Rules Violation

Baseball has a variety of rules...and their violations. They usually come in two types, the respect for the game type and individual play.

Respecting the game rules include playing hard, not stealing or bunting when your team has an overwhelming lead, not 'admiring' your home run, in general, not showing up the other team.

Then there are the 'common sense' rules, don't throw fat 0 and 2 pitches, throw to the correct base, hit the cutoff man, and so on. Last night's rules violation by Julio Lugo was an egregious one, DO NOT MAKE THE FIRST OR THE LAST OUT AT THIRD BASE. With Lugo pinch running, he provided extra speed to help score in the bottom on the eighth if Kevin Youkilis got a hit. He not only got thrown out at third base, he didn't slide, and generally acted as though he had just arrived from another galaxy.

Did Lugo lose the game for the Red Sox? No. Should we tar and feather him? Absolutely not. But Sox fans expect full physical and mental effort, whether you're making a king's ransom or the major league minimum (also a princely allowance). Come on, Julio, we want you to succeed, throw us a bone, already.