Official Suspension Announcements

[SoxAce]

Thank god.

[Milkman delivers]

That all seems exactly right. Good job, MLB.

 

Hopefully this little break will do for BA what Crede's break did for him last year.

[watchtower41]

Three lefties going against us in the next five games. Maybe he should appeal until we have a string of righties coming up, then drop his appeal.

 

 

I was under the impression if a player appeals, he is allowed flexibility as to when he actually serves the suspension.

[YASNY]

I was under the impression if a player appeals, he is allowed flexibility as to when he actually serves the suspension.

 

I think I just spelled out the flexibility aspect. He drops his appeal at an opportune time.

[Phuck the Cubs]

I was under the impression if a player appeals, he is allowed flexibility as to when he actually serves the suspension.

That's if he wins. If he loses, he has to serve right away and it can't be retroactive to the last game played. My question is how would you feel if the roles here were reversed? Barrett slams AJ, AJ punches Barrett?

[Soxy]

That's if he wins. If he loses, he has to serve right away and it can't be retroactive to the last game played. My question is how would you feel if the roles here were reversed? Barrett slams AJ, AJ punches Barrett?

I would be pissed at AJ for doing something that merited a 10 game suspension in the middle of a tight divisional race.

[Balta1701]

I would be pissed at AJ for doing something that merited a 10 game suspension in the middle of a tight divisional race.

Depends on the situation. A sucker punch like that one...yeah that'd be pretty bad. If he got suspended like Anderson coming to the aid of a teammate...well, at some point taking care of your teammates trumps your own suspension.

[Gregory Pratt]

Thankfully they didn't take action against Lee or Contreras for running on the field.

[Kalapse]

AJ called into the Dan Patrick show and said he was fined $2000. Hmm, that seems like a bit much for "inciting the crowd".

[Chisoxrd5]

AJ called into the Dan Patrick show and said he was fined $2000. Hmm, that seems like a bit much for "inciting the crowd".

 

Every time I hear a caller call into any radio show and say "AJ intentionally dropped his shoulder into Barrett when he walked by" I want to sit down, watch a video tape of the fight with this person, and while he is paying attention to it jack him in the face.

[Controlled Chaos]

Every time I hear a caller call into any radio show and say "AJ intentionally dropped his shoulder into Barrett when he walked by" I want to sit down, watch a video tape of the fight with this person, and while he is paying attention to it jack him in the face.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. It drives me absolutely nuts!! All of a sudden people can't use their brains to look at the situation...they just need to find a way to blame AJ.

[Kalapse]

Every time I hear a caller call into any radio show and say "AJ intentionally dropped his shoulder into Barrett when he walked by" I want to sit down, watch a video tape of the fight with this person, and while he is paying attention to it jack him in the face.

 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one. It drives me absolutely nuts!! All of a sudden people can't use their brains to look at the situation...they just need to find a way to blame AJ.

Ain't it strange that people can watch the same exact footage but half of them will see what they want to see instead of what is actually happening?

[Chisoxrd5]

Ain't it strange that people can watch the same exact footage but half of them will see what they want to see instead of what is actually happening?

 

So you're telling me that I'm mistaken? Because I'm almost 90% sure you wouldn't waste the time to post this unless you see the opportunity to be a smartass.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Every time I hear a caller call into any radio show and say "AJ intentionally dropped his shoulder into Barrett when he walked by" I want to sit down, watch a video tape of the fight with this person, and while he is paying attention to it jack him in the face.

 

 

YEP.

IIRC, Barrett was standing to AJ's left and if anything, AJ jumps up and steps slightly towards his right, AWAY from Barrett. What made Barrett so edgy and quick on the trigger?.....um was it maybe the fact that Barrett had just said: "I didn't even have the ball, b****"?? I guess if I'd done that kind of s*** talking and then a guy made a slight move in my direction I might be hypersensitive and jumpy and might throw a punch too.

Any way you slice it, Barrett got off easy.

Edited May 26, 2006 by LosMediasBlancas

[LosMediasBlancas]

Depends on the situation. A sucker punch like that one...yeah that'd be pretty bad. If he got suspended like Anderson coming to the aid of a teammate...well, at some point taking care of your teammates trumps your own suspension.

 

Eh, BA came in there swinging at everyone in a blue uni. Not sure I'd call that taking care of a teammate, but I see your point.

[Whitewashed in '05]

What did Cora do to get suspended? He didn't bite anyone...

[WinningUgly85]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?i...ce=MLBHeadlines

Barrett suspended 10 games for igniting brawl

Associated Press

 

 

NEW YORK -- Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett was suspended for 10 games and White Sox outfielder Brian Anderson five games for a bench-clearing brawl that led to four ejections.

 

 

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Barrett's punch of Pierzynski after a collision at home got him 10 games on the bench.

 

Barrett, who punched White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski to ignite the melee, and Anderson also were fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Friday.

 

White Sox third base coach Joey Cora was suspended two games and fined, while Pierzynski was fined for the incident during the interleague game on Saturday.

 

Barrett immediately filed an appeal and was in the lineup for Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He said he hoped to have the number of games reduced.

