First of all this photo I got off of Detnews.com looks like a painting of a well-chiseled Michelangelo figure hugging another while getting his head pounded in by a youngster with a yellow little tike hammer.
What started the bench clearing brawl that centered around Gary Sheffield and Fausto Carmona?
Sheffield was hit in the elbow by Cleveland pitcher Fausto Carmona on the first pitch two batters after Miguel Cabrera hit his second mammoth home run off of him. Carmona proceeded to get rookie Matt Joyce out before plunking oft favorite target, Sheffield.
Sheffield glared at Carmona the entire way to first. After Sheffield took a modest lead from first, Carmona stepped off the rubber and made "not his best" move to first. A very annoyed Sheffield immediately barked at Carmona to throw the ball to home plate.
Carmona was not afraid to yelp right back at Sheffield. As Sheffield put it in his interviews, you call me out, I'm coming. Sheffield claims he got a punch in but I don't really see it in the replays. All I see is him bear hugging Carmona, who in turn takes Sheffield, gives him a good ole fashioned noogie and a few meager pops to the temple. No big deal.
Two players from each team were ejected for the bench clearing brawl. Carmona and Victor Martinez from Cleveland and Sheffield and Polanco from Detroit. I have no idea why Polanco was ejected, though. He doesn't know either. Either he punched someone in the knee when no one was looking or his massive head stuck out to someone when they were looking for an extra Tiger player to eject. Beats me.
Another thing I would like to touch on is the Cleveland Indian announcers. I was watching this whole thing unfold on MLB.TV and because the Tigers are on the road, I have the misfortune of missing out on Mario and Rod (although I have learned now that MLB.TV has upgraded so I can click on the Detroit FSN).
Anyway, the Cleveland announcers were not very fair in their commentary. While the fight began and benches cleared, they claimed that this ENTIRE thing was instigated by Sheffield. How? Did Sheffield hit himself on the elbow and go to first base after somone hit their second dinger of the night?
Miraculously, a pitcher who was having very good control all game, loses control for one pitch and hits Sheffield? It wasn't the first time he has hit Sheffield either. I guess if you want to be technical, though, he did instigate the benches clearing because he charged Carmona first.
He wouldn't have charged though had he never been hit in the first place. I think the only good point the Indians announcers made was an inning later when they said that if Sheffield was going to charge the mound, he should have done it as soon as he got hit by the pitch.
I'm not sure, but I think he was trying to restrain himself as soon as he got hit and then felt he had to say something when Carmona made a meaningless pickoff attempt. Carmona didn't back down and called Sheffield out and that's when the dance started.
Another note, I wonder how many mediocre outtings its going to take Verlander before he starts opening up to coaching, because he should be a lot better than this. I guess I should have listened to my former college coach in 2006.
He coached Verlander in the Olympics and he told me that Verlander was not coachable, arrogant, and works way too quickly to make any sort of adjustment. I hope he slows it down and makes them this off season so we can be talking Tiger baseball into November in '09.
UNITY
14 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Tom Marshall 9 months ago
Heres the video: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200809193511038
Not intentional? Are you kidding me? Theres being a homer and then theres being well the Indians announcers I guess.
I guess that one thing MLB.TV's (now former) system of making you listen to announcers you hate was sort of a good thing in that it makes you really appreciate your favorite announcers. And it gave you yet another reason to hate your rival.
Now if only fox would give me the option to listen to someone other than buck and mccarver this October my life would be complete.
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Ben Currie 9 months ago
True Buck and McCarver are terrible... not looking forward to that... Joe Buck made Endy Chavez's catch, probably the easiest thing to announce ever, just sound confusing. And I've hated him ever since he took a moral stand on Randy Moss's fake pantsing to the Green Bay fans... it was as if Randy had committed genocide. However Randy's post comments on the matter redeem him.
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Jeff Smirnoff 9 months ago
The Detroit announcers were just as biased FOR Sheff as the Tribe announcers FOR Carmona. They are supposed to be.
No announcers are worse than Hawk and DJ for the Pale Hose. They can put it in their butt... YES!
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Mike Martin 9 months ago
Shef's 'roids issues do not appear to be resolved.
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Thomas 9 months ago
haha, great. what next?
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bob nelson 9 months ago
Looked very similar to the beatdown Nolan Ryan gave Robin Ventura. Good to see Sheffield take a few shots to that thick skull of his.
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Nino Colla 9 months ago
Fausto's ball has awesome movement on it, he's had control issues all year. What reason would he have to hit Sheffield in that situation?
None.
Sheffield is just being a big bully because he got hit. Stop whining about it Sheff and walk to first base. Carmona has a good move, so why not attempt to get Sheffield in a position that he probably isn't thinking with a clear head. Okay so he probably was getting a little instigation in there throwing to first, but its his right to, Sheff needs to shut up.
