12/30/24
May 21, 2006
White Sox and Cubs brawl.: Cubs manager Dusty Baker has no problem with Pierzynski, but Rich Hill does, calling the collision "gutless" and "pathetic". White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's response?
"Tell that Triple-A [bleep] to shut the [bleep] up. Tell him to start throwing some strikes or he's going to get Dusty fired."
Any questions?
Barret was completely out of line. Pierzynski was well within his rights as a baserunner and well within the rules of the game. If you block the plate, you are fair game. The Cubs recent swoon may have contributed to Barrets hot headed action, but Pierzynski was safe and the Sox won. The best team is on the south side.
posted by mjkredliner at 01:03 AM on May 21, 2006
One of the stranger things I've seen on a ballfield, but by no means the strangest. From watching the play and hearing Barret's comments in the post game, along with his deamenor, my judgement on this one is that Barret had a total brainfart. A.J. made a solid, clean yet physical play. Barret wigged out. It happens. I actually don't mind a donney-brook in my hardball every now and again. (Almost reminds me of hockey)
posted by Fade222 at 02:23 AM on May 21, 2006
Cheap shot, plain and simple.
posted by Drood at 04:16 AM on May 21, 2006
Nothing cheap about it. He got a good shot in there. He connected well. That's pretty rare in baseball. And it's gonna cost him. Lotta things that shot was, but cheap ain't one of them.
posted by chicobangs at 04:45 AM on May 21, 2006
The slide was clean. The let-me-jam-my-shoulder-into-your-chest-as-you-catch-your-breath was not.
posted by Dan121377 at 06:12 AM on May 21, 2006
You block the plate,you get ran over.Gosh,everybody forget's how to play the game.It's all sissyfied.I dont expect anything less from a team that's touted as winners all the time, with loser fans and bad management to pull what they did.Totally low class and the catcher explains later how kids were watching,duh.And they wonder why they never get my money for 4 years now.That was worse than the fan who slugged the Royals coach but the tribune will spin it around and the dummy fans will side with Barret..as usuall.Wait another 100 years cub fans.....The punch was weak also,equal to a hockey punch 3 inches away.
posted by irishmic2004@sbcglobal.net at 07:31 AM on May 21, 2006
In the past couple of weeks Barret has tried to pick a fight with half of the league. Too bad he didn't show any of that fight when the Cubs were recently in San Francisco!
posted by INOALOSER at 07:45 AM on May 21, 2006
A couple of years ago, Barrett also had a run-in with the Astros' Roy Oswalt, accusing him if trying to hit him with a pitch. That one touched off a brawl as well. I see a little pattern here, if you ask me, Barrett is somewhat of a hothead.
posted by Mitch0129 at 08:17 AM on May 21, 2006
The idiot comments by Hill really got my goat (even though the collision-slobberknocker-brawl was kind of sweet). "But you don't go around just running over catchers." I'm pretty sure that's what you do when the catcher is blocking the plate. If Pierzynski had slowed up just to see if Barrett even had the ball, he would have been ridiculed for doing so. You don't have time to think about those things, just getting to the plate. Plus, Hill needs to worry about not rocking the boat too much. He's about to get demoted...
posted by wingnut4life at 08:51 AM on May 21, 2006
Pierzynski drops his shoulder in that classic "I'm stepping around you" move. He wouldn't have touched Barrett if the Cubs catcher hadn't stepping into him and grabbed him. Barrett should have been thinking (1) "If I don't have the ball and I step in front of the plate I am a MLB catcher and should expect to have my ass bowled over." and (2) "I'm on my ass. The play is live. Where's the ball?" He should not have reacted like a kid in Babe Ruth whose pride was hurt. Obviously it was a clean hit. The basepath is owned by the runner. All catchers know the chance they are taking by setting up like Barrett. He obviously forgot who set up that collision.
posted by ?! at 08:52 AM on May 21, 2006
Barrett just got punked, and he was feeling about two feet tall. A catcher looks forward to these plays as defining moments. When you come out looking bad you try to save face a little. A.J. was trying to get past him and Barrett overreacted. Any comments to the contrary are going to be made by foolish Cubs fans.
