Cubs already getting under Sox' skin

 

March 18, 2004

 

BY MIKE KILEY Staff Writer Advertisement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Bad blood already is building between the Cubs and White Sox, who will meet for the second time this spring Friday in Tucson.

 

Cubs outfielder Nic Jackson reacted Wednesday to Sox second baseman Willie Harris' complaints about the way Jackson slid late into second on a force play Saturday in Mesa. He advised Harris to cool it.

 

''There was no malicious intent at all, and he took it the wrong way,'' Jackson said. ''So be it. Everybody is trying to do the same thing. We are all trying to make the team. It wasn't malicious.

 

''It's kind of funny that it's been built up the way it has been. It's really immature, but so be it. To me, it's over.''

 

Told of Jackson's remarks, Harris said: ''It sounds like he's all about himself as far as him saying I should relax. He should relax. It's a force play. But he came straight through the base, spikes up. If I wouldn't have felt him there, who knows what would have happened?

 

''If it was Alex Gonzalez, he wouldn't have done that, but I understand he's trying to make a team.''

 

Cubs manager Dusty Baker agreed that Jackson slid late in a two-out situation that didn't call for a takeout slide to avoid a double play. But Baker said Jackson was trying to be aggressive, not dirty.

 

''Nic wasn't right,'' Baker said. ''He slid too late. He wasn't trying to take him out. Here's a kid out of Triple-A trying to make the club, and Willie needs to realize this is a very young player. The kid wasn't trying to do it.''

 

Harris said he would have been less upset if it had been a double-play situation.

 

''But what he did was so uncalled for,'' Harris said. ''In the regular season, guys don't even do that.''

 

The Sox responded by hitting Jackson with a pitch and made no secret of their intent. Was Jackson surprised?

 

''Well, maybe a little bit,'' he said. ''If it was on purpose, it was on purpose. So be it. It was a 1-2 pitch, so I didn't think it was on purpose at the time.''

 

Jackson is having a good spring but is expected to start the season at Class AAA Iowa. Depending on whether the Cubs re-sign left fielder Moises Alou for 2005, Jackson will be among the contenders for that job next year.

 

''I have had some injuries in the past, but they were kind of freak injuries,'' Jackson said. ''It's not something I think is going to happen over and over. So I'm really looking forward to this year and seeing if I can help out a little bit.''

 

Contributing: Doug Padilla

Glad to see the Sun Times is trying to create a controversy out of something that was meaningless a week ago...

I read that this morning, i didnt see how it fit the title very well.

Typical I know...sheesh. I was just surprised it wasn't Kotex boy writing this one.

Kiley is an idiot. But what else is new?

Bad Blood?

 

From the title, Kiley makes it seem as if the Sox dislike the entire team when it was one player who slid hard. Why are Sun Times journalist attempting to create their own trouble? Maybe they are still pissed that Frank didn't explode on Ozzie.....

this nic jackson guy isnt even going to make the team so it is just plain stupid

a fued between 2 less than stellar players isn't going to spur the teams into a fight, dumbasses at the sun-times.

a fued between 2 less than stellar players isn't going to spur the teams into a fight, dumbasses at the sun-times.

ya i know. big f***in deal.

:fyou MIKE KILEY

HEY KILEY :finger :finger :finger

If the situation were reversed, here's your haeadline:

 

Bush League plays irks Cubs

If the situation were reversed, here's your haeadline:

 

Bush League plays irks Cubs

 

I'll get started on that article right away!!!

i'm surprised Dusty removed his head from his ass to actually acknowledge one of his infallible Cubs doing something wrong. I'm even more surprised his quote was included in the article. lol

i'm surprised Dusty removed his head from his ass to actually acknowledge one of his infallible Cubs doing something wrong. I'm even more surprised his quote was included in the article. lol

Well, since the guy isn't a reular, and probably won't make the team, they decided that it would hurt to quote and show that they are not biased. FWIW.