Beanball Wars Still Not the Right Thing

It is impossible not to be disgusted by the completely unsportsmanlike and dangerous behavior exhibited by any team that supports or engages in the intentional act of throwing a baseball at a batter. Worse yet is the farcical defense given by perpetrators of “retribution” or “pay back.”

First of all, a ball thrown at 90 m.p.h. is not the baseball equivalent of an in-your-face slam dunk, a clean trap block or a hard body check against the boards, but rather the same as an elbow to the throat, an intentional face-mask penalty or a slash across the eyes.

Second, if the players believe so strongly in retaliation and justice, why do the pitchers inevitably end up throwing at the first convenient opposing player, who probably wasn’t even the one who committed the instigating offense? I suppose I should apply this same logic to my neighbor, who breaks my window, by punching his wife when I see her step outside for the morning paper.

To those who say it’s all part of the game, so is clean play, sportsmanship and self-control.

JAY LINDSEY, Newport Beach