Anyone watching last night’s 9th inning was treated to an odd sight. Tigers closer Jose Valverde looked fantastic, striking out Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez in succession to finish the game. What was odd was that after each strikeout, Valverde did a little dance off the mound and a fistpump. Take a look at these stills, taken from the conclusion of each at-bat, where you can see Valverde in mid gyration:
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As a Yankees fan that has long defended Joba Chamberlain’s fist pumps as a reasonable outpouring of emotion, I have absolutely no standing to get on Valverde, even though fist-pumping after each out is more over the top than anything Joba, Papelbon, K-Rod, and anyone else in the “expressive on the mound” category has ever done. I am not a huge fan of showing up your opponent, but I do not think expressing emotion should be taken that way. This game needs some characters, and it certainly needs an injection of fun. Everybody needs to just relax and realize that this is a game played for entertainment purposes.
My issue is with the media and fans who constantly criticize Joba for the fist pumps, as well as the players that have publicly taken umbrage with Joba’s antics (see Aubrey Huff). From what I am told, this is nothing new with Valverde, yet it is the first time that I am hearing of it. Where are the mocking jokes from fans and broadcasters about Valverde’s little dance? Why hasn’t there been a full episode of Baseball Tonight dedicated to his histrionics (rather than just a brief mention)? Why haven’t beat writers interviewed former players and Hall of Famers to see where they stand on Valverde’s actions?
Ultimately, Joba has long been victim of a double standard, whereby other players can do the same thing as Joba and do not get nearly the same amount of flak. Frankie Cervelli pumps his fist all game, and no one says anything about it except to gush about how intense he is and how invested he becomes in the games. Meanwhile, Joba gets dubbed as a guy with a “ten cent head” who cannot control his emotions. The same people who celebrate intensity on the mound and ask for him to be a “bull in the china shop” coming out of the bullpen then want him to temper those emotions once he succeeds.
It is time to treat Joba Chamberlain like everybody else. If you do not like celebrations on the mound, criticize the others, such as Valverde, who are doing it as well. Until then, just stop the hypocrisy and leave Joba alone.
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7 Responses to Valverde's Histrionics and Joba's Fist Pumps
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TIQ IQ
I agree 100% on the double standard when it comes to Joba. Joba’s fist pumps look like a wake compared to Valverde.
Also, it wasn’t just after the strikeouts – he was hopping and skipping and praying after strikes. Not strikeouts – strikes. Yet, Joba’s fist pumps are a sign of the apocalypse. At least Joba does it after a big strikeout to end the inning in a big spot.
No better evidence of the slanted perspective of the critics than Joba’s celebration being criticized several years after K-rod’s were accepted without comment (on national TV, no less).
Only thing missing last night was him doing a backspin and a moonwalk
Joba is a white trash hillbilly. Valverde is just batshit insane. You don’t make fun or pile on the mentally ill.
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I agree 100% and it is nice to see a Yankee’s fan not getting all upset about this. I have spoke to a couple of my Yankee fan friends locally and some were not so accepting….As a Tigers fan it is nice to see some emotion injected into the game by these players. I absolutely love the fact that these players are so tied up in this game that they have these outbursts of emotion. If that’s what Valverde needs to do to keep himself on top of his game mentally they that is fantastic. Same goes for Joba. If position players take issue with it then maybe they should get a hit off of these pitchers….
LOL @Kareem…