Fisticuffs Fallout

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 6, 2008 5:48 PM EDT

MLB suspended 5 Devil Rays and 3 Sox for the Recent Unpleasantness:

Coco Crisp: 7 games
James Shields: 6 games
Jonny Gomes: 5 games
Edwin Jackson: 5 games
Jon Lester (?!?): 5 games
Carl Crawford: 4 games
Akinori Iwamura: 3 games
Sean Casey: 3 games

I figured that Coco would go away for a while, but I'm surprised that (a) Jonny Gomes' UFC imitation didn't get more censure -particularly considering he's something of malcontent in that regard - and (b) the extent of the Lester suspension. I guess he did plunk Iwamura and Crawford, but...

Well, but nothing, but still...*

* - maybe he was just filling his quota of non-hit bases?

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Lester is

5 games bc they have to make him miss one start.

by SoxAcumen on Jun 6, 2008 7:17 PM EDT 0 recs

The great thing about it.....

Lester is not appealing his because he knows we have a day off next week. This means Colon will take his spot on normal 4 games rest and Lester will pitch the day after. Lester doesn’t end up missing a game he just ends up moving in the rotation with Colon.

by drabidea on Jun 7, 2008 2:58 PM EDT up 0 recs

I know, but

Is this for plunking Crawford with a curveball…

This insane jealousy of the majestic Boston sports franchises is beginning to rankle…

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 6, 2008 7:20 PM EDT 0 recs

Fastball behind Aybar might actually have been the biggie.

"Are you a real doctor, or a doctor like Dr. Pepper is a doctor?"

by Allen Chace on Jun 6, 2008 11:01 PM EDT up 0 recs

Probably

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Jun 7, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up 0 recs

Didn't he go up and in on Floyd too?

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 7, 2008 11:13 AM EDT up 0 recs

True

but they’re the bad guys...

The surprising thing, and it was mentioned above, is that there was no warning issued to the pitchers at the start of the game

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 7, 2008 3:12 PM EDT up 0 recs

He did.

But that pitch, in a vacuum, (obviously this situation is not a vacuum) was not a big deal. It was up and in to a guy who (and I admit I haven’t seen the replay, but I did see that particular pitch live.) seems to stand close enough to the plate to see a few close pitches from time-to-time anyway.

"Are you a real doctor, or a doctor like Dr. Pepper is a doctor?"

by Allen Chace on Jun 8, 2008 12:21 AM EDT up 0 recs

What about Casey?

I didn’t see him do anything to warrant a suspension. Did I miss something?

by RSNexile on Jun 7, 2008 5:22 PM EDT 0 recs

He pretty much whaled into the brawl.

Legitimate suspension for sure.

Bottom 9th B:1 S:0 O:0 With Bill Mueller batting, Dave Roberts steals (1) 2nd base.

by britsoxfan on Jun 7, 2008 7:20 PM EDT up 0 recs

Fair enough

To be sure, when I saw the fight, I was more focused on Coco getting tackled, then Gomes, Crawford, and Iwamura taking cheap shots at him.

by RSNexile on Jun 8, 2008 2:50 PM EDT up 0 recs

As soon as Crisp went down, a bunch of Rays pulled Shields away. Casey charged right into that group of guys, but then the camera panned away.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 8, 2008 5:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

Maddon should had been suspended..

The Rays manager should had gotten 4-5 games suspended, given some of his words and boast from the day before to the game. The Rays have to be one of the most screwed up teams, given they get into fights pretty easily, not just with the Sox, but the Yankees and the Blue Jays every season.

Crisp shouldn’t get a bigger suspension than Richie Sexson, who didn’t even get hit, and threw his batting helmet at Gabbard. Gomes should had been suspended for 10 games, given some of his past antics.

by superferret on Jun 8, 2008 12:11 AM EDT 0 recs

I couldn't agree more

Maddon is a hot head, who was talking about retaliating after game two of the series. He and Crisp instigated the brawl (Coco should have taken his shot and gone the first base). Maddon should have gotten fined and suspended, especially in light of what happened in Spring Training.

