OT: Carlos Zambrano/Michael Barrett fight

[MU Chi_IL]

What is amazing here is not that teammates got into a fight, but rather it was on youtube with 15 mins of happening.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano shoved catcher Michael Barrett as the two were being separated before nearly coming to blows in the dugout during the middle of the fifth inning of Friday's game against Atlanta.

The Braves had just scored five runs in the top of the fifth to increase their lead to 7-1. One run scored on a passed ball and throwing error by Barrett.

Zambrano was seen pointing at his head and yelling at the catcher in the dugout before the bottom half, then shoved him. Neither came out for the sixth.

Scott Eyre relieved Zambrano, who allowed 13 hits. Koyie Hill, who had just been called up from Triple-A Iowa, replaced Barrett.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMNfsqn6Gak

[MUsoxfan]

Priceless.   I hope they both end up on the DL

[ozmetal71]

This is shaping up to be a real ugly baseball season on both sides of town in Chicago.

As a Sox fan, I think that it is hilarious to see two Cubs beat each other up in the dugout.  That's more fight than they have showed in four seasons.

That franchise is an absolute disaster.  No matter who is brought in to manage or play, the Cubs manage to put a horrendous product on display 95% of the time.  But, as long as that overrated beer garden/frat house on Clark and Addison remains open, they'll sell out to 40,000 lemmings and sheeple.

Have fun Cubs fans, this is the baseball that you deserve.

[MUDPT]

For the last freaking time, not everyone that goes to Wrigley  Field are "lemmings and sheeple."  Please tell me why I deserve this baseball?  That was the most embarrassing moment I think ever as a Cubs fan, greater than Bartman, greater than the "hat incident."  Look at most Cub websites today, disgusted by the actions today, and most wanting to trade Zambrano and/or Barrett.

[BigSky]

Priceless.   I hope they both end up on the DL

Well...Barrett wound up at hospital with stitches to lip and black eye. 

Zero relevance to on field play, so not a lot of interest from me.  Struggling teams have ups and downs and blow ups and scuffles all the time.  Most are behind closed doors.  Teams win and lose when players get along and don't.   

[Final Four or Bust]

As a Sox fan, .

I am not a cubs fans, but I find it surprising that any sox fans would crow about this with that embarrassment of a manager of yours in the news the past few weeks.  I really don't know which is worse.  However, sounds like most Sox fans still support Ozzie.

[ozmetal71]

Ozzie's not an embarrassment.  He should keep his mouth shut sometimes, but he's entertaining.

Plus, he won a World Series as a manager, so Sox fans can crow all we want.

[Pakuni]

I am not a cubs fans, but I find it surprising that any sox fans would crow about this with that embarrassment of a manager of yours in the news the past few weeks.  I really don't know which is worse.  However, sounds like most Sox fans still support Ozzie.

Zero losing seasons
58 games over .500 in first three seasons
11-1 playoff record
One Manager of the Year award
One World Series trophy

Yep, a truly embarrassing performance by Mr. Guillen. I'm ashamed.

I've got to ask, besides some questionable bullpen moves of late, what has Ozzie done "the past few weeks" that qualifies as embarrassing?

[ozmetal71]

Exactly.

No one besides that moron Jay Mariotti believes that Ozzie is an embarrassment.  Mariotti has a vendetta against the entire White Sox organization and he uses his position on ESPN to try and stir the pot, but it really just makes him look like an even bigger wiener.

I think that Cubs fans who can actually be objective(again, the 10% of their fan base who are true baseball fans and care about winning) would take Ozzie and his "embarrassing" record of accomplishments in a second.

The Sox are not going to be good this year, but at least we aren't putting together a product that is an affront to baseball.  You aren't seeing White Sox players punching each other in the dugout, dropping fly balls, throwing eight foot relays, or making bonhead moves on the basepaths.

Cubs fans will keep on going to Wrigley like lemmings and sheeple no matter how pathetic the product, and whoever owns the Cubs will laugh their way to the bank and won't have any impetus to put together a winning team or spend money to improve Wrigley so it doesn't fall apart in ten years.

[MUDPT]

Geez, they spend $300 million dollars this offseason.  The media blasts them for not putting together a winning team, rightfully so.  Then others blast them for never spending money.  Which is it?

[tower912]

Pinella surrounded indefinitely for his tirade of 6/2.   Seems a bit excessive to me.   That wasn't even one of his best, why the indefinite suspension?

[ozmetal71]

You can spend money intelligently, and then spend money like the Cubs did in the offseason and spend money like idiots.

The Cubs never seem to be able to combine a willingness to spend with intelligent baseball decisions.

[IAmMarquette]

Wow. For a couple of teams who play each other no more than 6 times a season, you guys sure hate each other.

Go Crew.

[MUCHI814]

I dont really think that the Cubs spent their money poorly at all, DeRosa is getting paid too much, but other than that there hasn't been really any other bad moves.  They wanted to put together a team immediately to win and they had the money to do it.  It bugs me when people give teams a hard time for spending money as if they're evil for spending money, its not money so why should I care. I think they did that as best they could and their payroll for this season is below the Sox too.  The moves they made in the offseason I think are a lot better than Kenny Williams attempt to rebuild on the fly or whatever he was tryng to do getting rid of McCarthy and Garcia.

[Pakuni]

I dont really think that the Cubs spent their money poorly at all, DeRosa is getting paid too much, but other than that there hasn't been really any other bad moves.  They wanted to put together a team immediately to win and they had the money to do it.  It bugs me when people give teams a hard time for spending money as if they're evil for spending money, its not money so why should I care. I think they did that as best they could and their payroll for this season is below the Sox too.  The moves they made in the offseason I think are a lot better than Kenny Williams attempt to rebuild on the fly or whatever he was tryng to do getting rid of McCarthy and Garcia.

1. The Cubs spent their money poorly. In addition to overpaying for DeRosa, they gave $136 million to a player who is on the wrong side of 30 and can't field any position (and they'll be paying him $17 million when he's 38 ...nice); and gave $10 million a year to a #4 starter with a career ERA of 4.52.

2. Brandon McCarthy is 4-4 with a 6.35 ERA. The main guy the Sox got in return, John Danks, is 3-5 with a 4.34 ERA. And he's two years younger. And he has better stuff.

Freddy Garcia is 1-4 with a 5.11, has battled arm problems and is a free agent at the end of the season. Gio Gonzalez, a 21-year-old hard-throwing lefty and one of two young arms the Sox got in return for a guy they weren't re-signing, has been stellar at AA so far.

These were, in fact, smart moves by Williams. He knew he wasn't going to re-sign Garcia and also knew his skills were diminishing, so rather than hold on to him too long then let him walk away at season's end, he dealt him and got something in return.
The Sox realized last year that McCarthy's penchant for giving up long fly balls (17 HRs in 84 innings last year, 13 in 67 the year before) wasn't going to work at their ballpark , so they dealt him for an arguably better prospect, and one who's certainly performed better so far this year.