Ya get thrown out for TAKIN' a punch?????

[SanDiegoSteve]

All the Cubbie fans are naturally taking Barrett's side for loyalty reasons, but Barrett was at fault here 100%.

First, he didn't have any business being on the train track when the choo-choo was coming in without possession of the baseball, so he deserved to get his clock cleaned.

Second, who cares if AJ said anything as he was going to get his helmet, which flew on the other side of Barrett? That doesn't give Barrett any right to take a cheap shot at AJ.

Barrett is no doubt frustrated because the Cubs suck so very much this year. That probably contributed to the incident in some way.

I hope he gets a hefty suspension for his cowardly act.

[scottyman51]

I agree with steve.

Correct me if i'm wrong but doesnt A.J have quite a big mouth then it comes to thing like that.

The fight shouldn't have happened but Aj probably said something that Barrett didnt like.

Nevertheless,Barrett should be fined and suspended for throwing the punch.

[briancurtin]

yes, AJ has a huge mouth and he deserved to get it stuffed with a fist. i dont know if barrett should have been the one to give it to him, id rather it wasnt him, but someone was going to give it to him eventually.

for the record: im a die hard cubs fan, have been since i was born, and we suck so bad this year that i get a headache just from wearing my cubs hat.

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

All the Cubbie fans are naturally taking Barrett's side for loyalty reasons, but Barrett was at fault here 100%.

First, he didn't have any business being on the train track when the choo-choo was coming in without possession of the baseball, so he deserved to get his clock cleaned.

Second, who cares if AJ said anything as he was going to get his helmet, which flew on the other side of Barrett? That doesn't give Barrett any right to take a cheap shot at AJ.

Barrett is no doubt frustrated because the Cubs suck so very much this year. That probably contributed to the incident in some way.

I hope he gets a hefty suspension for his cowardly act.

Steve,
I realize that Barrett was the one who retaliated and I blame him for the ugliness that ensued. BUT...he did not sucker punch Pierzynski. He looked him in the eye and they exchanged a couple words. Then...right cross to the chin - we've all seen the video and stills. I also disagree with your statement that it doesn't matter if Pierzynski said anything. While words are just that, umpires know better than to let the wrong ones fly. I don't know what he said, but if it was something akin to, "Nice f-ing try little man." then Barrett was provoked. Have you ever seen a batter just smile at a pitcher and point out to the fence - he doesn't have to say a word and he is showing up the guy with the ball. When he gets plunked, we all say, "He got what he deserved." Yes, Barrett was trying to make a play...yes, he had another catcher barreling down...no, he shouldn't have punched him. I just think that while the Cubs are abyssmal, the Sox have taken great pains to be the bad guys for too long. This was turnabout and it revved up the Cubnation. Think about it...Barrett is being deified while Pierzynski is looking like the career long punk he is.

Yes, the Cubs suck this year...but it still took over ten thousand of them to sell out the Cell.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Yada, yada, yada.....Cubs fans are loyal like the family pooch, I'll give 'em that much. If the 10,000 rich yuppie Cubs fans hadn't bought their tickets in advance, perhaps the 10,000 blue collar Good Guys fans that couldn't get tickets could have gone to the game.

Go-Go Sox fan since '62.....not quite my whole life, but close.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by WhatWuzThatBlue

This was turnabout and it revved up the Cubnation. Think about it...Barrett is being deified while Pierzynski is looking like the career long punk he is.

Wait, hold the phone here......I almost missed this, and then I reread the post. Where on the planet Earth (besides on the North Side of Chicago, and all the little hamlets which make up the state of Illinois) is Barrett being deified? Certainly not in the mainstream media. Almost all the baseball pundits (except for Jay Marriotti, for example) said that although AJ is a big a-hole, Barrett should get the book thrown at him, and that what he did was totally chickensh*t.

So, yeah, I guess in the Cubnation everyone thinks Barrett is a big hero for the sucker punch, the majority opinion is that Piersynski was the true victim in this case.

BTW, I can speak of the little hamlets because I used to live in one of them.

