Maybe it was a little shady what Nationals manager Davey Johnson did, asking the umps to check Joel Peralta’s glove. Maybe his own pitchers now will be subject to more scrutiny from opposing teams (which is why, perhaps, none seemed too pleased with what happened Tuesday, as reported by The Washington Examiner). And maybe every team has a handful of guys who use foreign substances — Peralta, after all, did pitch for the Nats two years ago.

However, Joe Maddon went overboard in his reaction. Go ahead, protect your player. But to refer to it as a “[wimpy] move” is ridiculous. (Of course, it led to a great quote by Johnson calling Maddon a “weird wuss.”) Perhaps many other pitchers use pine tar, which is illegal. But there’s also varying degrees of guilt. If you’re driving 60 in a 55, technically you’re speeding, but it’s rare to get pulled over. But go 70 in a 55 and see what happens (somewhere other than the Beltway, I mean). Still, either way, you’re speeding.