baseball's code red

article and poll from espn.com:

Talk about a rough day at the office.

With the Chicago White Sox trailing 6-0 in the seventh inning, manager Ozzie Guillen appeared intent on settling another score after A.J. Pierzynski had been hit twice by Texas starter Vicente Padilla. Enter rookie pitcher Sean Tracey, who had thrown just over four innings in his two previous appearances in the majors.

Tracey threw way inside on the first two pitches but Texas batter Hank Blalock had little trouble avoiding the pitches and eventually grounded out. Guillen then pulled the pitcher and could be seen yelling at him in the dugout. While Guillen denied telling Tracey to hit Blalock, the White Sox returned Tracey to the minors after the game.

So what's your take on the "unwritten rule" about hitting batters, SportsNation? Is a pitcher ever justified in intentionally hitting a batter? Has baseball made things worse by taking some control away from the players on the field?

1) Do you feel a pitcher is ever justified in intentionally hitting a batter in retaliation for one of the pitcher's teammates getting hit by a pitch?
81.1% Yes
18.9% No

2) Who should make the call on whether or not to retaliate?
47.6% Manager
31.3% Pitcher
21.0% Player that was originally hit

3) Do you feel a pitcher is ever justified in intentionally hitting a batter in retaliation for a batter showboating at the plate?
66.3% Yes
33.7% No

4) Do you feel a pitcher is ever justified in intentionally hitting a batter to set a tone for the game or fire up his teammates?
66.5% No
33.5% Yes

5) Which method do you feel is best for dealing with this issue?
75.5% Old school: Let the players settle things ... ''You hit one of mine; I hit one of yours.''
24.5% New school: Umpires warn both teams at the first sign of trouble, with ejections to follow.

6) Should a player receive an automatic suspension if he is ejected for intentionally throwing at a batter?
69.6% No
30.4% Yes

7) Do you think White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen expressly ordered rookie pitcher Sean Tracey to hit Hank Blalock in Wednesday's game?
96.2% Yes
3.8% No

8) If Guillen did want the batter hit, was it fair for him to send in a rookie to do it?
61.5% No
38.5% Yes

9) Do you think the White Sox would still have sent Tracey to the minors after the game if he had hit Blalock?
80.4% No
19.6% Yes

10) Do you have a problem with Guillen berating Tracy in the dugout immediately after pulling him from the game?
74.5% Yes
25.5% No

11) What's your take on players taking things into their own hands in baseball and hockey?
73.0% Both are legitimate
11.7% Get rid of both
7.9% Get rid of fighting in hockey
7.5% Get rid of throwing at hitters in baseball

Total Votes: 12,266


i wonder if the kid's got a legal case. you want the truth? you can't handle the truth!