Written by Mike Axisa at CBS Sports.com
In keeping with ancient baseball tradition, we’re passing final and lasting judgment on a recent baseball controversy. That’s why we call this Kangaroo Court — it’s a nod to the old days when a veteran player would preside over clubhouse “legal proceedings” and mete out fines based on baseball-related offenses. For instance, if you fail to advance a runner, take too long rounding the bases, wear the wrong jersey to batting practice, or in the case of former Red Sox manager John McNamara use aerosol deodorant as hairspray, you get fined by the judge. These days, the Kangaroo Court is a clubhouse relic of the past, but we’re here to revive it and to bring the mechanisms of baseball justice to bear on present-day dust-ups, hostilities, and close calls.
Wednesday afternoon the scorching-hot Cleveland Indians won their 21st consecutive game (CLE 5, DET 3), giving them the longest winning streak in American League history. Truly remarkable. Baseball teams, even ones as good as the Indians, aren’t supposed to win 21 straight games.
Our latest Kangaroo Court controversy occurred during Cleveland’s win Wednesday, though it does not involve the Indians. In the third inning Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus and catcher James McCann were both ejected by home-plate umpire Quinn Wolcott for arguing balls and strikes. Arguing balls and strikes is a no-no. An automatic ejection, technically, though umps usually give players and managers some leeway.
Shortly after the ejections pitcher Buck Farmer threw a fastball that catcher John Hicks, newly into the game, failed to catch, allowing it to hit Wolcott directly in the shoulder. He went down in pain.
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