You Can't Spell Immaturity Without the I in Ian Kennedy

Most likely by now you either saw the Arizona Diamondbacks-Los Angeles Dodgers game live Tuesday night, watched the "lowlights" or read about everything that is not what baseball is supposed to be about. When all is said and done Diamondbacks pitcher Ian Kennedy should be hit, no pun intended, with a lengthy suspension and a hefty fine.

Things started out when Zack Greine hit the Dbacks' Cody Ross, which probably looked innocent enough to most observers. However, Greinke has a reputation for well placed pitches that connect with body tissue and broke his collarbone earlier this year when San Diego's Carlos Quentin bull rushed the mound. Hitting Ross also backfired when the next hitter, Jason Kubel, hit a 2-run home run.

Arizona's Kennedy must have been one of those who though Greinke's pitch had a purpose, since he took thingst one step further and went head hunting at rookie standout Yasiel Puig. The ball hit Puig's shoulder and ricocheted off his nose. Luckily the Cuban native was only shaken up, but the benches emptied due to the location of the pitch. Things could have been let go there, but you can't blame Greinke when he retaliated.

His teammate didn't get hit below the waist, his career and life was put in jeopardy in a matter of seconds by Kennedy's irresponsibility. Greinke responded with a fastball in the back of catcher Miguel Montero. That is where it should have stayed, but Kennedy, who was immensely immature when he was in the Yankees organization, nailed Greinke up high when the Dodgers pitcher came to bat in the 7th inning.

In doing so, Kennedy set off an even nastier bench clearer that had managers and coaches pushing and shoving, and squaring off.  (Dodgers manager Don Mattingly shoved down Diamondbacks coach Alan Trammell; perhaps that was really retaliation for all the times Trammell's late innings hits helped the Tigers beat the Yankees back in the day.) Mattingly and fellow manager Kirk Gibson all had to be separated.  Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire was ejected after a shouting match with Gibson.

Jimmy Dugan aka Tom Hanks said, "There's no crying in baseball.", but a better saying is there is no room for stupidity in baseball. What Kennedy did Tuesday night was the ultimate in stupidity. There is no place in baseball for pitches thrown from the shoulders up.

Those of you who are Yankees fans remember when Kennedy pitched for the Bronx Bombers organization from the time he was drafted in 2006 into 2009 when he made his final Major League start for the pinstripes.  No loss was ever his fault. His pitchers were good ones, somehow the other team just hit them. His fielders let him down, the team didn't score, etc. Kennedy needed a change of scenery and attitude. It appears he only got one.

Two years later he was a 21-game winner and finished fourth in the NL Cy Young voting for the Diamondbacks. However, his numbers weren't as good in 2012 and have been much worse this season. (5.49 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, -0.8 WAR) You can bet Kennedy must be frustrated by the season he is having, but his behavior in LA Tuesday night is no excuse. Forget the somewhat standard eight game suspension and double it...at least.

And the worst may still be to come if Kennedy faces the Dodgers again this season.

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

BD Spring Training Report: Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots | Baseball Digest

The Chicago Cubs have a growing reputation as a mixed martial arts squad rather than a baseball team. There was the Carlos Zambrano-Michael Barrett tiff in June, 2007. Last season it was Zambrano and 1st baseman Derrek Lee going toe to toe. And 2011 is no different..except it wasn’t Zambrano this time around.

On Tuesday pitcher Carlos Silva allowed five runs in the 1st inning thanks in large part to three Cubbie errors. Silva got into the face of 3rd baseman Aramis Ramirez, who had committed one of the gaffes. No punches were thrown, no hair pulled, but the two had to be separated after shoving one another. Silva was eventually escorted back to the clubhouse and order was restored.

Mike Quade (in his first full year as manager) didn’t mind the fight, but did hold a team meeting on Thursday to clear the air and straighten things out. Quade is under enough pressure as a rookie skipper without his players getting out of hand. Veterans Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena helped out by calling a players only meeting to stress unity. Somewhere Steve Bartman is shaking his head.

