Base-brawls are dying.
Usually, there are one or two a year worth commenting on, and they are always followed by a slew of clueless baseball-writers decrying the ugliness of it all, lobbying for heavy suspensions for players involved and so forth. But they've missed the point, completely.
Because, after all, this is baseball. People get drilled. People get angry. Sometimes benches clear. Rarely, someone gets punched in the face and or tackled in a silly hoi polloi of panting relievers and hobbling coaches.
That said, base-brawls are an interesting and important facet of the game. They effectively preserve the sacrosanct, unwritten rules of baseball and, besides that, they're kind of fun to watch. The brainless non-athletes who decry these occasional dust-ups also rail against the NHL and have done their best (along with David Stern) to turn the NBA into a flop-fest on the level of French soccer.
But let’s not permit these paid wet blankets to spoil our fun. It is, after all, a new year, and 2009 brings a new hope for Rangers’ fans / base-brawl lovers / traditionalists in the form of Brendan Donnelly. Donnelly, known for his unrelenting intensity on the field, is equally notable for the disdain he possesses for one Jose Guillen.
Way back in 2004, Donnelly and Jose Guillen were teammates on the Angels. Guillen was suspended by the team as a result of a disagreement with manager Mike Scioscia, forcing him to miss the playoffs. Donnelly sided with the club, and the rivalry began.
The next year, Guillen, then a Washington National, told his manager, Frank Robinson, that Donnelly was using pine tar on his glove. The charges were corroborated, Donnelly was ejected and he, Guillen and the two managers had four-way throwdown of a shouting match.
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Then in 2007, Donnelly, then with the Red Sox, struck out Guillen, then with the Mariners, in the eighth inning of a game in Boston. Donnelly screamed at Guillen, Guillen screamed back; benches were cleared but no real fighting was done.
That brings us to 2009.
Donnelly is a Texas Ranger now. Guillen is a Kansas City Royal. Both teams host Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz.
The first two Rangers' spring training contests will be against ... the Kansas City Royals. Spring Training is not usually a hotbed of baseball violence, although it would be wise not to put anything past these two old nemeses. And make no mistake -- these two are bona fide nemeses, on the level of Tom and Jerry or Professor X and Magneto.
I would hate to encourage violence within the game, but the occasional clearing of the benches can be undeniably positive.
Last season, the Rays had two such incidents with the Red Sox (one in Spring Training). Their season-long rivalry ended in the American League Championship Series. Granted, both teams were incredibly talented. But talent only takes you so far in the world of professional sports. Some semblance of fire, of swagger (undeniable byproducts of a scrape), is needed.
And if you don’t believe me, ask the Dallas Cowboys.