[UmpJM]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

All the Cubbie fans are naturally taking Barrett's side for loyalty reasons, but Barrett was at fault here 100%.

First, he didn't have any business being on the train track when the choo-choo was coming in without possession of the baseball, so he deserved to get his clock cleaned.

Second, who cares if AJ said anything as he was going to get his helmet, which flew on the other side of Barrett? That doesn't give Barrett any right to take a cheap shot at AJ.

Barrett is no doubt frustrated because the Cubs suck so very much this year. That probably contributed to the incident in some way.

I hope he gets a hefty suspension for his cowardly act.

Steve,

The only part of your above post I would take exception to is the first part of the first sentence. (Well, and the first part of the last sentence - I'll get to that in a minute.)

I say that because I have been a Cub fan since sometime around 1964. It was kind of a long time ago, and I don't remember the exact year I lost my silly infatuation with the Drysdale/Koufax Dodgers and the Maris/Mantle Yankees.

Having said that, I find myself in complete agreement that Barrett was way out of line on this one. When I saw the replay (I was coaching a game at the time the game was being played) I couldn't believe that Barrett stayed in the way and then came up with the "sucker punch" after the collision. And I don't see where anything that A.J. may or may not have said has any bearing on the matter.

I still can't figure out what Pierzynski did that was deserving of an ejection.

The only thing I'll say in defense of Barrett is that he seems to realize what a completely classless move this was - who know, but he at least seems sincere.

In terms of your last sentence, as a Cubs fan I hope his suspension is not "hefty" - although he certainly deserves a suspension (I haven't seen anything yet on what Mr. Watson has decided). Whatever it is, it would be hard to argue with.

This will of course further "kill" the hapless Cubs because Henry Blanco, who is a fine defensive catcher, can't hit worth spit.

Sometimes (perhaps "usually" would be more apt) it's hard to be a Cubs fan. But just wait until next year! (aka "The Cubs fan's dying lament").

JM

P.S. Hey, when you're right, you're right.

[BigUmp56]

Here's another one of those White Sox bullies causing problems.






Tim.

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Tim, it wasn't a sucker punch. He went chest to chest and eye to eye with Pierzynski. There's even a photo circulating of Barrett with his arm cocked back, telegraphing the punch. If Pierzynski hadn't baited him, he wouldn't have been smacked. Of course he walked away, he's a catcher and knows that attacking a guy in full pads is stupid.

The Cubs have fans all across the country. MLB knows that they will pack stadiums in cities across the land. If you recall the Marlins playoffs a few years ago, there were more Cub fans than Marlin backers. That is often the case in many parks. They are lovable losers and the Tribune company is fully aware that they only need to field a contender every five years or so.

Barrett will be the toast of Chicago while some people still don't know that the Sox won the Series last year.

[BigUmp56]

You'll get no argument from me, Windy. Pierzynski has shown time and time again that he is pretty much a classless pr**k. Giants fans were only too happy to see him pack his bags. Now, he seems well suited to the residents of the surrounding neighborhood at US Celluar Field. He chose to talk trash face to face within inches of a mans face and rightfully got smacked. Boo-hoo........



Tim.

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Good Lord, I've been doing this an awful lot lately...first it was the lawyers and now you and SDS...sorry for the mix up. I'm a baseball fan first and a Cub fan second. I don't enjoy seeing a player punch another, unless it's a Cubbie delivering a knuckle sandwich to that White Sox pain in the ***.

[SanDiegoSteve]

This is the thing I am finding difficulty with. Just because Pierzynski is a class-A jerk does not mean that he deserved to get punched by Barrett. Barrett got taken out clean as a whistle, and should have just taken his lumps like a man. People are just assuming that A.J. baited Barrett into taking a swing at him, but that is just speculation. Regardless, nobody has the right to punch another person in the grill. It was a cheap shot, and a classless thing to do, and should be punished. Just because you Cubbie fans hate Pierzynski, that doesn't give anyone the right to pummel him.

Oh, yeah, GO WHITE SOX!!!!!!