Across town the White Sox Jake Peavy is doing battle with his surgically repaired shoulder. Peavy makes his first start today since having the latissimus dorsi muscle in his right posterior shoulder reattached in a July procedure. His surgeon told the Chicago Trib’s David Haugh that Peavy is making good progress. “His motivation has been exactly in the right spot in that he understands this surgery and his recovery is not for him just to play this year, 2011, but beyond so he can meet expectations of him since he came here,” Romeo said on the phone from Vail, Colo. “Things are progressing well.” You should still be wary in your fantasy drafts.

Rumors are persisting that Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg or some of the team’s partial owners have an interest in the NY Mets. According to the Tampa Tribune Sternberg has denied any interesting in owning part or all of the Mets, but the NY Times reported that minority owner Randy Frankel has a definite interest.

Youngster Jason Castro was set to be the Houston Astros starting catcher this season, but a torn ACL will probably cause him to miss the entire season.

The Boston Herald is reporting that outfielder J.D. Drew is likely to retire after this season. The 35-yr old has been bothered by a series of injuries the last few years and has a lingering hamstring issue from last season. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do, I’m leaning both ways. I guess, I don’t really know,” Drew said. “It depends on how the year goes. I don’t know what I’ll do. There’s benefits to both sides, but I have to think it out, pray about it, talk with my family, see how my body holds up over the year, and go from there.”

The Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones played 3rd base Thursday for the first time since injuring his knee last August. Afterwards he felt, well, pretty Chipper about it. “I just want to play,” Jones said. “Once you get on the field instinct takes over. That’s what you need to worry about. I wasn’t expecting to be playing by now and I don’t know what to expect.”

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots

Last night's brawl between Washington and Florida.

TKO-Rod

It's been a strange season for the NY Mets, but things got a whole lot odder tonight. Closer Francisco Rodriguez was arrested after punching his father in-law in the face.

No word yet on what led to the scuffle, but several news sources have stated that K-Rod was removed by stadium security and was arrested. Meanwhile, K-Rod's F-I-L was pretty marked up and reportedly had a head injury.

K-Rod's lone comment on the situation was, "None of your fucking business".

Minor Game Major Brawl

A pitcher is in a Dayton, Ohio jail this morning, charged with felony assault after a huge brawl broke out in yesterday's Peoria Chiefs-Dayton Dragons Single-A baseball game. What started out as a heated argument between the team's managers, escalated when Peoria pitcher Julio Castillo fired a baseball at the Dayton dugout. To make matters worse, Castillo missed, and instead hit a fan sitting behind the dugout. It also emptied the Dayton bench and the melee was on.

It all started in the 2nd inning when Castillo beaned Dragons batter Zach Kozart, who had to leave the game. As an aside, the next batter hit a grounder that caused Castillo and 2nd baseman Gian Guzman to collide. Guzman broke his leg and was taken off on a stretcher. Castillo's night was only going to get worse.

After giving up a pair of 2-run hits, Castillo hit Angel Cabrera, who had hit a walk off home run the night before. The next play was a grounder and Cabrera took out his frustrations on Chiefs shortstop Nate Samson. That brought acting manager Carmelo Martinez (Ryne Sandberg was away from the team) out to argue with home plate ump. Dragons manager Donnie Scott joined the argument and was shoved by Martinez. That set off Castillo and it "game on".

10 minutes later, 17 players were ejected, leaving the umpires in a quandary. They no longer had enough players to finish the game. Midwest League President George Spelius made the odd decision of telling the umpires to reinstate enough players to finish the game. Why not just suspend the game until Spelius could review the video of the incident, which he was going to have to do any way.

Meanwhile, Castillo was to be arraigned this morning. It could mean deportation and a loss of a work visa for the 20-yr old native of the Dominican Republic.

Minor Game Major Brawl

A pitcher is in a Dayton, Ohio jail this morning, charged with felony assault after a huge brawl broke out in yesterday's Peoria Chiefs-Dayton Dragons Single-A baseball game. What started out as a heated argument between the team's managers, escalated when Peoria pitcher Julio Castillo fired a baseball at the Dayton dugout. To make matters worse, Castillo missed, and instead hit a fan sitting behind the dugout. It also emptied the Dayton bench and the melee was on.