 

"I didn't know what to expect. I've never really been in a situation like this," Barrett said. "I tried to prepare myself for the worst-case scenario and obviously hope for the best and just try at this point to take whatever comes next."

 

Barrett wasn't specific about the basis for his appeal and said he didn't know a timetable for hearing it.

 

"I don't know what is going to happen. I'm just anxious to put this behind me and move on," he said.

 

Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Barrett's penalty was a "little harsh."

 

"We knew it would be something. We were hoping it wasn't going to be that many days," Baker said.

 

Was Baker surprised Pierzynski didn't get a suspension?

 

"Kinda. Yeah," Baker said. "Like I said, whenever there is a cause, there is an effect. The effect was Michael."

 

Baker said he was next to Cora and actually pulled Cora out of the melee, but wasn't sure what he had done to get the suspension.

 

In the second inning, Pierzynski knocked Barrett over at home plate before the throw arrived and slapped the plate after the collision as the ball got away. Barrett then punched Pierzynski.

 

Anderson, who hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to score Pierzynski, got into a fight with Cubs first baseman John Mabry. Mabry injured his ribs in the commotion and was taken to a hospital for X-rays.

 

Barrett, Pierzynski, Anderson and Mabry were ejected.

 

The game was delayed nearly 15 minutes before Tadahito Iguchi hit a grand slam to give the White Sox a 5-0 lead en route to a 7-0 win.

 

f*** you Barrett and your appeal! f*** you Dusty the penalty for Barrett was not harsh at all and btw Pierzynski shouldn't get a suspension.

[Dam8610]

Barrett should've got 20. How did Cora get 2? Everything else was expected.

[Felix]

Barrett should've got 20.

Why? Because he's on a the Cubs? Players don't get 20 games for starting brawls on the field. It just doesn't happen. 10 games is rather long for this sort of thing, so suggesting that he should have gotten more is just ridiculous.

[Dam8610]

Why? Because he's on a the Cubs? Players don't get 20 games for starting brawls on the field. It just doesn't happen. 10 games is rather long for this sort of thing, so suggesting that he should have gotten more is just ridiculous.

 

No, because he took a cheap shot at another player for no reason.

Edited May 27, 2006 by Dam8610

[Phuck the Cubs]

No, because he took a cheap shot at another player for no reason.

Would you say AJ deserved 20 if the roles were reversed? And Kenny Rodgers took a cheap shot at 2 cameraman and got 13.

[KevHead0881]

Good ol Phil Rogers sums it up quite well for me...

 

Barrett's rationale for punch just silly

 

Barrett's rationale for punch just silly

It's clear the catcher's thinking is unclear, writes Phil Rogers

Phil Rogers

On Baseball

 

May 27, 2006

 

Those poor Cubs.

 

Everybody keeps picking on them, especially on that nice Michael Barrett. Why won't they just leave him alone?

 

In 2004 it was Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt, who drilled Barrett while engaged in a brushback battle with Kerry Wood, and then had the nerve to come to bat a week later at Wrigley Field. Barrett had no choice but to start screaming at him when he walked into the batter's box, starting a bench-clearing incident the Astros later credited for awakening them from their slumber.

 

On May 12, it was Dirty Dave Roberts, who had the nerve to steal third base with two outs in the fifth inning and the Padres leading 5-2. Of course Barrett had to give him a lecture about etiquette when he crossed the plate. He was only doing his duty as a citizen.

 

And then there was his encounter with a Mack truck named A.J. Pierzynski last Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field. Never mind that it was a clean play. Honor is honor, and a 10-game suspension is a small price to pay for protecting your manhood, right?

 

Right?

 

Wrong.

 

The reality is that a 10-game hit to the team's second-leading RBI man is the last thing the Cubs needed right now. And though Dusty Baker complained the ruling from Bob Watson was harsh, another reality is that it's about right.

 

Barrett assaulted Pierzynski after that collision at home plate, and he should be thankful the suspension isn't longer. He should also be thankful he didn't do real damage with that quick right to Pierzynski's jaw. See the sad tale of Kermit Washington and Rudy Tomjanovich.

 

While Barrett is appealing the suspension, the best hope is that he gets one or two games knocked off it, and I wouldn't count on that. The best Cubs fans can hope for is that Barrett will use his time wisely while forced off the field.

 

I would recommend: A) Therapy, B) Neurological exams, or C) A retreat to a quiet Caribbean island. It is clear the Cubs' starting catcher isn't thinking clearly, which won't help them get their season turned around.

 

Since popping his cork at home plate, Barrett has tried to rationalize his behavior with explanations that have made him seem increasingly deluded. He initially said it appeared Pierzynski was walking at him, even though Pierzynski's explanation about wanting to retrieve his batting helmet seems totally plausible.

 

Pierzynski wasn't just happy after foiling Barrett's attempt to block the plate. He was delighted. He wasn't looking for trouble. But the more Barrett talked, the sillier his explanations sounded.

 

"Like I said, I don't like hitting another grown man, but something had to be done there in my opinion," Barrett said, adding that he probably should have just pushed Pierzynski away.

