The Tampa Bay Tribune has the scoop on what caused Orlando Cabrera’s mini meltdown during the White Sox and Rays first game. Apparently Grant Balfour has made it a habit of swearing after throwing a pitch all year.
“All year, I fire myself up, and that’s what I do,” Balfour said. “That’s what I’ve been doing all year long, and I haven’t changed anything and I’m not going to change. That’s what I like to do when I pitch.”
Orlando Cabrera was unaware of this habit. When Balfour threw a first pitch ball that was well outside and then proceeded to drop a loud F-bomb, Cabrera took exception. He took a step forward and kicked dirt towards Balfour.
“They said that he always gets pumped up like that, he always says the F-word to the hitter every time they swing at his pitch,” Cabrera said. “I didn’t know that, so I just got mad a little bit and I was just pumped up.”
Now Balfour, assuming that everyone should know his tendency to yell the f-word, didn’t appreciate Cabrera kicking dirt in his direction. Catcher Dioner Navarro came to the defense of his pitcher.
“He’s been like that the whole year,” Navarro said, “and that’s what I was trying to tell Cabrera – ‘Hey, he’s been like that the whole year, he wasn’t even talking to the hitter, he wasn’t even talking to nobody.’”
So no harm done here really. It was almost better off unexplained because it looked really rediculous live on televsion.
