Reds second baseman Derek Dietrich has been going off of late, mostly at the expense of the Pirates. Dietrich this season has 17 home runs, and seven of those have come against the Pirates over a span of just nine games. 

Without question, getting owned to such an extent has lodged firmly in the craw of the Pirates and their rooters. What's no doubt made it worse is that Dietrich has recently admired his handiwork in the box, which of course is a capital offense in some baseball quarters. Things reached a peak on Tuesday, when Dietrich ritually abused the Pirates for a trio of dingers and varying degrees of self-appreciation in each instance: 

This brings us to Pirates broadcaster and former Pirates player John Wehner. While it eludes the present author why anyone would listen to anyone say things over the airwaves when it doesn't involve describing actual sports action, people who unaccountably believe otherwise heard Wehner say these things on the car stereos of western Pennsylvania (via Tim Benz of TribLive.com): 

"I can't stand him [Dietrich]," Wehner said on Tuesday's Fan Morning Show. "I don't understand why you have to do that. It's different if you're a Hall of Fame player, you're a 60-homer guy, you're an established guy. Nobody ever heard of him before this year. I heard of him because of his grandfather (Steve Demeter) who used to be a minor league coach for the Pirates. He was the sweetest guy in the world. He's rolling in his grave every time this guy hits a home run. He's embarrassed of his grandson."

More, unfortunately: 

"I'd like to think Steve Demeter would slap him upside his head," Wehner said. "I guarantee he would tell him it was uncalled for."

As long as we're thundering our opinions, here's one: getting mad and red-faced and sweaty over a guy's admiring his home run is the province of Adult Babies, of which Wehner is indisputably one. As ever, pitchers seem to be allowed all kinds of post-strikeout exuberance, but a batter who lays into one is supposed to round the bases like a shamefaced penitent. Those involved with pretty much every other sport seem to be able to carry on with their days and lives despite occasional zest from the opposition, but in baseball in this regard generally remains a mix of high tea and solemn vows. Enough already. 

All of that is pedestrian enough, though. Wehner truly goes beyond the pale when he brings Dietrich's deceased grandfather into it. By all accounts, Dietrich and his grandfather were close, and something tells me Dietrich would have a better read on what his grandfather would think than Wehner would. Another reasonable bet is that Mr. Detemer might take more joy in seeing his grandson hit home runs against the best pitchers in the world than he would in validating whatever Wehner is yelling over wide-band FM. Maybe don't invoke a guy's dead family member to make a point that isn't even a point and wouldn't matter even if it were a point.

A general rule of this existence is that the best words are those that are never spoken. John Wehner and his tired-ass, colicky-baby takes have reminded us of this truth.