People will get mad at me when I do this, but these are MLB’s rules not mine. Let’s start with a simple one.
Got it….”and coaches in uniform” IN UNIFORM. No person shall be allowed except….coaches IN UNIFORM.
Here’s Dave Eiland last night.
Sorry man, that’s not a Mets uniform and he’s on the field. That’s a guy in a shirt. Clear violation of the rule.
By my interpretation of the rules, the umpire should warn Mr. Eiland, and I hope they do so next time as it is part of their job. Should he ignore the warnings, he could be removed from the game and subject to discipline by Mr. Torre.
Now let’s look at this new photo…
Look beyond Eiland. There’s someone sitting in the front row of the dugout, also not wearing a uniform top.
And look to the right of the score bug..or just below it (say at 5 o’clock). There’s another person dressed the same way. This is a problem because..
Whether these are players or other team members…the dugout is for people IN UNIFORM which these people are not.
Early in Spring I was told how Mickey Hodges was tough and there was a new culture because he yelled at a 22 year old for being late. Two months later we’re letting people wear whatever they hell they want. And Mickey isn’t in uniform either (although as I have done deep dives on this there isn’t the specific language about managers the way there is about coaches…although I can argue Mickey clearly is a team member.)
What are you going to do about this Mr. Torre? Next thing you know these guys will start coming out for mound visits wearing first responder caps.
Finally, for those of you who say Who Cares? Which of the other rules are optional? Do we have to bat in order? Do we have stay within the baselines? I don’t see how only some of the rules are “real.” If the rule is stupid, then take it out. But presently these are rules, and the Mets did not follow them last night.
