Commentary & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett

Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster’s nailing New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez with a pitch last Sunday while he was at bat was a disappointing display of poor sportsmanship as far as this Red Sox fan is concerned.

It’s no secret that many Major League Baseball players are disgruntled over A-Rod continuing to play as he appeals a 211 game suspension for alleged use of performing enhancing drugs (PED). Nonetheless, trite as the ole’ saying may be, two wrongs do not make a right.

The PED mess which goes beyond A-Rod is already a cloud hanging over MLB. Dempster’s poor judgement is one more black eye on the sport which, arguably, more so than other any is representative of the American spirit and character. I would like to think that character still includes doing the right thing even when others may not.

The pitch that hit A-Rod on the elbow and back came in the second inning during the August 18 game at Fenway Park and resulted in the ejection of Yankee Manager Joe Girardi after he let go with a rant against the home plate umpire. As fate would have it, A-Rod knocked out a homerun four innings later and the Yanks went on to beat the Sox 9-6.

Girardi said later, “Whether I agree with everything that’s going on – you don’t throw at people.”