By Doug Branson
On the Chicago Cubs:
Okay who had Carlos Zambrano in the “Who would start the first fight in the Cubs dugout” pool. What?! Everyone took Lou Pinella? Shows what you guys know.
The Cubs as an organization are so bad now that they are starting to look like famous baseball movies more than they are a real baseball team. The fight between Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett looked like it was straight out of Angels in the Outfield. Don’t worry Brewers fans, even if the Cubs make a movie like run in August and September, Chris Lloyd doesn’t work the division tie-breakers or in October.
Personally, I don’t think the fight was as real as the two let on. After watching the tape of the fight several times and reading Zambrano and Barrett’s lips here’s what I’ve come up with.
Zambrano: Hey Barrett, listen I’ve given up 7 runs for the umpteenth time this season and the fans are really giving it to me.
Barrett: I can hear it and I’m wearing a mask.
Zambrano: Yeah. Anyways, if we could fight right now Pinella will pull me before I ever hit the mound again and we’ll just look like we’re fired up.
Barrett: I don’t know. You don’t think it will make us look like frustrated pathetic losers?
Zambrano: Look it’s the least you could do after that god-awful throw that somehow got by the third basemen and the cutoff.
Barrett: Alright fine.
On the “Ha” Heard round the world. Or was it “Mine?”:
People around baseball are lining up to take a whack at Alex “I was an April” Godriguez for his exclamation that distracted Toronto third baseman Howie Clark. A few thoughts on the subject
1. This is just one in a series of dirty play incidents from Rodriguez. This is big because it is the first that hasn’t occurred against the Red Sox. The first two being the “slapped ball” incident and the run away elbow Rodriguez gave to second basemen Dustin Pedroia.
2. But on the other hand this kind of play in the big leagues isn’t unprecedented. We all remember Cubs closer Henry Rowengartner’s famous base-running antics in 1993. And while the pitcher did in fact have a “big butt” his antagonizing of the pitcher earned him an extra base and set up the go-ahead run.
3. On a serious note, even those in the highly loyal Yankee camp are not defending Alex this time. Torre disagreed with the move and Giambi is reportedly set to testify in front of the grand jury about the incident during his stint on the DL. Rodriguez better be wary, lest Cashman find the spot in his back where Steinbrenner implanted “the hook.”
On the College World Series:
I may be biased, being a Tarheel fan, but I believe this may be Chapel Hill’s year. They were one game, and a couple of errors, away from glory in 2006 and they won’t have to play outside of Chapel Hill until the Super Regionals.
Stay locked in to The Daily Jones for the fullest amount of coverage we can give the College World Series. Starting today.
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