It all started in the 2nd inning when Castillo beaned Dragons batter Zach Kozart, who had to leave the game. As an aside, the next batter hit a grounder that caused Castillo and 2nd baseman Gian Guzman to collide. Guzman broke his leg and was taken off on a stretcher. Castillo's night was only going to get worse.

After giving up a pair of 2-run hits, Castillo hit Angel Cabrera, who had hit a walk off home run the night before. The next play was a grounder and Cabrera took out his frustrations on Chiefs shortstop Nate Samson. That brought acting manager Carmelo Martinez (Ryne Sandberg was away from the team) out to argue with home plate ump. Dragons manager Donnie Scott joined the argument and was shoved by Martinez. That set off Castillo and it "game on".

10 minutes later, 17 players were ejected, leaving the umpires in a quandary. They no longer had enough players to finish the game. Midwest League President George Spelius made the odd decision of telling the umpires to reinstate enough players to finish the game. Why not just suspend the game until Spelius could review the video of the incident, which he was going to have to do any way.

Meanwhile, Castillo was to be arraigned this morning. It could mean deportation and a loss of a work visa for the 20-yr old native of the Dominican Republic.

Manny Being Shawn

Is there something in the water in Houston? First the Astros Shawn Chacon put the smack down on GM Ed Wade. Now with the Red Sox in town to play the Astros, Manny Ramirez lost his cool and shoved traveling secretary Jake McCormick to the ground .

The incident stemmed from Ramirez wanting 16 tickets for Saturday's game at Minute Maid Park.

When McCormick cautioned Ramirez that he might not be able to fulfill his request, Ramirez responded by shouting: "Just do your job!"

An argument followed and the Man-child shoved McCormick, who fell to the ground. The two later met behind closed doors where Ramirez apologized to McCormick.

Asked on Sunday to comment on the altercation, Ramirez responded: "That's over. We're fine now."

"Sometimes things happen," said Terry Francona, "and when they do, we choose to handle them internally. I'm satisfied with how we handled this."

Added McCormick: "It was an unfortunate misunderstanding and it's over with as far as I'm concerned."

Though McCormick accepted the apology, it would be a disservice to him and anyone else who works behind the scenes if the Red Sox do not fine and/or suspend Ramirez for his actions. Then again when you let Manny be Manny all the time, you're going to have expect fall out.

Manny Being Shawn

Is there something in the water in Houston? First the Astros Shawn Chacon put the smack down on GM Ed Wade. Now with the Red Sox in town to play the Astros, Manny RamirezJake McCormick to the ground lost his cool and shoved traveling secretary .

The incident stemmed from Ramirez wanting 16 tickets for Saturday's game at Minute Maid Park.

When McCormick cautioned Ramirez that he might not be able to fulfill his request, Ramirez responded by shouting: "Just do your job!"

An argument followed and the Man-child shoved McCormick, who fell to the ground. The two later met behind closed doors where Ramirez apologized to McCormick.

Asked on Sunday to comment on the altercation, Ramirez responded: "That's over. We're fine now."

"Sometimes things happen," said Terry Francona, "and when they do, we choose to handle them internally. I'm satisfied with how we handled this."

Added McCormick: "It was an unfortunate misunderstanding and it's over with as far as I'm concerned."

Though McCormick accepted the apology, it would be a disservice to him and anyone else who works behind the scenes if the Red Sox do not fine and/or suspend Ramirez for his actions. Then again when you let Manny be Manny all the time, you're going to have expect fall out.

What was Richie Sexson Thinking?

Richie Sexson instigated a bench clearing brawl after he was hit by a pitch, he was brushed back a pitch didn't come close to him. Kudos to The Big Lead for the find. Pitcher Kason Gabbard, who had just been reactivated, looked like a deer caught in 6'8" headlights.

What was Richie Sexson Thinking?

