Whatever - you'd think they would really want to give free bases to Boston?

Thanks for the free run in any case Tampa, on the walk to Ortiz a few minutes later.

The Red Sox are still "ahead" in the HBP "ledger sheet"--their pitchers have hit 41 batters, while opposing pitchers have hit Red Sox batters 27 times.

Dear Tampa - Who's that guy batting 6th for the Red Sox?

He supposedly muttered “My bad” on his way past a fallen Kotchman, but did not appear even a little concerned about taking out the leg of a former teammate.

Oh come on.

Seems like Sox pitchers have been at the forefront of hit batsmen for the better part of a decade now. It's not surprising that Youkilis is always the preferred retaliation target due to his on-field demeanor a la Paul O'neill.

This had nothing to do with an HBP (if you assume it was intentional) and was a response to a specific incident. I don't think Youk intentionally clipped Kotchman but he was reckless and should know better.

I got so many great GG Allin stories and no time today to post 'em. But at least GG was not a roider.

I'm surprised that's even a "My bad" kind of situation. They replayed it a bunch of times, and Kotchman's foot was way out over the middle of the bag. I don't know if that happens often, but it looked like Youkilis just tripped over Kotchman's foot. Apparently traditional baseball etiquette is to make a bigger effort to avoid the 1B, and if you do to deeply apologize for it, but to unapologetically take out the 2B as much as possible? Weird.

But at least GG was not a roider.

Oh please. GG Allin was in a class by himself when it came to performance enhancing drugs. I'd like to see Barry Bonds try putting the amount of drugs in his system that GG Allin did on a daily basis.

Our pitchers are like that. They'll back you up."

I don't think I have ever, ever (maybe it happened, and I just didn't hear it) heard a recent Red Sox player or manager trot out this old, RETARDED ( yes, I said it) line of thinking. I've never seen Francona be cute or coy like Girardi and Maddon. And while it's true that one in unlikely to hear it when ones pitchers are doing the majority of the plunking, As far as I know, there was no retaliation for McSlappy, for ARod grabbing Pedroia's junk in 2007, the Joba incidents.

I'm sorry Beckett is a psychopath. I really am. But if any other RS pitcher hits a player (except maybe Aceves) you can be almost certain it was an accident.

and acting cranky when things are not going his way.

How is that offensive? How is it breaking an unwritten rule? IT'S FUNNY. Rage tears are the best tears. "Oh look, we struck that guy out, he's breaking his bat. He's stomping his feet. {s/Nelson}" It's funny. You *want* to get the other guy acting like a baby.

Looked like a baseball play to me. That said, I'm always down with Youkilis getting drilled.

That said, I'm always down with Youkilis getting drilled.

That's fine. And eventually Youk is going to charge some poor 22 year old that let one get away and didn't know Youk was about to snap. It's just the endless posturing that gets me riled up.

It's just *crazy* the amount of murderous venom that I see Youk and Papi incite among the Yankee fanbase and those three guys that like the Rays.

It's just *crazy* the amount of murderous venom that I see Youk and Papi incite among the Yankee fanbase and those three guys that like the Rays.

Youk's like a top-rung pro-wrestling heel to me. Very, very good at what he does and fun to hate.

Aceves is the one who put Byrd in the dl when he hit him in the face with a pitch...

"And eventually Youk is going to charge some poor 22 year old that let one get away and didn't know Youk was about to snap. It's just the endless posturing that gets me riled up."

The last time Youkilis charged the mound, he got belly-to belly suplexed by Rick Porcello.


"It's just *crazy* the amount of murderous venom that I see Youk and Papi incite among the Yankee fanbase and those three guys that like the Rays."

Murderous venom? That's a little strong.

I don't think that murderous venom is any different than the sentiment you hear for Jeter, A-Rod, and Tex, etc. in Fenway.

It's just *crazy* the amount of murderous venom that I see Youk and Papi incite among the Yankee fanbase and those three guys that like the Rays.

I for one save all my venom for the Red Sox fans. And Beckett, he's a giant douche.

I love Youk but it's not hard to see how an opponent's fans would hate him. Plus, like Jeter he crowds the plate so he's going to get unintentionally hit quite often. I think the only time he has charged the mound was the Porcello thing last year and I think what riled him up is that the Tigers had already thrown at Martinez the previous inning.

Youk is an ugly SOB but I've never seen any reason to hate-hate him other than that he's a good baseball player wearing the wrong laundry.
I never had much feeling one way or the other about Ortiz, but his recent comments made me like him.

Guys are so cute when they pretend they don't like soap operas.

Youkilis is our own Paul O'Neill, except wildly ugly. Man, I hated Paul O'Neill.

Youk's like a top-rung pro-wrestling heel to me. Very, very good at what he does and fun to hate.

I like that. The soap-opera aspect of sports - which is amplified and separated from the actual-competition part of sports in professional wrestling - is absolutely a big part of the fun.

I'm sorry Beckett is a psychopath. I really am. But if any other RS pitcher hits a player (except maybe Aceves) you can be almost certain it was an accident.

I'm not sure Blame It On Beckett is a complete defense. The HBP numbers have been pretty high going back to Pedro's era, and at the moment two non-Wakefield Red Sox pitchers have higher HBP totals than Beckett. I suppose those could all be "accidents", but at some point retaliation is likely even in the absence of malicious intent under a negligence theory of liability.

Youkilis is our own Paul O'Neill, except wildly ugly.

So, our Jorge Posada.

Man, I hated Paul O'Neill.

Wow, I totally loved the guy. Then again, I own a company that makes water coolers. The man gave me my summer home.

Man, I hated Paul O'Neill.

Wow, I totally loved the guy. Then again, I own a company that makes water coolers. The man gave me my summer home.

I loved whenever the TV cameras caught his teammates snickering at his histrionics.