Rozner: Young White Sox won't be pushed around

The White Sox are young, unproven and, well, bad.

Yeah, they're bad. That's OK. They expected to be bad. There's no disgrace in surviving the ugly years during a full teardown and rebuild.

But as Anthony Rizzo could tell them, it doesn't mean they should be treated with disrespect and dismissed like children.

And that's what Justin Verlander was doing Friday night when he verbally attacked Tim Anderson.

It's still unclear what precipitated the audible scuffle, but it might have begun when the 24-year-old Anderson celebrated at first base after ending the Houston star's no-hit bid in the fifth inning with a clean single through the left side.

Like nearly every young player in the game today, Anderson was excited when he got to first, clapping his hands and pointing into his dugout. Who doesn't gesture toward his own dugout in this era?

But Verlander claimed that wasn't the problem.

"I wasn't upset with him being excited about getting a hit," Verlander said. "Hey, that's baseball and you can be excited about getting a hit. He earned it."

So what's the problem?

With Omar Narvaez at the plate and a 3-0 count, Anderson attempted to steal second with the Sox down 5-0 in the fifth. It was strange at best and foolish at worst, but how is this Verlander's problem?

If this is yet another unwritten rule, it's new even to that instruction book. Never heard of that one before. In any case, it was ball four and Anderson was on second regardless.

"He steals on 3-0 in a 5-0 game. That's probably not great baseball," Verlander said. "Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. I don't know."

It's not great baseball, but how is that any of Verlander's concern?

"He celebrated that," Verlander said. "Kind of celebrated that at second base. I don't even know what he was celebrating. He didn't even get credit for a stolen base. Maybe he thought he did. I don't know."

WWMD. What would (Greg) Maddux do? It's always the place to go for answers.

In this situation, maybe he would have chuckled to himself at the oddity of Anderson's decision, but he would have then gone about the business of getting outs and would not have worried about opposition displays of emotion.

Instead, Verlander was caught up in Anderson having fun with his mates, exchanging words with the young shortstop.

"He was a little over-aggressive and I let him know it," Verlander said. "I took offense to it."

To what, exactly? He's not allowed to steal when you don't think it's a good idea? What do you care?

"Not relevant," Anderson said. "It's not relevant to talk about. I got a hit and broke up a no-hitter."

Anderson made another strange decision with two on and one out and still down 5-0 when he broke for third on another steal attempt. Verlander's pickoff throw sent Anderson back to second, where Narvaez was tagged out.

Said Verlander, "Stealing third in a 5-0 game with two guys on in an inning where I was clearly struggling … and I pick you off on an inside move. After the way he had kind of been jubilant about some other things, I was just as jubilant about that."

Verlander yelled something at Anderson, who replied in kind. The conversation was not suitable for younger viewers and they weren't making dinner plans.

"I don't know what he said," Anderson said. "I couldn't care less."

Verlander should have been thrilled the Sox gave him a gift and should have been minding his own business.

"Very thankful that he gave me an out," Verlander said. "That's what I said and he didn't like that comment, but that's not my fault. That's his fault.

"I'm not going to let the situation dictate what I do out there. I'm going to slow everything down and that's what veterans can do. See the game and play the game the right way."

Houston shortstop Carlos Correa got in between them, gave Anderson a playful pat and everyone quieted down.

"I'm out just playing and having fun," Anderson said. "If he took it to heart, so what?"

Exactly. So what? Why does Verlander care how the Sox play baseball? How is this disrespectful? What is his problem with what occurred?

Verlander should have been grateful and kept his opinions to himself.

As for Anderson, he'll figure out what the smart play is there and learn from it, and a year or two from now when the Sox are good, they won't have opponents pointing at the scoreboard.

In the meantime, Anderson won't be afraid to tell the opposition to stay out of South Siders' business.

As it should be.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.