Richie Sexson instigated a bench clearing brawl after he was hit by a pitch, he was brushed back a pitch didn't come close to him. Kudos to The Big Lead for the find. Pitcher Kason Gabbard, who had just been reactivated, looked like a deer caught in 6'8" headlights.

Around the Horn (6/17)

It's been a tough year for Carlos Zambrano. First there was the multi-year pact taken off the table when the The Trib sold the Cubs. Then there were the early struggles and erratic pitching, possibly brought on by the lack of a new contract. Next up came the fight with Michael Barrett in the dugout and clubhouse. But yesterday may have been the most frustrating of all.

Zambrano had a no-hitter going into the 8th inning. He lost is when Marcus Giles stroked a 1-out single. Zambrano would allow only one one more hit in the game, but it was one hit too many. Russell Branyan belted his 5th home run of the season in the 9th- the game's only run. Chris Young and 3 relievers limited the Cubs to hits as well.

Young didn't last too long in the game though, just 3 innings plus a batter in the 4th. That batter was Derek Lee and Young went head hunting after him. Let's take a step back though.

Saturday's incident happened because of the unprofessional demeanor of the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano on Friday. Sori hit a deep blast off the Pads' David Wells, and in the process raised the bar for admiring home runs. Sori back peddled his way down the 1st Base line, angering the Pads in the process.

So on Saturday, Young narrowly missed Lee's noggin' in nailing him. A brawl ensued with Young, Lee, Jake Peavy (who was quite outspoken on Soriano's actions on Friday), and Cubs' hitting coach Gerald Perry were all ejected. The only puzzlement in all of this is why Lee was thrown at and not Soriano.

Afterwards, the reactions were typical. First Derek Lee:

"I really don't mind getting hit, but when it's at my head, I feel like it threatened my health," the normally mild-mannered Lee said. "I don't know what his intent was, but it was at my head and he said some things to me I didn't like. It just escalated."

Chris Young:

"I will say this, I didn't throw at him and that's as far as I'll go," said Young, who didn't allow a hit in his three-plus innings before he was tossed. "I didn't try to hit him. It had nothing to do with anything in the past. I was just trying to throw a pitch inside. It got away and hit
him."

Around the Horn (6/17)

It's been a tough year for Carlos Zambrano. First there was the multi-year pact taken off the table when the The Trib sold the Cubs. Then there were the early struggles and erratic pitching, possibly brought on by the lack of a new contract. Next up came the fight with Michael Barrett in the dugout and clubhouse. But yesterday may have been the most frustrating of all.

Zambrano had a no-hitter going into the 8th inning. He lost is when Marcus Giles stroked a 1-out single. Zambrano would allow only one one more hit in the game, but it was one hit too many. Russell Branyan belted his 5th home run of the season in the 9th- the game's only run. Chris Young and 3 relievers limited the Cubs to hits as well.

Young didn't last too long in the game though, just 3 innings plus a batter in the 4th. That batter was Derek Lee and Young went head hunting after him. Let's take a step back though.

Saturday's incident happened because of the unprofessional demeanor of the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano on Friday. Sori hit a deep blast off the Pads' David Wells, and in the process raised the bar for admiring home runs. Sori back peddled his way down the 1st Base line, angering the Pads in the process.

So on Saturday, Young narrowly missed Lee's noggin' in nailing him. A brawl ensued with Young, Lee, Jake Peavy (who was quite outspoken on Soriano's actions on Friday), and Cubs' hitting coach Gerald Perry were all ejected. The only puzzlement in all of this is why Lee was thrown at and not Soriano.

Afterwards, the reactions were typical. First Derek Lee:

"I really don't mind getting hit, but when it's at my head, I feel like it threatened my health," the normally mild-mannered Lee said. "I don't know what his intent was, but it was at my head and he said some things to me I didn't like. It just escalated."

Chris Young:

"I will say this, I didn't throw at him and that's as far as I'll go," said Young, who didn't allow a hit in his three-plus innings before he was tossed. "I didn't try to hit him. It had nothing to do with anything in the past. I was just trying to throw a pitch inside. It got away and hit
him."