Play Nice, Boys

As a Cubs fan, I've been privy to a lot of drama, heartache and excitement in my days. There was Sosa's battle with Mark McGwire for Roger Maris's single-season home run record, Steve Bartman being a better left-fielder than the Cubs had in decades, and 2008's battle for the NL Central title with the Milwaukee Brewers. Recently added to this, however, is a troubling rash of Cub-on-Cub violence. There have been three intrasquad skirmishes in the last four years, two in the last 9 months, and one as recently as last Wednesday, March 2nd. While all the details as to WHY the fight broke out are not available (let's face it; are they ever?), what is known is that pitcher Carlos Silva and third baseman Aramis Ramirez took exception to each other's perceived lack of effort in the loss to the division rival Milwaukee Brewers and decided that fisticuffs were the best way to handle it.

Any time there's even a hint of violence in a baseball game, many start the talk of the more memorable brawls in the sport's past, going back as far as 1965 and involving everyone from Nolan Ryan to Pedro Martinez. Here now are a five of the more memorable tussles, dustups and throwdowns of years past.

1. 8/22/1965 - Juan Marichal (San Francisco Giants) vs. John Roseboro (Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Hoo, boy. If you want storied baseball rivalries, Giants-Dodgers is definitely up there, and this brawl is a major reason why. In the heat of a pennant race, this game had stakes as high as the tension. After Marichal brushed back three Dodger batters and LA pitcher Sandy Koufax refused to retaliate, catcher John Roseboro took matters into his own hands. After catching a called strike with Marichal up to bat, Roseboro threw the ball just in front of Marichal's nose, then another behind his ear, and arguably the most famous diamond brawl was underway. Marichal unloaded with the bat, opening a cut on Roseboro's head that required fourteen stitches. The brawl itself, with benches cleared, lasted fourteen minutes and earned Marichal an 8-game suspension and a $1,750 fine. With the first $500,000 salary twelve years away (Mike Schmidt of the Phillies), $1,750 was quite a sum of cash.

2. 8/4/1993 - Nolan Ryan (Texas Rangers) vs. Robin Ventura (Chicago White Sox)

•  I want to preface this one by saying, clearly, that I think fighting is wrong. It doesn't solve anything, it ends in suspensions, it's an ugly thing for young fans to see, and it really focuses on the wrong part of the sport. That said, sometimes, they're unavoidable, even when a legend is involved. Nolan Ryan is universally seen as one of the best pitchers to ever play the game, having pitched for twenty-seven years (1966-1993) and amassing a record 5,714 strikeouts and seven no-hitters. Robin Ventura is seen as a guy who, while certainly accomplished with 294 home runs, six Gold Gloves and two All-Star games, is no HOF-er. What ensued when these two met has made both the stuff of legend. Taking offense to Ryan's fastball to the back (can you blame the guy? Ryan was clocked at 102 mph in his career), Ventura charged the mound and was immediately put in a Texas-size headlock by the 6'2" flamethrower. While some fights may have been more exciting, none have ever been so one-sided, with Ventura never getting a solid shot against the pitcher.

Nolan Ryan: 5,714 Strikeouts, 7 No-Hitters, 1 Texas-Sized Haymaker

3. 2003 ALCS, Game 3 - Pedro Martinez (Boston Red Sox) vs. Don Zimmer (New York Yankees)

• Another unsolicited PSA here: don't hit old people, even if they're part of the Yankees organization, especially if you're a member of the Red Sox facing the Yankees, and especially if it's in the midst of the American League Championship Series. Known as the Best Rivalry in Sports, the Sox and Yanks make no bones about hating each other passionately. Game 3 of the ALCS was no different, with the highly-anticipated pitching match-up of Pedro Martinez against Roger Clemens and the series tied at one apiece. After drilling outfielder Karim Garcia with a fastball, Martinez made a threatening gesture towards Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, and Garcia responded with a hard slide into the leg of Sox 2B Todd Walker. The next inning, Sox left-fielder Manny Ramirez, unhappy with a high pitch high and inside from Clemens, charged the mound inciting both benches to clear. In the midst of the thirteen-minute melee, Martinez was rushed by 72-year-old bench coach Don Zimmer, who swung wildly at the pitcher's head. Instead of handling the situation maturely, Martinez grabbed (again, 72-year-old) Zimmer by the head and threw him to the ground, shifting the attention of the brawl from Sox vs. Yanks, to Yanks vs. Pedro. The Yankees went on to win the game and the ALCS before losing to the Marlins in the World Series.

 4. 5/20/2006 - Michael Barrett (Chicago Cubs) vs. A.J. Pierzynski (Chicago White Sox)

• Are there two guys more hated in baseball than Michael Barrett and A.J. Pierzynski? Are there two guys more susceptible to barnburning fights? A year prior to a fight with teammate Carlos Zambrano that some say got him traded out of Cubbie blue, Barrett was involved in the first big Cubs-White Sox fight of the 21st century. Awaiting the throw to tag out the hard-charging Sox catcher Pierzynski on his way to home plate, Barrett was instead bowled over by AJ, and responded to the Sox catcher's hard slide, slap of home plate and bumped shoulder with a punch to Pierzynski's jaw. The benches cleared, the two catchers scuffled, and Barrett, Pierzynski, John Mabry (Cubs OF/1B) and Brian Anderson (Sox OF) were handed ejections. The Sox went on to win 7-0, and the fight became another chapter in a very storied rivalry.

Pierzynski and Barrett post-tackle, pre-home plate slap, pre-brawl.

5. 8/12/1984 - San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves vs. the fans

• Something about August baseball seems to bring out the worst in people. Maybe it's the high temperatures, maybe it's the gravity of each game at this point in the season, or maybe it's the memory of those awful 80's uniforms. Whatever the cause, nothing will ever match up to what is known "affectionately" as the Bean-Brawl and the Brawl to Settle Them All between the Padres, Braves, and a few overly-enthused Braves fans at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. The game included three separate fights, thirteen players and managers ejected, five fans arrested after tackling (!) one Padres player and spilling beer on another, (this make anyone else think Pacers-Pistons?) and one of many moments that showed that sometimes, even baseball is a contact sport.

Padres OF Tony Gwynn with a spear to Braves OF Brad Komminsk