This post was a long time coming…..well some version of it. I’ve been thinking on this since Luis Cruz went all avenging warrior on us in the Mexico-Canadia game. It took the ugliness of the last week to make me put words on paper dealing with this subject. Brawls have no place in the MLB. There, I said it. I am tired of wincing when the benches clear and praying that our players don’t get hurt doing something stupid. I’m not going to lie. Some part of me deep down loves a good fight. The same part in high school that ran over to see two guys beat the crap out of each other while everyone chanted “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”. But that’s the thing isn’t it? That part of me that is compelled to stare at such a spectacle has the mentality of a teenager. When the blood lust calms down and you look at it objectively, it really is silly. In the aftermath, nothing good is ever achieved by this. Up until a few days ago, the Dodgers have always walked away from such a melee with a few scratches and a bruised ego or two.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers were not so lucky this time. Our 147 million dollar Dodger ace B is now the proud owner of a broken collar-bone, all because a Neanderthal ape of a man couldn’t control his rage at a slight that was all in his head. Again, nothing good was achieved by this. In fact, a whole lot of bad has developed. Not only did we lose Greinke for at least 2 months, but Jerry Hairston is now suspended for a game. Matt Kemp came very close to doing something very stupid in the parking lot, which would have led to a suspension, if not something worse. And best of all, we now have Dodger fans calling for blood, demanding that Kershaw or Billz drill the Padres in retaliation, as if that will make Zack’s bones heal faster. Don’t get me wrong, I was howlin’ mad when that ogre plowed into Greinke. I understand your anger, frustration, and the feeling of helplessness. But you think losing ANOTHER key pitcher to a suspension after we lost Greinke is going to help us? I thought the point of all this was to win the World Series.
So I humbly offer this for your consideration.
Instead of ‘getting back at them’ for what they did, how about we just beat them on the field? Instead of hitting their players how about we hit their pitches? How about if we win for Zack? I am sure Greinke would appreciate a stack of wins in his honor better than a stack of injured bodies. When he comes back in June (as I hope he will), wouldn’t he be happier if we are leading the division, setting the stage for his return and the boost he will bring? All this blood lust and talk of retaliation will lead to nothing positive. It will just perpetuate a cycle of ugliness that will just go on and on and perhaps result in loss of more players. Instead, just win for Zack! To my fellow Dodger fans, channel the anger you feel into your cheers for the team. That urge you feel to boo the Padres? Use it to let your team know you have their backs. Put an end to the negativity.
It’s fitting that the first meeting between these two teams happens on Jackie Robinson day with everyone wearing 42. Think about the hell that Jackie had to endure, all without any form of physical or verbal retaliation. What happened last week was awful, but it was in no way near what Jackie dealt with. As AJ Ellis said, what’s done is done. Let it go. Rise above it. I hope the Dodgers honor Jackie’s memory by rising above the blood lust and calls for vengeance and just beat them on the field.