 

Yes, that would have been better. But Barrett's brain apparently isn't wired that way.

 

"The way I look at it is, if I'm out walking down the street and somebody knocks me down and I get back up and he's standing over me or coming back at me again, what are you going to do?" Barrett said two days after the collision.

 

Uh, Michael. This logic might work if Pierzynski had crashed into you as you got out of your car in the players' parking lot. But you weren't on the street or in a parking lot. You were playing catcher, a position so dangerous it is the only one in baseball that comes with pads.

 

If anyone had a right to be upset about the decisions Watson handed down—suspensions of Barrett and the White Sox's Brian Anderson and Joey Cora—it was probably Pierzynski, who was fined a reported $2,000. The guy might be a serial peace-disturber, but he did nothing to instigate this situation.

 

It would have been better if he hadn't played to the crowd afterward, waving his arms like one of his friends in professional wrestling, so maybe that's reason to go into his wallet. But this was really all about Barrett.

 

Baker, unfortunately, could pay the biggest price of anyone. With the Cubs in free-fall since Derrek Lee broke his wrist, it will be even harder to score runs without Barrett.

 

Backup catcher Henry Blanco—another reason to strongly consider importing Triple-A Iowa hitting coach Von Joshua sooner rather than later—is 2-for-39 at the plate.

 

Geovany Soto, who probably will be promoted from Iowa when Barrett starts serving his suspension, never has had a big-league hit.

 

On the other hand, at least the Cubs will have somebody other than Barrett doing the thinking for them behind the plate. That's probably a good idea.

 

progers@tribune.com

 

 

Copyright © 2006, The Chicago Tribune

[Kyyle23]

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines

Cubs manager Dusty Baker called Barrett's 10-game suspension a "little harsh," adding he was "kind of surprised" Pierzynski was not suspended as well.

 

"Like I've said, whenever there's a cause, there's an effect," Baker said. "I guess the effect was Michael."

 

Pierzynski declined to address Baker's opinion.

 

"Dusty is the manager of the Cubs, and I play for the White Sox," he said. "Whatever he's going to say is what he's going to say. He has that right."

 

But Guillen, who served as third-base coach Friday night in Toronto, wasn't so sanguine.

 

"You look at the replay and [barrett] was in the middle of the plate," he said. "I don't blame Dusty for saying that because he's trying to protect his players. But there's a right way and a wrong way to protect your players. I think that's the wrong way to protect your players when he admitted [A.J.] did the right thing.

 

"When you say something and then all of a sudden you say another thing, that's not fair. I know he's trying to protect his player, but he was the one that came out and said A.J. did what he was supposed to do and it was part of the game."

 

Just another guy insisting that AJ is the cause of this confrontation. Baker is a worse flip flopper than Kerry.

Edited May 27, 2006 by kyyle23

[credeisamazing]

AJ got fined $2,000. He's appealing it. He doesn't quite know why he got it since he didn't do anything, but that's pretty much pocket change for him. Joey Cora got suspended for 2 games because coaches aren't supposed to touch anything like that. they're not supposed to be in there, and he was closer and actually touching people (even though he was probably just trying to get them off of his players). coaches can't appeal, and 2 games isn't that much anyways. barrett is appealing his 10 games. he's probably going to only have to miss 8 games, but that's a lot for the cubs to miss someone so essential to their team. they're already doing bad, so that's a resonable punishment. anderson will most likely appeal his 5 games, but since mack's hot right now, i think he should just take it. 5 games isn't too much, and we're going to need his defense in the upcoming series'.

 

all of you people that are complaining about barrett not getting more than 10 games, think of it this way. would you rather him have 15 games, but we not have pods and aj for awhile?? i don't think so. 10 games is a lot anyways. if we lost pods and aj, then we would be in some trouble. we need our speedy guy, and our guy with all the controversy.

 

[Kyyle23]

AJ got fined $2,000. He's appealing it. He doesn't quite know why he got it since he didn't do anything, but that's pretty much pocket change for him. Joey Cora got suspended for 2 games because coaches aren't supposed to touch anything like that. they're not supposed to be in there, and he was closer and actually touching people (even though he was probably just trying to get them off of his players). coaches can't appeal, and 2 games isn't that much anyways. barrett is appealing his 10 games. he's probably going to only have to miss 8 games, but that's a lot for the cubs to miss someone so essential to their team. they're already doing bad, so that's a resonable punishment. anderson will most likely appeal his 5 games, but since mack's hot right now, i think he should just take it. 5 games isn't too much, and we're going to need his defense in the upcoming series'.

 

all of you people that are complaining about barrett not getting more than 10 games, think of it this way. would you rather him have 15 games, but we not have pods and aj for awhile?? i don't think so. 10 games is a lot anyways. if we lost pods and aj, then we would be in some trouble. we need our speedy guy, and our guy with all the controversy.

 

 

Why do you think that Pods and AJ would have to be suspended because Barrett got an extra 5 games on his suspension? One has nothing to do with the other, these things dont have to even out.