Are You Serious?

Yankee pitcher Michael Pineda got ejected in the second inning of a game against the Red Sox for openly smearing pine tar on his neck.

He has since been suspended for 10 games.

The story originated the last time he pitched against the Sox because he had the stuff smeared on his hand.

Everybody made a big deal out of that. Outrage. You can't do that, it is not allowed. But nothing was done because John Farrell did not object.

This time Farrell went to the ump and Pineda was ejected.

This is the most blatant demonstration of hypocrisy I have ever seen in my life.

Open hypocrisy. Hypocrisy unhidden.

The commentators were outraged by Pineda's callous disregard of the rules.

The unwritten rules.

All sports have unwritten rules, understandings between players, understandings between managers and coaches, understandings on the part of officials. Many of them are amusing.

Ever watch a batter argue a call with the home plate ump? He does not look the ump in the eye. That is the unwritten rule. You don't look the ump in the eye when you are arguing balls and strikes. So the batter looks at the ground or to the side, which appears ridiculous.

However when you get ejected you can look him right in the eye and call him every disgusting, insulting thing in the book, including nasty remarks regarding the ump's mother, wife, kids and pets.

That's OK.

As the commentators were getting furiously outraged at Pineda they kept saying: "Everybody does it. Pitchers do it all the time to give them better grip in the cold. Or more control when they lose their speed and have to rely on sexy pitches. But everybody hides it. They put the pine tar inside their waistband or under the bill of their cap. They don't openly smear it on their bodies."

They also admitted that pine tar does not alter the way the ball reacts and that batters feel good about it because it means they won't get hit in the face with a pitch.

The argument was "yes, it is illegal but everybody knows about it and everybody looks the other way, as long as it is somewhat hidden."

Are you serious?

I love the fact that Pineda did this. Maybe the waistband doesn't work for him. Maybe the bill of the cap doesn't work for him.

I do things differently at work and I have had co-workers tell me my ways are strange.

Really? and you can kiss my ass.

I have to do what is comfortable to me.

Maybe Pineda was making a statement. I don't know. Why choose a statement that is guaranteed to cost you and will not change anything given the deep rooted culture and traditions of baseball?

As far as commentator and league reactions go, typically when you are dripping with hypocrisy, you are too stupid to know it or smart enough to do it behind people's backs.

You don't broadcast your hypocrisy to the world.

What should happen is the illegal use of pine tar should be recognized and punished across the board. Or the rules should be amended to make it legal.

Pineda should not have been punished.

The league should be punished.