Tank McNamara by Bill Hinds for August 24, 2011

Pity tankmcnamara.com redirects right back here.

(Unless, of course, here’s they want to comment.) Alright, dumbest “unwritten rule?” I’ve always thought the “90% of baseball is pitching” is pretty stupid.

Not being allowed to bunt to break up a no-hitter.

Managers and Coaches also wear baseball uniforms.

Gocomics has hi-jacked TankMcNamara.com? Dumbest unwritten rule of baseball – No Cheerleaders.

1. Always taking the pitch on a 3-0 count. The pitcher always grooves it right down the middle.2. Almost every batter takes the first pitch, idiotic.

This video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ht_2330-ZQ&feature=related shows the end result of people following several silly “rules.” Take your pick on the worst.1) You can’t steal with a big lead (which is what Jimmy Rollins did right before this incident). If you do, you’re insulting the other team. Somehow, at age eight in Little League, I was mature enough to accept humiliation as part of the game — and I wasn’t even getting paid what MLB players get paid! 2) If a runner violates (1), the pitcher must throw a ball at the batter — even though the batter had nothing to do with the original incident. 3) When a pitcher follows (2), the batter can’t simply take the free base, but he MUST charge the mound. If he doesn’t, he isn’t a competitor. Somehow Frank Robinson never learned this rule, as he retired with the NL record for most HBP in a career and NEVER charged the mound. NOT ONCE! I guess people thought he wasn’t a competitor. 4) When a batter follows (3), all players must come out of the dugout. In doing so, they’re “protecting their team-mate.” I guess it’s okay to risk your career in order to “protect” a hot-head team-mate who needs to understand that a HBP is a FREE BASE! 5) If you’re the catcher when rule (4) happens, you must attack the first person who come close to your pitcher. If you don’t attack that person, no matter how un-involved that person might be, you’re not “protecting your pitcher.”

God am I old. Dozens of unwritten rules.Worst 1.both dugouts must empty when there is a confrontaion between two opposing players on the field.2. Player hits HR and if pitcher thinks the batter is even showing him up a little bit, he must hit the next batter.3. Phantom tag of second on DP (that’s getting a little better)4. Can’t steal signs by base runners. Why the hell do catchers shield sign and change way signals are given.5. Can’t Talk about no-hitter in progress (mixed adherence on this one)6. Can’t steal a base late in a game with a large leadGet the idea guys. Not written down anywhere, it’s “JUST THE WAY THE GAME IS PLAYED”

njpeeke: Really old readers can tell you the last exception: Connie Mack, who managed in a three-piece suit. Lessea, that was back in the 1940s?

re: not bunting to break up a no-hitter…this came up a few weeks ago. A pitcher—was it Verlander?—had a no-hitter going and a batter tried to bunt on him. It was unsuccessful, but the pitcher said afterwards that he thought it was pretty cheap. ESPN analysts generally agreed with him, but the opposing manager and a few others made the point that their team is in a pennant race and a win could mean the difference between the postseason or not.

Unwritten rule idiocy: a baserunner on first goes to third on a foul ball which ends up out of play. To return to first he MUST go back around second base; he MUST NOT cross the infield, especially not allowed to touch the mound.

See the A-Rod case a few years back, when the pitcher got all p*ssed off at A-Rod for crossing the mound on his way back to first.

Connie Mack was not allowed on the field during the game because he was not wearing a uniform. He could not leave the dugout. Anything on the field had to be handled by a uniformed caoch.

I disagree with the thought that a runner crossing the mound is idiocy. The runner can cut through the infield, but should not touch the mound. One, the pitcher is probably already standing there and there is no need to encroach upon his work space and two, if you cross straight across (and not just on the edges of the mound) you are potentially messing with the integrity of the mound.

I’m on the band wagon with the you can’t bunt to break up a no hitter. Hogwash bunting is an exciting part of the game and if you can’t get it done with a full swing why not try a bunt. If the pitcher fields his position he’ll throw him out.

Totally agree w/ PaulRabe about stealing with a big lead or “running up the score.” Each team’s obligation is to play to their best ability! Are we scoring too much? Then stop us from scoring! Play BETTER! This attitude about it “violating etiquette” infuriates me…enough teams have come back from 8, 9, 10 runs down that you should never let up trying to score as much as possible. That Philly-Giants brawl underscored the ridiculousness of this “tradition.”

On a foul ball, the runner can return from third across the infield. If the ball is caught, the runner must touch second base as he goes back to first if he has rounded second.

I don’t recall Mack ever going to the mound to confer with a pitcher, but I have seen plenty of newsreels of him out of the dugout, and vaguely of him coaching third base.