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Pirates feel wrath of rarely enforced MLB rule

By WTOP Staff

R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Pirates manager Clint Hurdle can’t remember ever being on the wrong side of the rule that states a batter must make an attempt to avoid getting hit by a pitch.

It is a rule rarely enforced. Very rarely.

What seemed to give the Pirates’ Russell Martin away and made it “ball three” instead of “take your base” during an at-bat in St. Louis earlier this week was the elbow he raised in defense that put protective gear in the path of a wayward delivery. The thinking was that Martin might be in pursuit of an easy trip to first base with very little or no pain involved.

Umpire Alan Porter invoked Major League Baseball Rule 6.08 (b) and kept Martin at the plate with a full count in the first inning Monday against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright instead of loading bases. Martin flied out to end the inning and the Pirates were shut out 2-0.

“That’s the first one I’ve encountered,” Hurdle said. “The first time you ever have it called on you it feels like you’ve been violated.”

The Cardinals applauded the call. If the rule is used more often, manager Mike Matheny said, it might serve to dissuade players tempted to offer up a body part for an easy trip to first base.

“We do need to see effort in getting out of the way of the ball,” Matheny of the call that helped Wainwright escape early trouble against an NL Central rival. “These are conversations we have with the umpires. Everybody’s going to complain when it happens, but they’ve got their eyes open for it.”

At the time, it was a definite head scratcher. Hurdle’s protest was brief and Martin calmly took his medicine.

“He said to him it looked like I threw my elbow out there and that’s why I had to stay,” Martin said. “I wasn’t going to argue. I tried to turn with it and my elbow did come out. He said if you didn’t move your elbow out, it wasn’t going to hit you.”

Hurdle’s argument at the time was that Martin had two strikes and was protecting the plate. After the team reviewed video, the manager conceded “it looked funny.”

“Where was the elbow in relation to the plate? I got some reports back it might not have been as flagrant a call as I thought it was from my seat in the dugout,” Hurdle said. “That there might have been some substance to it.”

Players have cadged their way onto base throughout baseball history. One of Matheny’s former teammates, Fernando Vina, was adept at offering a thigh, bicep or buttock — anything to get the rally going. In 2000, Vina got hit a major league-high 28 times.

Craig Biggio, Don Baylor and Ron Hunt all fearlessly crowded the plate and were routinely hit 20-plus times per season. Turn of the century Hall of Famer Hughie Jennings holds the career record at 287, two more than Biggio accumulated.

How many times intent was involved in any of it is impossible to quantify.

Matheny, a former four-time Gold Glove catcher, said he recalled many occasions when he gave umpires a heads-up about opponents with suspicious motives.

Hurdle vaguely recalled that Rule 6.08 (b) helped Don Drysdale keep his then-record 58 2-3-inning scoreless streak rolling. Drysdale hit Dick Dietz with the bases loaded, which would have ended the run at 44 innings, but umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to get out of the way and Dietz flied out.

Matheny never had a hard time bailing out in times of trouble. In 13 seasons, he was hit a total of 45 times. When Matheny was at Michigan, he remembered Illinois going “public” with a goal of leading the nation in hit batsmen, and that he wasn’t happy about it.

“They really wanted to stay in on the baseballs and they were getting highly rewarded from the coaching staff every time they did,” Matheny said. “They were leaning into everything. So sooner or later, someone has to step in and do the right thing.”

Which is to say, inform the authorities. Or really drilling a few offenders.

Martin didn’t seem to feel singled out. After all, he still had a chance to deliver with the bat.

“As a hitter, you want to hit, so whatever,” Martin said. “It didn’t hurt, because I was wearing the protective sleeve. It’s not a big deal.”

____

AP Sports Writer David Ginsburg and freelance writer Mark McColl contributed to this report.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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