Seattle Mariners legend Ruppert Jones is 2x All-Star and World Champion, who played from 1976 until 1987 for a number of teams. I had the opportunity to speak with Ruppert Jones about how the game has changed and to share some of his fondest memories from his playing days.
Marcus Guy: Thank you for taking the time, Mr. Ruppert Jones.
Ruppert Jones: Oh, it’s my pleasure, and please, call me Rupe.
MG: Much has changed since you’ve played, but the structure has remained the same. You have nine innings, you’ve have three outs and three strikes. But the strategy has changed. The way the bullpen is used. The number of home runs and strikeouts. How many pitches do pitchers throw?
What do you miss most from the way baseball used to be played?
Rupe: Action. Our game needs action. A hit-and-run is action. Stealing a base is action; nobody puts pressure on the defense anymore. The ball isn’t put in play. I just put it on all aspects of the game. There’s no pressure on the defense.
MG: To your point, the lack of hustle in today’s game also relaxes the pressure on the fielders.
Rupe: That’s the whole thing about running hard all the time, man! The infielders know they’ve got to get rid of the ball, so you put pressure on him. If a guy knows he can catch the ball, (and the runner is not hustling), he will look at it and throw it across the diamond- that’s too easy. If he knows you’re running hard, then he’s got to rush it, and can’t be holding the ball too long. Consequently, you raise the chances that he will not make a good throw.
MG: Earlier this year, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson hit a home run off of actually your former team the Kansas City Royals. After he hit the Home Run, he did a grandiose bat-flip and he enjoyed himself. The Royals were not having it, so the next at-bat, he got plunked; the benches cleared and suspensions were handed out. What are your thoughts on styling a home run or hitting a batter in response to such an act?
Rupe: This game is accepting of that now. They call that entertainment. “Entertainment at whose expense?” is what you have got to ask yourself. You’re only looking at one side of it, and people don’t see the other side. If I’m a pitcher- I make my living pitching. If you hit a home run off me, I don’t like that to begin with, and then when you flip your bat- that just adds fuel to the fire.
MG: Baseball has always been a very classy game and its focus on class is more so than any of the other major sports. I feel that that is one of the reasons why there is such a protocol in baseball. In the old days, would people show you up like that?
Rupe: Take Nolan Ryan, for example- as a matter of fact, there are a whole lot of guys, not just Nolan that would put you in your place. Sometimes there were teams, teams that didn’t like you. You had to play these guys on numerous occasions. It’s not like you had two games against them. No, you got to see them numerous times (throughout the season), and showing them up creates bad blood.