Charging the mound AFTER you go to first? Are you kidding me? You had your chance.
The Indians announcers are very middle of the road.. Matt Underwood likes to play dumb because I think he's just trying to relate to the less then average fan who is watching the game. He appears very intelligent when he isn't doing a baseball game and rather talking about the team and the game. Rick Manning is just a grumpy guy who is hard headed as the next guy, but for the most part knows what he's talking about.
Bottom line.. Sheffield was trying to throw his weight around, and all he could muster up was a playful hug, while Carmona pounded on Sheffield's big dome like it was a whack-a-mole. Sit down Sheff.
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Bob Biscigliano 9 months ago
You make it sound like they are in high school and Sheffield just stole Carmona's lunch and Carmona got revenge later by hitting him with his soft 'whack-a-mole' hammer fists.
If you watched the game, Carmona had very good control. If you didn't watch the game here is his line: 6.1 IP, 5 hits , 4 ER, 0 WALKS, 5 Ks. Fausto is a Major League pitcher. He gives up a bomb to someone for the 2nd time in the game, and coincidentally hits Sheffield on the first pitch because he has awesome movement? I don't buy it now, and I didn't buy it on April 17th when Fausto hit him then (He only had 1 walk that game.)
Listen, if he wasn't wearing an Old English D, I probably wouldn't like him either, so I'm not trying to create beef here. He made a stupid decision by waiting to charge the mound after a meaningless pick off attempt. He let his frustrations get the best of him. He should have charged right away and then this wouldn't be anything more than a bean ball induced brawl. I also think he made a stupid decision by LETTING Fausto catch him in a vulnerable position when he decided to bear hug him instead of actually pummel him, like he could with ease (That I would admit even if he wasn't in a Tigers uni. He is freakishly big and could rattle off 5 punches before Fausto could even wind up for one if he wanted to.)
Bottom line, I don't think he was merely trying to throw his weight around. I just think he wasn't going to let Carmona get away with an intentional bean ball and let him smack talk about it afterward.
It's over, though... for now anyway.
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Jeff Smirnoff 9 months ago
Answer me these questions three...
Why would Carmona hit Sheffield after he got Matt Joyce out the batter before?
Why would he hit Sheffield on the SECOND pitch, why would he not hit him on the first one?
Why wouldn't Sheff be a man and charge immediately if he really thought Carmona hit him intentionally for a second time this year?
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Lawrence Duffy 9 months ago
Shef definitely started the whole thing. If he's going to hit someone after a homerun its going to be the next guy. And if you do it on purpose, most of the time you aim for the head. And anyone that pays remotely any attention to Fausto Carmona's pitching habits knows that he's not afraid to back hitters off the plate and constantly pitches inside.
Shef needs to grow up, stop taking steroids, and not call out random people. Why the hell did he call out Victor Martinez?? His act is getting old?? He's only been in the league 5 years. Sheffield is an idiot along with his uncle.
I wonder how Sheffield will bring racism into this.
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Bob Biscigliano 9 months ago
Read my comments on the Indians site's articles regarding this matter about why Carmona wouldn't hit the next guy and hit Sheffield instead. In short, why hit a rookie kid when you see Sheffield on deck? Everyone loves to hate Sheffield, so that's who he wanted to hit. He's hit him on purpose before too.
Also, headhunting is an automatic 'charge the mound' offense. As a former pitcher myself, I've always learned through my years of experience that if you are going to send a message to the other team, to hit the guy in the square of the back. Headhunting is a cardinal sin and is asking for a stiff ass kicking.
I have not heard anything about him calling Victor Martinez's act old. Where did you hear that? All I can say for Sheff here is, there might be things Victor says to hitters that we'll never know about. Everything Sheff says has to be to the media and is national coverage, because he's not afraid of his own opinions. But who knows?
Lastly, do you know Sheffield's uncle? If you don't think it's fair for him to bring racism up all the time (which I agree about) why is it fair for you to call his uncle an idiot?
Thanks for the read and comment Lawrence. I really appreciate it.
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Lawrence Duffy 9 months ago
Dude, it's been in all the articles. And his uncle is Dwight Gooden
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Bob Biscigliano 9 months ago
I didn't see it in the Detroit write ups. Touche though. Touche.
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Joe T 9 months ago
If you people call that a beat down then you clearly don't know how to fight. Those little baby punches did nothing, Sheffield was going to pick this guy up until everyone charged the mound and broke up the fight. This clearly wasn't a fight, it was going to be one but it ended up being a tussle. And gee whiz that picture cannot punch!! Watching this on video shows just how weak those punches really were (that picture above makes it look much worse than it looked live). That Carmona guy punches like my sister.
Shef was pushing that guy around at first and would have had that beanpole if not for the dugout breaking it up.
Carmona don't punch like you have a hammer in your hand man, punch with the front of your fist where it's hard not the soft part at the right of your hand!! LOL!!
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