Alburquerque explains kiss that irked A's

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OAKLANDThe problem with the unwritten rules of baseball is that no one has a hard copy to reference.The unwritten rules are again receiving a preposterous amount of attention thanks to Al Alburquerque, who drew the ire of As players and fans by planting a kiss on a baseball before he threw to first for a rally-killing out in the Detroit Tigers Game 2 win Sunday.Yoenis Cespedes, who hit the ball that received the questionable affection, took offense to the move, as did many of his teammates. But Monday in Oakland, veteran Jonny Gomes took a more Zen approach.There are baseball gods that take care of that stuff, Gomes said. He obviously doesnt believe in them but I do.In Oaklands visitors clubhouse, Alburquerque drew a larger media scrum than Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera or Prince Fielder. Through a translator, Alburquerque explained what was going through his mind as he planted the controversial kiss.Just got caught in the emotions of the game, Alburquerque said. I respect Yoenis Cespedes; I was just excited to get that out.While Cespedes and Josh Reddick did not hold back their disgust with the perceived slight after Sundays loss, other As were more understanding Monday.I guess he got the out so he can do what he wants, infielder Cliff Pennington said.Closer Grant Balfour said he didnt see the kiss because of Detroits isolated bullpen and didnt make an effort to catch a replay, either.I didnt watch any baseball; I wanted a break from the game, Balfour said.Gerald Laird, who started the game at catcher but gave way to Alex Avila by the time Alburquerque was called in from the bullpen, tried to defend his teammate.Hes not out there trying to disrespect anyone, Laird said, adding that he understood why some As took offense. Asked for his reaction to the move, Laird said: I laughed and asked myself Did I just see what I saw?Tigers manager Jim Leyland, a self-proclaimed old-school baseball man, made no excuses for his 26-year-old reliever.I dont think it was the right thing to do, Leyland said. I will sit here today and I will not try to defend it. I will say that I can assure everybody, including the Oakland As, that Alburquerque did nothing intentionally to offend the Oakland As.We make no excuses; it happened. It shouldnt have happened. It did happen. But like I said, in no way was that meant to offend an opponent, no way. We have too much respect for the game. Too much respect for Bob Melvin and the Oakland As. If thats not acceptable, then people have to deal with it the way they want to deal with it.Melvin, when informed of Leylands respect, returned the compliment and offered his take on The Kiss Heard Round the Baseball World.I respect Jim Leyland as much as I respect anyone, Melvin said. I think there are varying degrees to all that stuff, showmanship, whatever. We were accused of something in New York that was going on in our dugout. I think everybody has different takes on that. I dont think theres one right or wrong way. Emotionally after a game when something like that happens, youre always going to hear something from somebody. But you move on. Its not a big deal for me.Melvin has at least one bigger concern than an offensive kiss. His As can kiss their Cinderella season goodbye with just one more loss.

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