posted by seansterps at 09:22 AM on May 21, 2006
Im a cubs fan and even Im ashamed of our ballclub. How can our catcher sucker punch a guy when he is making a clean play. Barrett was blocking the plate. AJ did what he had to do. Im disgusted with this ballclub. I dont even want to watch todays game.
posted by Loudmouthkev at 09:31 AM on May 21, 2006
There's something in the rules that I could never understand. If a catcher can legally block the plate while waiting for the ball, why can't, for example, a first baseman block the bag while he awaits the ball? IMO, a catcher should be charged with interfearing with a baserunner - as would the first baseman.
posted by drevl at 09:51 AM on May 21, 2006
That was a hell of a punch by Barrett- I wonder what the suspension will be for that one... lol
posted by redsoxrgay at 10:36 AM on May 21, 2006
Barrett argues he didn't have the ball! Then it's his fault for blocking the plate w/o it! Any time you block a bag you're sending a message: " You'll only get to it through me", and that AJ did !
posted by zippinglou at 11:05 AM on May 21, 2006
AJ's reputation of being a prick is the only reason people are even making an issue of this. It was Barrett's fault all the way. I've seen a few catcher's get mowed over recently, but he's the only one who loses his cool. I have nothing against the Cubs, but their tradition of losing, and finding ways to lose, is going to lead to more and more frustration and , quite possibly, this type of behavior. The fact they're playing their cross-town rivals who finally brought the city a championship probably added to the negative feelings.
posted by dyams at 11:43 AM on May 21, 2006
Barrett's story was fishy, but I hate Pierzynski with a passion, plus I love seeing bench-clearers.
posted by Clevelander32 at 12:00 PM on May 21, 2006
Let's not forget that Ozzie Guillen has what might just be the quote the year: "Tell that Triple-A [bleep] to shut the [bleep] up. Tell him to start throwing some strikes or he's going to get Dusty fired." It's a rivalry, what do you want? These things happen.
posted by SummersEve at 12:47 PM on May 21, 2006
Barretts a bitch
posted by ggermanctl@sbcglobal at 01:04 PM on May 21, 2006
It's all sissyfied.I dont expect anything less from a team that's touted as winners all the time, with loser fans and bad management to pull what they did. Uh yeah, I take offense to this. Really classy to assume that all cub's fans are losers. We have our own share of losers, but no more than any other team. I do see the cubs touted as winners either, except for the brief anamoly in 2003, which ultimately ended up as a great act of losing.
posted by corpse at 01:11 PM on May 21, 2006
For me, Clevelander32 said if pretty good, but I feeel a need to opinionate on Ozzie Guillen. Actually, I feel a need to urinate on Ozzie Guillen. He bitches. My cousin, the one who was kicked in the head by a mule, could have managed that team to a championship last year. Guillen didn't manage it; he bitched.
posted by Bud Lang at 01:24 PM on May 21, 2006
Barrett just got punked, and he was feeling about two feet tall. A catcher looks forward to these plays as defining moments. When you come out looking bad you try to save face a little. well I don't agree with that at all. Getting flattened by a guy who has a full head of steam running at you as you sit non-moving in one place is hardly embarrasing and there's no "face" to save. He's sitting still waiting for a ball and the other guy has full-speed momentum runs into him. What result did you expect? Pierzynski to bounce off of him as Barnett stands defiently over him laughing? The catcher NEVER wins that (other than managing to hold onto the ball, which in this case wasn't even there yet) and I doubt any of them "look forward" to these defining moments. He flipped because he got the crap nailed out of him then felt Pierzynski was getting cocky when he bumped him right after.
posted by bdaddy at 01:54 PM on May 21, 2006
It's punishment enough to have to play for the Cubs and Dusty Baker.
