ItвЂ™s not OK to swing at a 3-0 pitch, but a 3-1 pitch would be fine? CвЂ™mon. IвЂ™m not even going to rehash why this particular unwritten rule - donвЂ™t swing at a 3-0 pitch if your team is winning a blowout - is especially ridiculous, even by the lofty standards of ridiculousness of baseballвЂ™s unwritten rules. La Russa on Mercedes: 'The fact that he's a rookie and excited helps explain why he just was clueless. HereвЂ™s the play that started the whole thing. Because hereвЂ™s the thing: La RussaвЂ™s criticism of MercedesвЂ™ action is dumb. One aspect of the way he has approached the game is hopefully ending soon, and that makes me happy.

He has lived his baseball life one way, and it has served him well. His contributions to the sport were rewarded with a richly deserved spot in Cooperstown as a member of the Hall of Fame. La RussaвЂ™s history with the game, his teamвЂ™s successes on the biggest stages and in the biggest moments, is incredible.

I will defend to the bitter Twitter argument end (wait, are there ever endings to Twitter arguments?) his right to make those comments.

Look, there are two very different ways to view La RussaвЂ™s Tuesday comments, in which he said his 'clueless' rookie made a 'big mistake' after hitting a 3-0 count home run while up 15-4 over the Twins in the ninth. His days in the sport have been numbered from the very moment he was hired by White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. La Russa? HeвЂ™s not even the future of the White Sox, past a year or two. MORE: La Russa says Yermin Mercedes' home run was 'mistake'

Card game dammit rules