Darin Erstad: Baseball Goon

I'm sure we've all seen it-- those of us who watch Sportscenter, or even the local news (especially in Nebraska-- after all it involves a beloved former Felon, er... Husker), or just watch baseball. I saw it while watching the Cardinals beat up on the Red Sox eight months too late. It is the talk of baseball. It is, Darin Erstad barrelling over Johnny Estrada in Atlanta last night.

Erstad's play in the eighth inning of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-Southern California-India-Australia-New Zealand-and any other land no longer claimed by the British/ Boston-Milwaukee-Atlanta Braves game was the grossest display of roid rage I have every seen. It was dirty hit. It was unnecessary. I would have been flagged for fifteen yards in football, and certainly would have garnered at charging call in hockey. So why is it legal in baseball? Actually, in some levels, it's not.

Youth baseball has a must slide rule at any base where there is a play (except when running from home to first, where they have a no slide rule). Even college baseball has a rule mandating that if a player bowls over a catcher, he is immediately ejected and subject to suspension.

Now, I know the peoples of the world are split on a mandatory slide rule. Some don't want to see the contact. Other, want to see the contact, and cheer it. Even Erstad's manager, former Dodgers catcher Mike Scioscia said "it's baseball."

No Mike, it's not. And you need to get with the times.

Baseball players have gotten bigger and stronger-- some with the help of steroids. Gone are they days of Willie McGee and Lou Brock running wild on the bases. Erstad is 6'-2", 215 lbs. And a former two sport athlete. Erstad is a former college football player, and while he was only a punter, a punter in college is not like the ESL, (English as a second language, for those of you outside of the education business) illegal aliens who kick our extra points. Erstad would have fit in nicely as a safety or even outside linebacker. Any catcher in the league would have outweighed McGee or Brock by a good 20 lbs., which is probably why you didn't see collisions at the plate as often. Now, at the tale of the tape, Estrada weighed even with Erstad, but gives up two inches-- and those of you who have seen both players know Erstad had more muscle mass than Estrada.

I was a catcher in little league baseball, recruited to play prep ball as early as sixth-grade, until a move to Nebraska made me choose between soccer and baseball-- soccer won out, but that's another story, another rant.

Only twice had it ever been attempted to jar the ball lose from me-- I won both battles. The second got a response from a close friend who after picking himself up off the dirt looked at me and said, "I should have known better than to try and bowl over a hockey player." He appologized for the feable attempt, no harm done.

Now what I really have a problem with is Erstad going out of his way to blow Estrada off the face of the earth. Watch the replay-- Estrada is actually several feet up the first base line when he catches the ball, and Erstad missed the plate completely, and had to go back to tag the base. It is so evident that Erstad was going out of his was to knock Estrada over, and possibly hurt him. Then again, he went to "the (Nebraska State) Pennitentiary", if you know what I mean. So we know he didn't get an education-- and might be brain-dead enough to make a dumb baserunning play like that.

And this is nothing like Pete Rose essentially ending Ray Fosse's career at an All-Star Game. While I don't agree with Rose knocking Fosse over in an exhibition. Fosse was in the baseline, and Rose didn't go out of his way to get to him.

The good news of this is, while Estrada was knocked from the game, he is currently listed as day-to-day. That is lucky for both parties. But it is dirty plays such as that, which alter careers. Erstad needs to be suspended. If Estrada only misses a couple games, the minimum punishment for Erstad should be five games. But if Estrada has to go on the DL, well then Erstad deserves to sit out the same 15-game minumum Estrada will face.

I certainly hope the young baseball players in the world no longer look up to Erstad. He's not a hero, he's a goon. He has brought great shame to himself, and set a piss-poor example for those young players. Get him out of the game, actions like that are intolerable and have no place in sports.