A Dick

“Dick” is a term you might use to describe a guy who’s arrogant and obnoxious. Someone like Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Playing against the Washington Nationals last night, Carlos Gomez reached base in the bottom of the 8th inning with his team ahead by seven runs after being hit by a pitch. The next Brewers hitter hits a soft grounder to the shortstop who flips the ball to Nationals second baseman Kevin Frandsen. Gomez, with no thought that his team is cruising to a blowout win, and still pouting from being hit by a pitch a minute ago, slides aggressively hard into second base and sweeps his legs out in a blatant effort to try and take out Frandsen.

Some fans might say that Gomez was just playing hard but I think this goes beyond playing hard and playing to win. This is putting another player’s career and health at risk. And this is being a dick.

I’ve read Carlos Gomez apologists offer up the excuse that what we might interpret as arrogance, things like tossing a bat after hitting a homerun, is really nothing but excitement and love for the game and that it’s with that kind of emotion that the game is played in the Dominican Republic, Gomez’s home country. I don’t deny that, and I certainly understand love for the game of baseball, but when you’re playing baseball in the United States then I think at that point it’s time to play baseball the way it’s played in the United States. Bat flips and homerun trots aside, I’m not sure that going out of your way to take out another player simply because you’re mad you just got hit by a pitch is considered love for the game. Furthermore, love for the game shouldn’t have to involve showing up other players. Unless, of course, you’re a dick.

By not playing into Gomez’s antics and escalating the situation, Kevin Frandsen showed that he plays the game like a professional.

And as for playing the game hard, Pete Rose played the game hard. Carlos Gomez plays the game like a dick.