, though, stealthily trying to misdirect the umps from the evidence.



THE COVERUP WAS WORSE THAN THE CRIME!



[media=youtube]MzxrKO-yVV8[/media]



Actually, please allow me to backtrack a bit. It's kinda hard to act more guilty than that.



Man, you don't get entertainment like that anymore.

[Frayed Knot]

And to no one's surprise (certainly not mine) Edwin Diaz will Not appeal his suspension for goopiness and will begin

serving his 10 game suspension now. And remember that it is a ten Game suspension, not ten days.

[Edgy MD]

Based on what a struggle too many ninth-inning leads have been to hold this season — with Diaz and without — I suspect they might not be waiting until the deadline to bring in some late-inning relief help.

[kcmets]

He's baaaackk ... https://metsmerizedonline.com/morning-briefing-edwin-diaz-returns-from-suspension-today/#google_vignettehttps://metsmerizedonline.com/morning-briefing-edwin-diaz-returns-from-suspension-today/#google_vignette