MLB commissioner Rob Manfred continues to be an absolute joke
This is the Morning Win, by Andy Nesbitt.
Rob Manfred, the man who didn't suspend any of the Houston Astros players for cheating their way to a World Series title, has turned MLB into a joke once again and this time things could get really messy for the league and the game that so many love.
In case you missed it, MLB announced that umps will be randomly searching pitchers during games for foreign sticky substances. It started two nights ago with Mets ace Jacob deGrom being the first pitcher to get searched while he made his way to the dugout after the first inning. deGrom could only smile as the process went on but fans in the stands let everyone know how they felt about it with a chorus of loud boos.
Last night, however, is when things got really out of control and made the game look silly.
Nationals ace Max Scherzer was searched three different times during his five innings of work against the Phillies. On the third time he was absolutely livid and almost ripped off his belt as umpires came up to him on the mound.
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Max Scherzer has once again been checked for sticky substance, this time during an inning.
(via @BarnHasSpoken) pic.twitter.com/89dcFj8IcY
- FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 23, 2021
Things later escalated when he stared down the Phillies bench as he walked off the mound after the fifth inning. Phillies manager Joe Girardi exploded out of his dugout and looked like he wanted to fight Scherzer. Girardi was ejected from the game after that wild scene. It was nuts. All of it.
I mean, what. A. Mess.
But it didn't stop there!
Later Tuesday night Oakland A's reliever Sergio Romo angrily pulled down his pants when an ump asked to search him for foreign sticky substances. Pulled down his pants!
Pitchers are rightfully furious with Manfred for these new rules he has implemented in the middle of the season and for this new search process that is totally absurd. The league should have waited until after the season to figure out ways to deal with this but that's now how Manfred works - he's not too into deep thinking and being understanding of how abrupt changes can hurt his game.
Scherzer, meanwhile, ripped Manfred after Tuesday night's game, saying: "These are [Rob] Manfred rules. Go ask him what he wants to do with this. I've said enough. Go ask Alec Bohm how he feels about 95 (miles per hour) at his face."
And you know what? Good on these pitchers for making a mockery of the search process. I hope it only goes on and gets even more ridiculous because Manfred deserves to be embarrassed on a nightly basis by his players. Maybe that will lead to some change for the game and the person who is in charge of it.
And I'm not the only one who feels this way about Manfred. Far from it. Do a Twitter search with his name and you'll see lots and lots of people ripping him and blaming him for making the game look stupid. It's always wild when everyone on Twitter agrees on a topic and this is one of those topics that's bringing everyone together.
Hopefully all of this will lead to a new boss of baseball because the current one continues to be an absolute joke.
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