Not only do the St. Louis Cardinals expect payback for Matt Holliday's take down of Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro, they have pitcher Kyle Lohse offering a way to do it.
Speaking on Tuesday morning's edition of Jim Rome's syndicated radio program, Lohse was asked his opinion of the slide into second that some called dirty and illegal.
While Lohse's opinion was to be expected from a member of the team that caused the injury to the Giants' offensive spark plug, he didn't give Holliday a pass.
Calling the slide into second legal but aggressive and late, Lohse, who will start game three for the Cardinals as the NLCS series moves to St. Louis, would rather have the matter wrapped up and soon.
Nothing gets nerves on edge more than not knowing how payback will arrive.
Kyle Lohse said he and his teammates could accept Holliday getting drilled by Giants starter Matt Cain, just not in the head or near it.
The unwritten rules of baseball are also supposed to be unspoken.
They remain such for a reason. Bud Selig doesn't want to start acting like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. No one wants that.
But, if Selig hears talk of payback that results in a player getting thrown at while batting, he's got to publicly say how awful and unacceptable it is.
Maybe he's forced to punish the offender.
Selig is giddy right now about the success of his playoffs in their new format. The last thing he wants is to be shaken out of his reverie over an unwritten rule of baseball.
What about the Giants? Doesn't it diminish their payback if a member of the opposing team suggests something that was already scheduled to be done?
Perhaps they'll need to up the ante, again something that Selig hopes doesn't happen.
Baseball officials are fine with saying thye believe a pitcher who retaliates, but says the ball just got away from him.
Everyone giggles and winks at it and the MLB world keeps spinning.
Kyle Lohse's negotiating ploy changes that a bit
