Pierzynski cause's brawl.

[PierBridge]

AL Pierzynski created a big mess today.....

Tune to sportcenter to create your own opinion....

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Pier,

You could not be MORE WRONG. It was Barrett who was wrong. AJ was tagging and Barrett was blocking the plate. AJ went through him as you are supposed to do and Barrett sucker punched AJ. Then the one-who-thinks-I-am-silly umps toss AJ and Barrett, what a gutless move on their part. But the Sox got the last laugh as Iguchi took the Cubs deep with the grand salami, eat that Barrett you gutless puss. I guess he can't take a little contact. Barrett should stay up north there in "boys town" if he can't take a little contact. YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

[AndyMan]

The problem herein lies in the fact that AJ didn't have to "go through Barrett". That's his contention. A slide around the tag is preferred (as you could imagine) by catchers. After all, they have careers to protect and families to feed as well. It's just a judgement decision, and as with most collisions at home plate, someone always feels it was unwarranted (especially Pete Rose's mid-'70's All-Star annihilation of Ray Fosse, completely worthless and uncalled for in my humble opinion)...besides, if a guy can take a 90-foot run and hit someone at full speed, then why shouldn't a catcher be able to take a swing at the very same player who tried to knock him out just seconds ago? (That's the hockey player in me, "drop the gloves and go...have a beer together and talk about it later")

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Yeah Andy,

That would have been the smart play, go around the 6 foot 5 catcher in full gear who was clearly, and illegally, blocking the plate prior to the ball arriving. That would have taken a split second longer which would have allowed Barrett to catch the ball and tag him out and nobody would have been the worse for wear. Maybe we can put a skirt on Barrett, a nice pink one so that all the players can see it so they can avoid hitting him when he is illegally blocking the plate. We would not want to injure poor little Mikey cause he has a wife and kids to feed, right. What kind of namby pamby school of baseball did you go to. I was a catcher and we were always taught to catch the ball put your right hand around the ball inside your mitt and deliver the blow to the player because you knew he was coming, especially if you were already illegally blocking the plate. Maybe we should have just ended the game in a tie and everybody could have went over to Mikey's house for Fruitsnacks and juice boxes. How does that sound?

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD....YES! Windy

[PierBridge]

It's looking like a 10 game suspension for AJ Pierzynski this was a bad one.......

[gman2002]

looked to me like barrett stuck up for himself ! first off in my book that wasn't a sucker punch . pierstinky was looking right at him, he's the punk the guy got popped in the mouth and then ran to the dugout when the dump started. you want to run over a guy you better stand there and finish it instead of hiding in the dugout . thats the school of ball i learned to play

[CNY Tim]

The play is totally legal in my opinion. If your going to block the plate you better be ready to have your lunch handed to you. For me the play at the plate is one if not the most exciting play in baseball, same thing happened last night when Taguchi hit the cutoff and Ekstein threw home to Molina to put the tag on Grudz at the plate. Molina clearly was blocking the plate and why not a catcher worth his salt is protecting his turf, the plate is his hallowed ground. That's baseball in it's purest form.

I question A.J. in the fact that he didn't side step Barret more and basically came at him, not making excuses but Barret took a shot on the play and I believe was a little dissoriented, AJ's a big boy. I thought A.J. let his adrenaline go when he slapped the plate and I am totally fine with that. Knowing this guys history I would have to agree that A.J. intended to give Michael a shoulder jam after the play. I do not condone what Micheal did one bit and he should be suspeneded for what he did but I believe AJ provoked him by basically charging at him to get his helmet?!#. I coach fastpitch softball and have had my fair share of collisions at home since my daughter was a catcher but I taught my girls after hard slide or collision the firts thing you do is ask the opposing player if there o.k. cause as we know serious injuries have been well documented in these instances. I'm not A.J. but if that was one of my kids they probably would have stayed on the ground after the collision and asked if the other player was o.k... This would have diffused the whole situation and then A.J. could have casually received his helmet. In the heat of battle adrenaline is flowing but a little common sense on both players part could have avoided the fist to cuffs. My .02

[Mitty]

I agree with G-man I dont know another sport where a guy can totally crush a guy without sticking up for himself I know its always been part of the game but if I was Barret I wouldnt have stopped with just one he should have cracked him again hey Windy its kinda ironic if this would have been a few years back would you still say it was Barrets fault,just wondering.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

