Yasiel Puig shows up late to the ballpark today, gets benched

Dude. I’ve done my damndest to defend you, but at some point you gotta help me help you:

Seems Puig was confused over what time to be at ballpark this morning. Was late. Could see a Kemp start after all.

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) April 4, 2014

Here we go again: Yasiel Puig shows up late for BP and Mattingly replaces him with Matt Kemp for #Dodgers home opener.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 4, 2014

Kemp was supposed to sit this one out, but Mattingly has benched Puig. Which — my past defenses of him notwithstanding — is exactly what he should do in this situation. Do the crime, such as it is, do the time.

My beef has never been with Mattingly or the Dodgers handling Puig the way he should be handled. It’s been about overreaction of the media with respect to his behavior and the implication that he’s not manageable via the same means via which any other ballplayer is subject.

This is a clear violation of Puig’s responsibilities. Mattingly has made him pay for it. Now let’s see if that’s good enough for everyone. I feel like it won’t be.

UPDATE: Nope, it isn’t. Read this for the most ridiculously over-heated response to this.

Former MLB player and manager Brad Ausmus will manage the Angels in 2019, the team announced Sunday. While no contract terms have been revealed, a formal press conference will be held on Monday at 1:00 PM PDT to introduce the new skipper.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler gave a statement following Ausmus’ hiring:

Here’s Billy Eppler’s statement: pic.twitter.com/3SE9nUtBkq

— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) October 21, 2018

Ausmus, 49, was also considered for a managerial role with the Reds prior to their hiring of David Bell on Sunday. He’ll replace longtime manager Mike Scioscia, who finished his 19th and final campaign with the club on the last day of the 2018 season.

A former catcher and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Ausmus capped his 18-year MLB playing career in 2010. He managed the Tigers from 2014 to 2017, during which he guided the club to a 314-332 record and a postseason berth in 2014. After the Tigers declined to offer the skipper an extension in 2018, he was hired as a special assistant to the Angels’ general manager, and remained in that role for the duration of the regular season.