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Jun 8, 2008 2:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah...

... and really, it’s non-contender thinking. “The guys don’t have anything to play for, so let’s get them fired up to beat some people down.” It’s one thing to encourage scrapping when your team isn’t going anywhere and suspensions don’t matter, but I think the Rays have too much talent for it this year. It’s amateurish and unreflective, really – which seems not to jibe with Maddon’s prior-to-TB persona.

More than anything, this convinces me that the Rays are a year or two away from contending. The talent is certainly there, absent a big-bopper type (Texiera?), but there needs to be more poise. They conceded the game and then wanted to be patted on the heads for being badasses…

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 8, 2008 3:47 PM EDT up 0 recs

As I recall,

the 2004 Sox had a big fight with the Yankees midseason. I believe some have attributed that to a turn-around in their performance. Sounds like BS to me, but then again, I don’t play pro baseball; maybe fights can have a placebo effect on teams (people believe they are going to do better after a fight, and therefore they play better).

by 0157H7 on Jun 8, 2008 6:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

I've always thought the 2004 fight played a role in the turn around

But that was a different kind of fight. It was spontaneous, arising from the heat of the moment. And after that, the team played with a lot more energy, like it was on a mission. Of course, the acquisition of OCab helped with the energy, but I I always felt a difference after the brawl.

This fight was more thuggish. Everybody knew it was coming and was ready for it. Especially Gomes, standing on the top step, waiting for the bell to go off. I’m surprised he didn’t have a tire iron or a chain or something.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 8, 2008 8:42 PM EDT up 0 recs

Tire iron or a chain?

Somehow I don’t think Gomes needs such performance enhancers…

This fight was totally thuggish, more the making of some new feud than something around which either team can gel. If the Yankees stay in the cellar all season, Sox-Rays could become the big rivalry.

by 0157H7 on Jun 8, 2008 11:25 PM EDT up 0 recs

I was gonna say mallet and chain, but I figured it was over the top.

For someone I’m thinking about the brawl scene in Anchorman.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 9, 2008 4:59 PM EDT up 0 recs

"For some reason"

Damn heat.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 9, 2008 5:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

I always heard...

...that it was the midseason acquisition of key defensive players. It’s not like we had a better regular season record than the Yankees. Fighting helps you win in boxing…

Rock me, sexy Jesus...

by nuthinboutnuthin on Jun 8, 2008 9:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

The 2004 Red Sox and Yankees July Brawl...

That was a little different, A-Rod was trying to trash talk Arroyo, (after being hit) and Varitek was protecting his pitcher. I think what was the big turnaround was Mueller’s home run, off the great Mariano, which showed Mariano wasn’t Sox-proof..

To me the biggest turnaround in 2004 was the trading of Garciaparra, the Sox went on a rampage after that, with better defense and close the gap with the Yankees.

by superferret on Jun 9, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up 0 recs

Lester Hearts Bob Watson

From the Herald

"(Watson) said, ‘You hit Crawford with a curveball and guys are hitting guys with curveballs now.’ It’s stupid," Lester said. "They have no idea. (Watson) didn’t watch the video. He doesn’t have a feel for the game. He doesn’t understand baseball."

Nothing like endearing yourself to MLB’s disciplinarian…

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 9, 2008 5:07 PM EDT 0 recs

Maybe, but...

...that doesn’t make Lester wrong. Frankly, anyone who thinks you try to hit someone by throwing a curveball is too stupid to understand baseball.

by RSNexile on Jun 10, 2008 1:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

Totally

But Bob Watson was a pretty good player for a long time. And he seems to hold grudges. Calling him out for being a dumbass probably isn’t the smartest move, irregardless of whether Lester deserved a suspension.

Manny ain't the only bad man.

by tommy.otm on Jun 10, 2008 9:33 PM EDT up 0 recs