When The Baseball Gods Are Out To Get You…They Don’t Let Up | Tim Anderson Is Still Learning About The Game

When The Baseball Gods Are Out To Get You…They Don’t Let Up | Tim Anderson Is Still Learning About The Game

by | Apr 22, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF

  • Heckling Fans in Cleveland Get a ‘Flippin’ Reaction

Tim Anderson can’t get up.

After serving a two-game suspension to start the season, Chicago White Sox star shortstop Tim Anderson has made headlines for his display of flipping off the Cleveland Guardian home crowd.

Usually, one of the chillest Bros in the game (except when he’s celebrating a dinger) Anderson lost his cool a bit after experiencing some uncharacteristically bad defense.

Baseball is a game of extreme highs and constant lows. Anderson has been fortunate enough not to fall into the MLB matrix that can turn awesome players into mental messes in the flick of a wrist. He’s won a batting title and generally fields his position well.

Until now.

In Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Guardians, Anderson felt the tension of the division rivalry early on.

He made a crucial throwing error in the first inning, which gave the Guardians the first run of the game. Anderson cut himself down again, making two more errors in the second, resulting in the Guardian’s 11-1 rout over the White Sox.

With the noise in his ear and emotions riding high, Anderson made a poor judgment call that struck him down even further. All eyes were on him as he flipped the bird to the Guardian faithful at Progressive Field. TV cameras caught the infielder in frustration in a video that has now gone viral.

 

Although social media actually took it in stride, the action will most likely result in a fine and another potential timeout for the White Sox shortstop. Anderson has already served a suspension for making contact with umpire Tim Timmons during the ninth inning of a game on Sept. 27.

Anderson is following a current trend in sports, using his finger rather than his play to make a statement on the playing field. Brooklyn Nets star guard, Kyrie Irving, gave Boston Celtics fans the double bird during Game 1 of the 1st Round of the NBA playoffs.

When asked about his actions during the game, Anderson brushed the media aside.

He was quoted after the loss saying:

“I feel like I’m getting to the point where I need to change the game.” However, he did add that this experience will be a “good way to grow.”

Anderson has always been a player that wants to bring excitement to America’s pastime. However, the baseball purists would probably not appreciate gestures like the one he displayed on Wednesday.

To add insult to injury, in Game 3 of the series on Thursday, Anderson made another error on his first attempt at fielding the ball. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s his fourth error in this series alone. To put that into perspective, Anderson only had 10 errors at shortstop all of last season.

When the baseball gods are out to get you… they really do not let up.