PITCHERS AND THAT STUPID PITCH COUNT

THE OTHER NIGHT THE YANKEES WERE PLAYING THE TEXAS RANGERS AND THE YANKEE STARTER, PHILIP HUGHES, WAS THROWING A NO-HITTER WHEN HE PULLED HIS HAMSTRING AND WAS DONE FOR NOT ONLY THAT NIGHT BUT FOR THE NEXT 4-6 WEEKS. BAD LUCK, THE YANKEES DIDN'T THINK SO AND FIRED THEIR FITNESS COACH,IT CERTAINLY WAS. HOWEVER, WHAT THE PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER SAID NEXT FLOORED ME. HE SAID THAT IT WAS A GOOD THING FOR JOE TORRE THAT HUGHES WAS HURT BECAUSE, AND BE READY TO GET SICK, HUGHES WAS APPROACHING HIS MAXIMUM PITCH COUNT AND JOE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE THE TOUGH DECISION OF WHETHER OR NOT TO LEAVE HIM IN OR PULL HIM. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT, A PITCH COUNT FOR A GUY WHO IS A ROOKIE AND ALSO PITCHING A NO HITTER! HAS BASEBALL BECOME SOFT? YES.

THEN THE PLAY BY PLAY GUY SAID THAT HUGHES HAD NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO PITCH PAST THE 6TH INNING SINCE BECOMING A PRO. WHAT! MY GOODNESS, WHY? WHY DO WE NEED A PITCH COUNT IN THE FIRST PLACE? I BET THAT IF YOU PULLED STATS TOGETHER ON HOW MANY STARTERS HAVE BEEN PULLED OUT OF A GAME WITH A LEAD BECAUSE THEIR COUNT WAS HIGH AND HOW MANY OF THE RELIEVERS BLEW THAT LEAD, I BET IT WOULD BE EYE OPENING. JOE TORRE IS NOTORIOUS FOR PULLING PITCHERS TO SOON, JUST ASK ANDY PETITTE. BRING BACK THE DAYS WHEN PITCHERS PITCHED PAST 7 INNINGS. I BET IT WOULD MAKE GAMES BETTER AND WOULD RID THE LEAGUE OF THOSE WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN GONE A LONG TIME AGO. THE MIDDLE RELIEF PITCHER IS ONLY FOR WHEN THE STARTER FALLS APART EARLY IN A GAME NOT FOR THE 5TH, 6TH AND 7TH OF A GAME, BRING BACK TOM TERRIFIC SEAVER, SANDY KOFAX,JIM PALMER MAKE IT A GAME AGAIN THAT ONLY LAST FOR 2 HOURS AT THE MOST.