A really strange thing happened during last nights game that has been vexing me. In the seventh inning during a very tight game Madison Bumgarner responded to Dodger hitter Alex Guerrero in a manner not appropriate for a professional of his magnitude.
It was simply an act of a child - a kind of bullying you see from the insecure. He allowed himself to verbally harass a player due to an ill-perceived slight; wholly manifested out of nowhere. Bumgarner's own lack of respect for Guerrero (and frankly the game) was sad to witness, and I hope he comes to understand that it was himself who shows disrespect.
If you don't know what I'm talking about then watch the video below.
Video Link:
As you see, even the commentators can tell that whatever Guerrero did while coming out of the box was a sign of his own frustration. Guerrero was clearly not showing up anyone... But clearly, Bumgarner was showing up Guerrero.
Matthew Moreno at Dodgers Nation does some lip reading:
Bumgarner appeared tell Guerrero, “You’re not that [expletive] good, man. You’re not that [expletive] good.” Guerrero, who hit a pinch-hit home run off Bumgarner on April 22, offered no reaction to the comments.I wonder what are fans suppose to think of Madison? Doesn't this kind of action fall under the "lack of respect" for the game column? Is not his apparent taunting disrespectful to the player, to his opponents, to his teammates and to the game at large?
UPDATE: I thought I'd add, aren't Baseball fans suppose to care about "showing respect for the game," or does Madison (for whatever reason) get a pass?
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