Should Joba Chamberlain be suspended?

by tommasse on Aug 31, 2007 9:08 AM EDT

This is how I see it: It doesn't matter whether Chamberlain threw at Kevin Youkilis's head intentionally or not.

If Chamberlain was purposely throwing at (or over) Youkilis's head, he should be suspended indefinitely for doing something intentionally that could end a player's career (or kill someone).

If Chamberlain wasn't throwing at Youkilis's head, he should be suspended indefinitely, because he has no control over a 100-mph pitch that could kill someone.

If Chamberlain threw those pitches intentionally, what if he actually made a mistake and threw it a foot lower? Does the league wait for another Tony C or worse before they take action?

And what about Joe Torre? Should he be held responsible for Chamberlain's actions, intentional or not?

Poll

Should Joba Chamberlain be suspended?

No.

18 votes

Yes.

14 votes

32 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Re: Should Joba Chamberlain be suspended?

This is tricky, because from what I've read about him, I seriously doubt that Joba Chamberlain is the kind of guy to try to intentionally bean someone in the head. If anyone thinks that two pitches in the exact same location are only the result of sweat on the hands, then stop deluding yourself.

I honestly don't have a fundamental problem with message pitches, except for the fact that our AL pitchers almost never have to feel the negative effects themselves. To me, I don't suspend him unless there is a repeat performance. Hard to do so just based on wildness if there was no intent, because there are pitchers who are much more wild than he is (see Cabrera, Daniel).

All that being said, go Patriots. :)