CNY Tim,

Glad to see there is one voice of reason here in the land of anti-AJ people. I can understand their bias since AJ left Twinkieville, but the fact that people are ignoring is that Barrett was TOTALLY blocking the plate WITHOUT the ball. That is technically illegal and he got what was coming to him, legally by AJ barreling into him. When AJ got up he was trying to avoid Barrett and retrieve his helmet. When Barrett grabbed him with his left arm AJ said that he asked Barrett if he was OK and he expected that Barrett was doing the same. Then Barrett gutlessly sucker punches him with a right fist that AJ could not see coming. I think it is laughable at all these Twinkie fans who say he looked AJ right in the eye and punched him, like John Wayne or something. This could not be further from the truth and even if it was, the fact remains that what Barrett did was totally illegal, blocking the plate and punching a player. What AJ did was totally legal, knocking over a player who did not have the ball and who was impeding his progress to the plate as well as trying to pick up his helmet. I was a huge AJ hater when he was on the Twinks and I will be the first to say he is a classic instigator when it comes to high jinx but in this case he is totally in the clear and right. As for Pier saying that AJ is looking at a 10 game suspension, I hope you meant to say Barrett who is looking at the suspension. If not, you have been sucking in too many gas fumes from your boat (refering to you avitar). AJ will not get anything for this and Barrett will get at least 10 games if not more and

YOU CAN PUT THAT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Mitty,

To answer your question, absolutely! First, I am not a Cub fan so why would I ever stick up for the Cubs. But second, this is clear cut and not even open to debate. The replay shows that Barrett was blocking the entire plate, WITHOUT the ball. That is illegal. Second, AJ had every right to the plate, sliding around or going around would have allowed Barrett the extra time to catch the ball and tag him out. Anybody who has ever played the game will tell you this, unless your vision is blurred by your anti-Sox bias. Every reporter and announcer so far has backed this up and that includes national as well as local ones, including Cubs fans who are announcers on local radio here. And as far as your somewhat questionable opinion of not just one punch for Barrett but multiple, I have to ask, are you kidding. This is baseball, not WWF, although I am sure AJ would be happy to go toe to toe with Barrett in the ring as long as he knew the punches were coming and not a cheap sucker punch like the one Barrett threw.

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD....YES! Windy

[nofishfisherman]

I don't know what the argument is all about here. The catcher was blocking the plate waiting for the ball. Thats what catchers are taught to do and it is NOT ILLEAGAL.

AJ saw him blocking the plate and ran through him which every player is taught to do and is NOT ILLEAGAL. If the cather blocks the plate the way they should going around the catcher is almost impossible and I thought from what I saw that going around was not the best option.

AJ might not be everyone's favorite person but he plays baseball the way it should be. He goes 100% all the time, and thats what you need to do. He plays hard but not dirty.

Listening to the post game interviews with the two catchers it is clear that Barret thought AJ was stepping up to him to talk smack, AJ said he was trying to go get his helmet which was behind Barret and he was going to see if Barret was ok.

It was a heat of battle thing and Barret though AJ was doing something that he wasn't doing.

They'll both move on, the only thing that was wrong about the entire play was the sucker punch.

And this is coming from a Twins fan.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

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As for Pier saying that AJ is looking at a 10 game suspension, I hope you meant to say Barrett who is looking at the suspension. If not, you have been sucking in too many gas fumes from your boat (refering to you avitar). AJ will not get anything for this and Barrett will get at least 10 games if not more and

---

What game were you watching?????

This was all AJ's fault......

His little drum roll on home plate better cost him 10 games.

Oh I have a four stroke no Gas Fumes....

[NAPAFISH]

I would be willing to bet everything in my entire posession that after slapping the plate, he said something to Barrett Foreman.

Face it Windy

Barrett did something that 90% of baseball wanted to see. AJ is a dink, nobody likes him

[fishyguy]

To put in my $.02 on the legality of it all. It is illegal for any position player to block a base without the ball. Barrett should not have been there or if he should have been prepared to get run over.

I dislike AJ, as I believe his talent and ego have never been a level match, but he had his back to the ball and can only see the catchers stance and/or movements to determine his actions. Running him over is a very possible option here. It is a hard nosed and legal play. Now whether AJ went popping off, as he is prone to do, we may never really know but the actual baseball play was a good one.

Now Windy, isn't this the same type of play most Sox fans hate Torii Hunter for? I hope the South Side isn't playing both sides of the fence on these plays.

[NAPAFISH]

Quote:

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Now Windy, isn't this the same type of play most Sox fans hate Torii Hunter for? I hope the South Side isn't playing both sides of the fence on these plays.

---

Windy Lick your finger put it in the air. Which way is your flag blowin?

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Napa and Fishy,

I never complained about the Hunter hit, it is part of baseball. He was safe and the game went on, nobody sucker punched anybody. Sorry guys but the fish ain't bitin' here. Barrett was totally wrong and AJ was totally right and

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Nofish,

I agree with about 98% of what you said, however, I have to correct one part of your post. It is, in fact, illegal to block the basepath on any players part, catcher, 3rd baseman or 1st baseman, nobody can impede a runners progress in the basepath when they don't have the ball. Imagine a shortstop standing on 2nd base as a runner attempted to go from 1st to third on a single. If he was standing a foot in front of 2nd base, without the ball and the runner ran into him. He would be called for interferance and the runner would be awarded the base. That is exactly what Barrett did, he stood a foot in front of home plate without the ball and totally blocked AJ's progress to the plate. AJ did what he had to do, legally, and then Barrett did what he wanted to do, illegally, sucker punching AJ. We will all soon see how MLB views this when the punishments are handed out and I would bet dollars to donuts that AJ will have no time off while Mr. Barrett will have a nice 10 game vacation, courtesy of the MLB.

