Yeah, let's tally up these books:

• Blue Jays: Bautista hits a home run and celebrates a tremendous moment by flipping his bat.
• Rangers: Wait seven months, seven games, and 33 plate appearances to "revenge" Bautista's home run celebration by hitting him in the ribs with a rock traveling 98 mph.
• Blue Jays: Bautista slides hard and late into second base
• Rangers: Odor punches Bautista in the face.

I don't know how anyone looks at that and says, "sure, that looks even."

2-2 doesn't look even?

No.

Sliding hard is a relatively minor offense. Bautista would not have been ejected for the slide alone.

(1-1 aren't even either)

Posted by The Taint on 5/16/2016 1:19:00 PM (view original):
His slide could have been much worse. Rangers are *******.

The HBP could have been much worse. All should be square.

Bautista hotdogs a home run.
Bautista gets plunked in a meaty spot.
Bautista goes after the 2B on a slide.
Bautista gets punched in the face for his trouble.

That seems about right. If Bautista had decked Odor, all would have been right also.

EVERYONE knew there would be some high/tight pitches to Bautista from the Rangers. They didn't throw at his head.

But, truthfully, there will be no common ground. If you thought the bat flip was "the most awesome thing evah!!!!", you're going to think everything else was unnecessary. If you thought the bat flip was "a ridiculous display of arrogance that showed up the Rangers", you're going to think he got what he deserved. And then something a little extra for the slide.

The Rangers should have went after him during his first PA of the season against them.

Exactly

Posted by MikeT23 on 5/16/2016 1:55:00 PM (view original):

Posted by The Taint on 5/16/2016 1:19:00 PM (view original):
His slide could have been much worse. Rangers are *******.

The HBP could have been much worse. All should be square.

Bautista hotdogs a home run.
Bautista gets plunked in a meaty spot.
Bautista goes after the 2B on a slide.
Bautista gets punched in the face for his trouble.

That seems about right. If Bautista had decked Odor, all would have been right also.

EVERYONE knew there would be some high/tight pitches to Bautista from the Rangers. They didn't throw at his head.

That's true, the pitcher has been known to kill fools.

Posted by tecwrg on 5/16/2016 1:59:00 PM (view original):
The Rangers should have went after him during his first PA of the season against them.

The "look" is bad but the thought process was right.

If they hit him in his first AB, it's bad blood all series. HBP, fights, hard slides, suspensions. The Rangers took the path of least resistance. There will be a couple of fines and a suspension but, for the most part, their entire roster is intact. Might not be if they drill Bautista in his first PA.

Posted by MikeT23 on 5/16/2016 2:37:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tecwrg on 5/16/2016 1:59:00 PM (view original):
The Rangers should have went after him during his first PA of the season against them.

The "look" is bad but the thought process was right.

If they hit him in his first AB, it's bad blood all series. HBP, fights, hard slides, suspensions. The Rangers took the path of least resistance. There will be a couple of fines and a suspension but, for the most part, their entire roster is intact. Might not be if they drill Bautista in his first PA.

This highlights the stupidity of the entire thing.

The Rangers get butthurt over a home run celebration and wait 7 months to get payback. I doubt the Blue Jays consider this settled, so we can expect to see more of this next season.

Posted by tecwrg on 5/16/2016 1:59:00 PM (view original):
The Rangers should have went after him during his first PA of the season against them.

Why? That would set off a whole series-long string of plunkings and ejections and suspensions. Granted, it got there anyway, but that was mostly due to the slide

He had it coming. He eventually got it.

Besides, there's value in having the apprehension of "when will they drill me"...

I'm surprised no one has mentioned anything about ODOR "submarining" his throw to first where it looked like he was (whether intentionally or not intentionally) aiming for Bautista's face. Had nothing to do with how things started out or ended - just surprised it hasn't been mentioned...

Posted by thejuice6 on 5/16/2016 5:06:00 PM (view original):
I'm surprised no one has mentioned anything about ODOR "submarining" his throw to first where it looked like he was (whether intentionally or not intentionally) aiming for Bautista's face. Had nothing to do with how things started out or ended - just surprised it hasn't been mentioned...

I know! I recall a story about Cobb or one of the old timers harassing a SS while standing on first. Threatening to spike him or something. Next pitch was a slow roller to the second basemen who flipped it to the SS. The SS fired the ball towards first - about 6 inches off the ground - which smacked Cobb (or whoever) right in the face.

Forcing the runner to get down is a standard part of baseball. We were taught that as soon as we started learning to turn double plays. Throw thru the runner if he decides to remain standing.

Posted by MikeT23 on 5/16/2016 5:22:00 PM (view original):
Forcing the runner to get down is a standard part of baseball. We were taught that as soon as we started learning to turn double plays. Throw thru the runner if he decides to remain standing.

That's old school baseball. New age PC ******* don't care to see the game played that way anymore. Somebody might get a boo-boo and cry.