posted by st.louie at 02:09 PM on May 21, 2006
i found it funny. he didn't have the ball and got hit. he is a grown man and he handeled it the way he wanted
posted by chewman2 at 02:18 PM on May 21, 2006
"then felt Pierzynski was getting cocky when he bumped him right after" Pierzynski didn't bump into him. Barrett moved up and into Pierzynski to grab him. drevl: "If a catcher can legally block the plate while waiting for the ball..." A catcher can't legally block the plate. See the note at 7.06(b) "The catcher, without the ball in his possession, has no right to block the pathway of the runner attempting to score."
posted by ?! at 03:01 PM on May 21, 2006
That was worse than the fan who slugged the Royals coach but the tribune will spin it around and the dummy fans will side with Barret. Let's see, two drunk white trash Sox fans jump from the stands and kick the crap out of a Royals coach for no reason, but that's fine. If Barrett gets a little hot because his team sucks and they are playing the world series champs and he's pissed and takes a cheap shot, thats WORSE????
posted by sublime4390116 at 03:11 PM on May 21, 2006
I don't know, I was glad to see Pierzynski get punched after slapping the plate with his open hand like that. (Full disclosure: I hate Pierzynski.) The whole "act like you've been there before" thing seems to apply. Barrett might have been thinking, "OK, you're safe, jackass. I didn't have the ball. No need to throw yourself a parade."
posted by cl at 03:49 PM on May 21, 2006
More Pierzynski being Pierzynski.
posted by justgary at 05:23 PM on May 21, 2006
Yea Barrett definately overreacted. Did anyone see the posada play? Texieria totally knocked the shit out of him- and Posada never got angry. Barrett seemed like the hit pissed him off- then retaliated by grabbing him, and punching the shit out of him. If Posada didn't d oanything after his hit (which was way worse), the Barrett is way out of line to start a brawl out of that.
posted by redsoxrgay at 05:30 PM on May 21, 2006
plus I love seeing bench-clearers You're not alone. The incident and resulting brawl was Channel 10's 'Play of the Day' down here in Australia.
posted by owlhouse at 05:57 PM on May 21, 2006
It was a beautiful punch! I bet catchers everywhere drank a toast to that one. I bet Yogi had something to say.
posted by stickman at 06:45 PM on May 21, 2006
"I expected the crowd to react in the way they did. That is their right," he added. "It was bad. But nobody came on the field to try to hurt me and I appreciate that." A little verbal slap at the Comiskey Crowd from Barrett? The Gamboa incident did happen at U.S. Cellular Field.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 07:57 PM on May 21, 2006
After several incidents in the past two years, it is clear Barrett has an anger-mangement issue. However you would never notice when he talks on the local sports radio stations. I watched the braves in the late 80's go through some god awful years. They had some young players(Glavine,Smoltz) so you had a feeling things would get better. The cubs should be ashamed of the level of this team. Spending 90 millions dollars on this crap is embarrassing. Even for this soxs fan.
posted by whodat at 09:50 PM on May 21, 2006
AJ has nothing to apologize for, unless you think he should play less than all out. Something that few of the Cubs are doing, it seems.
posted by mjkredliner at 01:34 AM on May 22, 2006
pierznyski got exactly what he had comming. The only fault with barrett is that the shot wasn't a knock out. Quit crying Sox fans, your team will do that for you.
posted by funeralguy61 at 07:43 AM on May 22, 2006
I am not a big Fan of AJ. I am glad that my Twins traded him. Especially since we got three really good pitchers for him. That said, I feel it was a good play on his part that got out of hand. I dont think that he was looking for a fight!
posted by daddisamm at 08:11 AM on May 22, 2006
Nothing to see here...gutty play on both sides, punch was stupid but heat of the moment...move along, move along.
posted by sfts2 at 08:43 AM on May 22, 2006
The catcher NEVER wins that (other than managing to hold onto the ball, which in this case wasn't even there yet) and I doubt any of them "look forward" to these defining moments. Wasn't Jack Parkman looking forward to one of these moments.
