Brian Sabean ripped Scott Cousins on KNBR today, really laid into him. He said he wishes the guy would leave baseball and he said the Giants are gunning for him — i.e. want revenge on the field.

These are incendiary words and I don’t think there’s any place for them. Sabean said Cousins’ play on Buster Posey was malicious. But it’s what most runners would do in that situation, try to knock the ball loose.

I don’t think Sabean’s issue is with Cousins. It’s with baseball culture and baseball rules. Perhaps MLB should consider changing rules or changing the game’s culture in this one area. I am not in favor of this but I sure am openminded to reasonable suggestions on this complicated issue. But I don’t like threats and I don’t like baseball’s culture of revenge — that’s another area baseball might consider changing, and Sabean is expressing it in his comments.

I also will point out that MLB did not fine Cousins or suspend him or say he did anything dirty.

To read a full account of what Sabean said, here is a link to Andy Baggarly’s blog.