Baseballhead:
I Went to a Fight and a Baseball Game Broke Out

Michael Cox

Welcome, ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages, to the Boxing Palace of the World, The House that Dukin' Darryl Built, Yankee Stadium!

Let's get rrrrrrrrrrrready to rrrrrrummmmmmmmblllllllllle!!!!

(Apologies to Michael Buffer. Please don't sue. We know you're touchy about that sort of thing.)

What with the Brawl in the Bronx, followed closely by the Plundering of Prospects for Piazza across town in Flushing, it's definitely been one of those weeks where you look back and go, "whooo!"

Item: Oriole pitcher Armando Benitez, pissed because he gave up a gopher ball (I mean, what an act of aggression by a hitter, to take you yard), throws at and successfully hits Tino Martinez. So, Tino immediately runs out and starts a brouhaha, right? Wrong. Tino was too busy being hurt, so Darryl Strawberry thought he'd make a good surrogate mound-rusher. If there ever was evidence that perhaps the Strawman hasn't yet laid off the medicinals, this was it.

The concept of professional restraint in baseball was blown away by that incident. It no longer takes a mound charge to empty the benches; any man in the dugout who got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning can start the fight.

The saddest part is that Gene Budig didn't recognize the gravity of that event, and while continuing his warpath against pitchers working inside by penalizing Benitez eight games, only gave Strawberry the standard first-guy-off-the-bench three-game suspension. Check that - the saddest part is that Gene Budig has a job where he isn't asking people if they'd like paper or plastic.

And Strawberry kept on exhibiting his class, or lack thereof, with his strategic appeal of what little suspension he got. Yep, those Yankees got heart, alright...

Item: If it's Friday, it must be another Mike Piazza trade, as he goes to the Mets in return for some prime prospects (and Mookie Wilson's stepson). This indicates that the Mets are frantic to win the wild card now. Being a perennial second to the Braves doesn't exactly inspire the fans to come out in droves, but the prospect of a wild card has spurred attendance in other cities, and Piazza is certainly more exciting to watch than the bulk of the team.

But don't expect Piazza to stick in Queens, either, because Todd Hundley will be back, and cheaper, relative to his production. Consider Piazza the first stretch-drive pickup of the year. (Hey, if the Rangers and White Sox could gut their teams early last year, why can't someone make a move the other way?) Still, I'm not sure this works out in the long run for the Metropolitans, because they've traded their top prospects, will get only supplemental picks when Piazza goes free-agent, and will likely be eaten in the first round of the NLCS, if they even make it.

Item: Ken Griffey, Jr. announced that he will not be participating in this year's All-Star Game home run derby. He had to make the announcement in public because last year, when he tried to bow out privately, labor unterboss Gene Orza browbeat him into doing it anyway, telling Junior point-blank, "This is bigger than you."

While I would agree that in its present form, it is bigger than Griffey, it doesn't have to be. As Griffey suggested, the derby could be an event for the sluggers who otherwise didn't make it to the actual All-Star Game, allowing others some time in the spotlight and letting the actual All-Stars have a day of rest (well, if you call an entire day of media meet-and-greet "rest") before the game. Players try not to get picked for the game these days in favor of three days of R&R, and strongarming them into participating over and above that doesn't help. Either open the derby to others, or make the All-Star break five games (perhaps necessitating a doubleheader or two, to the fans' delight).

Item: After being denied free agency by an arbitrator, JD Drew's agent Scott Boras is working overtime trying to make a deal with the Phillies before Tuesday's deadline. Boras' motivation in settling is likely twofold: First, he's likely to get more out of the Phils than he would after Drew is passed over by the first several teams in this year's June draft. He knows that the likes of Oakland and Milwaukee are certainly not going to cough up $11M, and if Drew ends up getting picked lower than 10th, that sets a bad precedent for Boras' future clients: If Boras is your agent, you'll get picked lower...

Item: Mike Piazza's dad is interested in buying a piece of the Marlins. Anyone who thought that this meant Piazza was staying in Miami was rather silly, and I would have written that even if Piazza hadn't been re-traded again so soon.

Item: Perennial Whiner of the Year winner Paul O'Neill's contract is extended for up to another two years by the Yanks. First, the nature of the deal (one year, one team option year) tells us the team isn't *that* sure O'Neill will be the producer he has been. Second, I wonder if there's a performance clause tied to how many Gatorade coolers he trashes after bad at-bats...

Until next we meet, remember that half the guys in baseball are 95% mental. (Apologies to Yogi Berra...we'll drink more Yoo-Hoo in penance. Really...

Michael Cox was hired on as a consultant by the Toledo Mud Hens. His first two suggestions were Quarter Beer Night and Disco Demolition Day. He is currently looking for another consulting job at mc@strikethree.com.