Here’s a pressing and important debate in today’s Post-Dispatch that in no way is designed to enflame the passions of Cardinals fans angry at Johnny Cueto. The headline: “LaRue’s out, Cueto’s in: Is that fair?”
While the contours of the actual debate which follow are reasonable enough, the headline just slays me. The obvious implication being that a player’s punishment in cases like Cueto’s should match the injuries suffered by their victims and if you disagree, well, you had better explain yourself.
I say we just go one step further and make things totally fair. Jason LaRue is out for the season with concussion? Hold Cueto down and beat him in the head until he too is concussed.
Like all rules, baseball’s new “eye-for-an-eye” discipline system would have its tough cases -- who among us would have felt comfortable putting Carl Mays to death for his transgression? -- but justice must be firm and swift in such matters if fairness is to be ensured.