Pimp Job City
Javy Baez may not live to tell the tale of his hilariously over-the-top walk-off celebration against Amir Garrett
For some reason, baseball is constantly getting itself wrapped up in an "old school vs. new school" debate, Javy Baez's walk-off sac fly pimp job from Monday night serving as the latest example. On one side of the aisle, you've got the cool kids saying it's the greatest thing ever, and on the other side you've got the old farts saying he's a disgrace to the game.
Before we dive deeper, let's get right to the clip:
As you can imagine, the old vs. young debate is very much on like donkey kong. "If you don't want him to pimp, strike him out!" one side says. "That's a little much for a sub .500 team who is not going to make the playoffs!" the other side says. Two fair points, no doubt.
In reality, two opposing ideas can and should be held at once: 1. Baez's celebration, while a little aggressive for a sac-freaking fly, was hilarious, and ultimately great for the sport. Showing emotion is very much encouraged, especially when it leads to animosity from the other team, thus creating some drama in future matchups. 2. The Cincinnati Reds, be it Amir Garrett or another pitcher, should absolutely seek revenge on Tuesday night, preferably in the form of beaning Baez in a way that doesn't kill him or knock him out for two weeks.
If that's a little much for you, then you may fall in the "just get him out" camp. That's a fine camp too, but now, literally anything goes. If Baez grounds out, Garrett or whoever gets him out should be able to eff him off into another dimension. Slam your glove on the ground, pump your chest, go to home plate and stomp on it for good measure. This "emotion" thing has to go both ways, but it rarely does for pitchers.
The dream scenario now would be Garrett vs. Baez again one of the next two nights. For those unaware, these two already had history, which was very likely part of the reason Baez went so nuts on Monday night. This compilation by Jomboy Media sums it up nicely:
When given that context, you can understand why Baez was so jacked up. On the other hand, though, it's kind of funny given how upset Baez gets over some relatively innocent trash talk from Garrett in the past. Good for him for getting his revenge on Monday night, but he should not be surprised in the least if there is return fire. Those are the rules. Side note - it's a miracle Garrett (sort of) walked away without starting a brawl. Reds-Cubs is now appointment TV the next two nights.