Mamma Said Knock You Out!

Everyone knew the plunk was coming, and James Shields delivered the it according to the unwritten baseball rules.  He didn't throw at the head of Coco Crisp, he hit him in the thigh, which is standard protocol.  Given the dirty hit Crisp laid on Aki the night before, he should have taken his bean ball and trotted to first base, case closed.  But that is the beauty of the Boston Redsox, they can't imagine a baseball world where they don't have the last say, whether it be the World Series, or the AL East.  Crisp charged the mound, and look out, because James Shields was waiting. Shields threw a hard punch(and missed), and Crisp was taken down by Navarro after missing his own punch.  Mayhem soon followed.

But lets stop there.  I am a firm believer in the pure game of baseball, a game that involves a pitcher hitting a guy in the thigh or butt as an answer to a dirty slide into your second baseman.  That is part of the game.  Charging the mound even has it's place, but last night wasn't it.  Crisp should have just taken it like a man and trotted down to first, and to make Shields pay, he should have swiped second base.  That would have been the smart move.  After Shields and Crisp threw missing blows, the usual shoving match between teams didn't break out, as expected...a full on brawl did.  I am not a Navarro fan, but I have to give credit to the Rays catcher for bringing down Crisp by the neck.  I am a big Gomes fan, and like him even more for the pounding(there is no other word for it) that he gave Crisp on the ground.  Granted, things got ugly.  The two teams were supposed to shove each other and move on, but there was some serious animosity on the field there, and guys were scrapping like they meant it...and I am pretty sure they did.  I am ok with that, boys will be boys.  The only thing that I was enraged about was seeing the Boston third base coach grab Shields from behind and throw him to the ground(he landed on his pitching shoulder, too).  I was always under the impression that the coaches were supposed to break up the fights, not partake in them.  Because of that, Shields was under his own pile of players, but I don't think he got the beating Crisp got under the bigger pile.  Things finally got restored, and if they had dyed down, Crisp flared them back up again post game by calling the Rays a bunch of little girls....again....having to have the last word.  You know, sometimes you need to just shut up and take it like a man, Coco.

Oh, and there was also a game being played here.  The Rays were swept out of Boston for the second time this season, and fell 1.5 games out of first.  This will be the point we all look back on in October and reference either what got us here(to the play offs), or where it all fell apart(as we sit on our couches watching the Sox play post season ball).  I truly believe the Rays will either use this as a catapult or it will serve are the wrecking ball and destroy all that was built until now.  The Rays are young, they are feisty and they are could be contenders.  But to be beaten so badly for the second time in a row by the best team in baseball can mess with your head in a bad way.  The road to the post season most definitely runs through Fenway Park, and if you can not win there, you will not last long in October.  So here, their journey truly will start.  One of two things will happen; they will regroup, get mad enough about being the Red Sox's doormat and go on a surge to the top, or they will crumble and let the lead slip away, looking up at the top for the rest of the season.  This is where Joe Maddon and bench coach Dave Martinez need to step in and give the kids an inspiring speech rivaling that from the movie Rudy.  They need to build up the energy, fire and confidence inside these kids so they believe that they belong on top.  It will be interesting to see on which side of the line the Rays will fall.  The road trip doesn't get much easier, going to Texas and Anaheim, and it will take some soul searching for the Rays to pick it up a notch.  They can sulk and play like the flukes the rest of the baseball world has taken them for, or they can man up and believe in the fate that has brought them this far.  They will need to come out at least .500 from this road trip to keep the fire alive, I think.  I do think they have what it takes to make it, but their bats will have to wake up, and they will have to play through the suspensions which are most likely coming from the Commissioner's office.  Yesterday's game was not just a fight for first, it will most likely be the deciding point to the young Rays season.

Lets hope they choose the right path