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The Milwaukee Brewers are having a tough enough season as it is. They do not need any on-field distractions from players to make it worse. Unfortunately, relief pitcher Will Smith not only decided to cheat by using a foreign substance on his non-pitching arm, but also he made sure to act like a total jerk when he left the field. Both reasons are good enough for Major League Baseball to hand down a quality suspension.
With family and friends in attendance during Thursday night’s game, Smith was ejected after Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez alerted the home plate umpire that there could be possible cheating involved. The home plate umpire then alerted crew chief Jim Joyce, who immediately saw the substance and gave Smith the quick hook. Instead of gracefully accepting the fact that he was busted, Smith left the mound while directing every obscenity in the book towards the Atlanta dugout.
It was quite clear Smith was frustrated that he was ejected for something that he claims a majority of pitchers do. In my opinion, the real reason he threw a tantrum on his exit was because he was embarrassed he got humiliated in front of his family and friends for something that should have been avoidable.
After the game, Smith told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he used the substance, a mixture of sunscreen and rosin, during his warmup in the bullpen. He then simply forgot to remove it before entering the contest.
The issue with Smith’s claim is that he was seen reaching for the substance before he faced the Braves’ batters. Not to mention, there is no reason to be using it during warmups if he cannot use it during the game.
I believe it is safe to assume Smith knew exactly what he was doing. The only reason there is room to believe him is because the substance was quite large on his arm. Essentially, if he was trying to fool anyone, he did a horrible job at it.
It is quite obvious MLB has no choice but to give the suspension he deserves.
Michael Terrill is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelTerrill, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
