Beanball Vengeance

Beanballs and revenge are common stories in baseball. In 1915 Boston Red Sox pitcher Carl Mays threw several pitches at Ty Cobb's head. To retaliate, Cobb bunted so the first baseman had to field it and the pitcher had to cover first. Cobb deliberately ran over Mays, raking his leg with Cobb's sharpened spikes leaving a huge gash. Cobb stood over the bleeding pitcher and told him, "The next time you cover the base I'll take the skin off your other leg." Pitchers seldom threw at Cobb after that. The beanball brawl that left Dodger pitcher Zack Greinke with a broken collar bone reminded me of that story.

Greinke and Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin hate each other. Greinke averages six HBP a season but has hit Quentin with pitches three times in fewer than thirty at-bats. After hitting him, Greinke took a couple of steps off the mound and taunted Quentin instead of apologizing. Quentin, on the other hand, gets hit a lot so he ought to be used to it. He had been hit on the wrist two games earlier and had missed the next game because of that injury.

Zach Greinke is very stupid. Greinke is a skinny beanpole while Quentin is a linebacker of a man who outweighs Greinke by fifty pounds. Greinke is a star pitcher on a team aspiring to play in the World Series. Quentin is a second-rate slugger on a third-rate team that would consider it a fantastically successful season to not finish in last place.

Quentin is being suspended for eight games although the Padres will probably not miss his .182 batting average. Greinke will miss eight weeks, some ten starts.

My opinions here are colored by the fact I'm from San Diego and the LA Dodgers are our hated enemy.