When Frank Robinson tearfully apologized for pulling catcher Matthew LeCroy during an inning in a game last week at RFK, you might have thought that he had actually gone out to the mound and smothered him to death with a pillow.

Robinson, certified "baseball tough guy," was hailed as either a great and sensitive leader, or a baseball lout. There seemed to be no middle ground.

In fact, I got great titillation listening to our own sports radio station take calls on the subject. The opinions fell into two basic camps. Let me attempt to combine and paraphrase.

Camp A: "Sure, it wasn't the best thing to do, but Frank knew it when he did it. By crying like that in front of the press, he showed how much he loves this team, even when he's hard on them. This is why they overachieved for him last year, and would be doing the same this year if they weren't so banged up. Hail Frank Robinson. Great manager, great man! Huzzah!"

Camp B: "Robinson is a quick hook jerk, who should have never pulled that stunt on the kid. So what if the Astros had stolen seven bases on him, and he'd committed two throwing errors already? He put him in the lineup. He knows the kid's arm is not major league level. Deal with it. It's not like they are in the middle of a pennant race. Show some class. You JUST DON'T DO THAT in baseball."

Now, if I may, let me offer the Czabe take on all of this: "Get a life people! It's just baseball! How many pitchers get yanked during a game? How many 0-3 outfielders get pinch hit for? S- happens. Deal with it."

Now maybe I'm all wet here. Maybe baseball is better for having all these "you just don't do that" rules. Of course, nobody has ever bothered to write them down, and keep a list. (Where's that old coot who writes down the "Man Laws" in the big book when you need him?).

Or maybe baseball is just silly for being so friggin' sensitive.

Because after all, I was led to believe by the movie A League Of Their Own that there's no crying in baseball. Or maybe Tom Hanks just ad-libbed that line on his own. Who knows?

All I do know, is that baseball players like to simultaneously act real tough, but then get sooooo offended whenever the slightest little thing makes them "look bad."

Just look at all the contradictions.

Robinson himself should wipe off those tears and suck it up. He's the same manager who pulled starter John Halama last fall after 24 pitches. "Gee skip. I was just starting to feel it. Can you give me one more inning?"

The move made one helluva mess out of the bullpen for the next week, and about the only people crying were Nats fans.

Robinson also shipped out pitcher Tomo Ohka for failing to hand skip the ball when leaving the mound after being yanked. As you know, "you just don't do that" in baseball. Of course, Ohka is a very serviceable starting arm for the Brewers at 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA.

Spivey is currently hitting .165. In Triple-A Memphis. Yeah. Uh huh.

You "just don't do that" either in baseball. Give away assets because your feelings were hurt.

It's a constant battle with baseball players to show how tough they are at times, if only because their feelings keep getting hurt. Michael Barrett punches out A..J. Pierzinski for running him over and slapping home plate.

Fragile feelings, tough guy.

Players are told never to rub their arm if they get hit with a pitch on the way down to first base. When blistered by a Billy Wagner fastball to the bicep, that's tough!

But God forbid you run too slow around the bases after hitting a home run. That would be "showing up the pitcher" and you'll probably get beaned again so the pitcher can prove how "tough" he is.

While it's OK to be tough and skirt the rules while sliding into a double play with spikes up and 4 feet out of the base path, it's absolutely NOT OK to attempt a bunt to breakup a no-hitter. Just ask Curt Schilling. Remember when he went ballistic over that tactic when he was in Arizona?

Barry Bonds is baseball's ultimate tough guy/soft feelings prototype. There he stands at the plate, menacing in his chemically aided girth and brawn. Elbow armor flanking his wheelhouse. He's one twitch away from sending a ball 450 feet.

But then you see the guy at a press conference, and he's so terribly HURT by the slightest of notions. Memories of the "I'm just so tired" speech in spring training two years ago ring in my ears.

So my advice to baseball players and fans is simple: pick one. Tough guy, or sensitive man? I don't care which, but it is confusing the hell out of most of us. After all, it's not like Robinson called LeCroy "a talking pile of pig s**t after his parents had drove all the way down from Michigan to watch him play."

Now that would have been a reason to cry.