posted by tron7 at 11:40 AM on May 22, 2006
Barrett does not have an anger management issue. Everybody saying that is stupid and I'm sick of it. The man plays with fire and passion, something this ballclub is sorely missing. It looks like he has an issue because he is surrounded by guys who'd rather slip into a coma then show life...except Zambrano. Pierzynski is a world class A-Hole and one of the Top 5 most hated people in sports. Next thing you know, T.O. and Barry Bonds are gonna be called saints and saviors of sportsdom by you people! BTW, Sox fans, it's nice to see you guys can finally come close to filling a stadium with people and have cancelled bring your dog to the park day Tuesday and half price Monday. Gotta love a marketing team that has to resort to counting animals as people in attendance. True Sox fans wear Sox paraphanalia, not anti-Cubs paraphanalia(spelling) and from the look of the game on Saturday, I'd say it was 1/3 Sox fans, 1/3 Cubs fans and 1/3 idiots who are fans of one team simply to hate the other, aka TOOLS! I'm out
posted by timdawg at 11:43 AM on May 22, 2006
I hope this becomes a pattern. Every time someone scores, Barrett punches them.
posted by steelcityguy at 11:51 AM on May 22, 2006
Evidentally, some feel he can punch anyone in the league that people consider to be an asshole. I don't really think hauling off and smashing someone in the face constitutes playing with fire and passion. It's just another ridiculous event in the never-ending tragedy which is Cubs baseball.
posted by dyams at 12:26 PM on May 22, 2006
Irishmic you are 100% right. Couldn't have said it better myself.
posted by joromu at 12:46 PM on May 22, 2006
This kind of thing is also greared to boost the attendance the next time they meet. No matter where they are in the standings the bozos will flock to take it all in.
posted by joromu at 12:49 PM on May 22, 2006
timdawg, I heard that the World Series is going to be played by the two teams with the highest attendance from now on! Maybe the Cubs marketing department can find you 23 more worthy players by then.
posted by INOALOSER at 02:41 PM on May 22, 2006
All I'm saying is I haven't seen weather that fair since I was in Laguna Beach last May
posted by timdawg at 03:02 PM on May 22, 2006
Any fielder who puts his body between the runner and the base deserves to get removed by the runner. If the fielder has the ball, then a tag with the glove is all that's necessary. Blocking the base is unnecessary. If he doesn't even have the ball (ie: Barrett) he should get the hell out of the way. If it's the catcher blocking the base, he deserves the Pierzynski treatment. If it's a fielder blocking second or third base, he deserves the Ty Cobb treatment.
posted by drevl at 04:02 PM on May 22, 2006
Man oh man are most of you people missing the point. The play was tottaly clean which even Barrett said after the game. All what happend was a guy who wants his team to win and obvioulsy is pissed by the way the Cubs are playing so far lost his cool and overeacted. As for that ass AJ, he didnt nothing wrong with the play itsself, but the guys is a complete jack ass and I LOVED seeing him get a clean shot to his bitch boy face. No one feel sorry for AJ he does not even deserve it. OH and anyone who calls Cubs fans idiots, look out because their a good chance your not too far from one, WE'RE ALL OVER BITCH!!!!
posted by cub82 at 05:36 PM on May 22, 2006
"WE'RE ALL OVER BITCH!!!!" Like kudzu. And with as much chance of making the World Series.
posted by ?! at 11:04 PM on May 22, 2006
look out because their a good chance your not too far from one, WE'RE ALL OVER BITCH!!!! ? ? ?
posted by dyams at 07:50 AM on May 23, 2006
Every time someone scores, Barrett punches them. Good Lord, the way the Cubbies are playing, Barrett's arms'll fall off by the All-Star break.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 06:14 PM on May 23, 2006
"I was going to get my batting helmet, it was behind him." Pierzynski should have known that the play was still live and should have moved out of the way (towards his own dugout). Instead, he walked in the path of Barrett as he went to retrieve the ball. And yes, Pierzynski should be glad his teammates "had his back". In Minnesota and San Francisco, he was such a pain in the ass that both teams couldn't wait to trade him away, and then let the media know how much of a dick he really was. It's amazing how "pain in the ass" turns into "character" when you are winning, but can easily flop in the other direction when you aren't.