Yep, That Was A Typical Game Against L.A.

I want to start by saying there will be no structure to this post. I have a lot of thoughts right now. There is never a shortage of fireworks when we play Los Angeles and after Monday night, I knew something was probably brewing. When you add Parras’ finger wag and a dramatic win, something’s got to give, right?

The first two hit batters didn’t really mean anything. Cody Ross hardly got hit and I don’t really think the shot at Yasiel Puig (pronounced: Pw-eee-g) was intentional. Puig should have won an Oscar for his good acting after he got hit, though. I figured everything was done, but then Miguel Montero got one right between the 2 and the 6 on his back. Uh oh. The benches cleared after this but just because baseball tells us that it should happen. It’s always such an awkward walk back to the bullpen for the pitchers when they enter a lame “brawl.” Zack Greinke is notorious for being a punk, so naturally, he was going to go after Miggy. Greinke tried to hit Montero twice in the at-bat before he was able to land one. Umpire Clint Fagan warned both benches after the altercation. Okay, everyone is back at their positions so everything is cool, right? Wrong.

Ian Kennedy was certainly going to plunk somebody. However, I would prefer to stay away from the head. There would have been nothing wrong with hitting Greinke in the back. The weird thing was that Montero looked to be speaking with Greinke after the HBP, and they seemed to be cool with each other. Meanwhile, all hell was breaking loose. Now, here is where my concerns are. First of all, I think the umpires really missed a chance at ejecting the right guys. I understand that there was a lot going on, but come on. J.P. Howell and Ronald Belisario both threw about 3-4 punches when they were going after Turner Ward. Belisario really pummeled Turner with an upper-cut straight to the gut. Howell and Belisario both should have tossed, but sure enough, Howell was able to pitch the next inning. What? Puig landed a shot, so he was juiced too. Yasiel is still a nobody in the league, so it’s not like we owed him anything.

Give me your milk money! image: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

If you think about who was involved in this brawl, it was old school baseball at it’s finest. Gibby, Mattingly, Trammel, Baylor, McGwire, Nagy etc. After Ward was clearing the birdies and stars from his head, Don Mattingly was throwing poor Alan Trammell to the ground. All seemed to calm down, then Mark McGwires‘ roid rage kicked in and he went after Matt Williams like he was in 5th grade trying to take his milk money. This wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty fun to watch. Puig threw a punch on Hinske, so he’ll owe some money–along with Howell and Belisario. I still don’t know why Turner Ward was ejected. Maybe for being a bad ass? Probably. All I can say is that after tonight, a lot of players/coaches/managers should better be ready to open their wallets.

As I’m writing this, David Hernandez and his faux-hawk are blowing another game. Great!

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