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD....YES! Windy

[mnwild]

I thought it was a VERY clean play, 9 times out of 10 the player is going to plow into the catcher. I will admit what Barrett did was uncalled for but I thought it was awesome especially hitting AJ clear in the jaw, never liked the guy when he was here in Minnesota (sorry Windy).

[buzzsaw]

I'll post what has already been said, cuz I know you guys really want my opinion. It is legal to hammer the catcher, but if AJ was being a Cocky arse afetr he hammered barrett... If I was Barrett, I would have gone ape on him and shown him who his daddy was in front of a national audience. It appears AJ was rubbing it in a bit after the hit, you "competitive" guys know how you would have reacted, so i don't blame Barrett for cold cocking him or AJ for playing into him... I blame AJ for bad sportmanship after the hit on Barrett and for that he got smacked.

[nofishfisherman]

Windy,

I think the rule book and what catchers are taught are a little different when it comes to blocking the plate.

Every time a catcher is awaiting a throw from the the outfield to gun a player at home they will set up with their left leg blocking the plate so that a player can not slide into home without either going around or going through the catcher. Look at any replay of a play at the plate, if the throw is where it is supposed to be then the catcher should be in position to be blocking the plate.

Maybe it is against the offical rules for a catcher to do this but give me one example of a player being called safe just becuase a catcher was blocking the plate.

[fishyguy]

Quote:

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Napa and Fishy,

I never complained about the Hunter hit, it is part of baseball. He was safe and the game went on, nobody sucker punched anybody. Sorry guys but the fish ain't bitin' here. Barrett was totally wrong and AJ was totally right and

YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD...YES! Windy

---

Hey Windy,

I know you aren't used to me agreeing with you but I agree with you, for the most part, on this one. I was not trying to entice you to bite but only pointing out that in general Sox fans may be playing both sides.

From there it boils down to this for me:

It was a completely legal, hard nosed play by AJ. Barrett did what most catchers do (although illegal). I thought it was the type of play the World Champion Sox make now and would not have in the years of underachieving, runner up Sox.

AJ being who he is and slapping the plate either gave Barrett the impression of being punked or feel like he was being taunted and he jacked him which I also think was the correct move.

The perfect storm resulted in the brawl in one of the best interleague rivalies going.

I don't really see any fault in the play at all from either side.

[lots of luck]

Besides Barry Bonds, A.J. P. is one of the biggest tools in the tool shed.

The best thing that could have happend would have been Barret following the right with a quick left.

"Dan Cole you doubted us, now we're here!"

Windy, do you know what a rod and reel is? Or do you spend all your free time talking out of your posterior?

[eglleftcoast]

You folks must of viewed a different play than the one I saw over the weekend! If ever a player was in the wrong it was the Cubs catcher and he admitted that the following day. AJ plays the game like it is meant to be played, hard nosed and to win. The Twins haven’t been the same team since he left the organization. The biggest mistake they made was letting the Sox’s get him last year during free agency or maybe that was only the second biggest mistake? I, guess quitting on David Ortiz would have to rank just a little higher. Image the Twins line up today with both of those left handed bats?. I would like to have a team full of A.J. Pierzynski’s and in my humble opinion, the Sox’s won it last year because of AJ and the attitude he brought to the ball park everyday….

And so you know, my license plate reads “GO TW1NS”

[fishyguy]

Quote:

---

You folks must of viewed a different play than the one I saw over the weekend! If ever a player was in the wrong it was the Cubs catcher and he admitted that the following day. AJ plays the game like it is meant to be played, hard nosed and to win. The Twins haven’t been the same team since he left the organization. The biggest mistake they made was letting the Sox’s get him last year during free agency or maybe that was only the second biggest mistake? I, guess quitting on David Ortiz would have to rank just a little higher. Image the Twins line up today with both of those left handed bats?. I would like to have a team full of A.J. Pierzynski’s and in my humble opinion, the Sox’s won it last year because of AJ and the attitude he brought to the ball park everyday….

And so you know, my license plate reads “GO TW1NS”

---

I certainly don't have an issue on you take on the play but letting AJ go was one of the best things the Twins could have done. First, AJ was traded to the SF Giants not let go in free agency. By trading AJ we made room for Mauer (hitting .338), and got back from the Giants 3 pitchers you may have heard of. They are Nathan, Liriano and Bonser. Sounds to me like getting rid of AJ built a foundation for the future.

[eglleftcoast]

No, what I meant was that after the Giants let him go and he became a free agent, the Twins should of signed him instead of the Sox's. Imagine that trade now, Nathan,Liriano,Bonser and then get back AJ as a Free agent one year later. How do you SPELL Sweet...