Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan incurred the Cardinals' wrath by popping rookie catcher Bryan Anderson for no good reason.
As it turns out, that was not an isolated incident. The man is developing anger management issues late this season.
He infuriated the Marlins by plowing into catcher Brett Hayes, leaving him with a shoulder separation. He has been doing and saying lots of crazy stuff lately, which is why Nationals manager Jim Riggelman benched and reprimanded him.
But Nyjer was at it again Wednesday in Florida. Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad hit him with a retaliatory pitch. Morgan responded by stealing two bases with his team trailing by 11 runs, sending a message back.
The next time Morgan came up, Volstad threw behind him. Morgan charged the mound and threw a punch at the pitcher. Beefy Florida first baseman Gabby Sanchez then clothes-lined Morgan as players from both teams reached the battle.
What’s up with this guy? The Associated Press wanted to know.
“I have nothing to say about Morgan -- that's their problem,” Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said.
“There's nothing good I can say about someone who doesn't play the game the right way and doesn't respect the integrity of the game,” sniffed Wes Helms of the Marlins. “We had to show we weren't going to put up with how he was treating us.”
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while wondering if the Cardinals will ever win another baseball game:
Who is this Janko Tipsarevic and how did he knock Andy Roddick out of the U.S. Open?
Does anybody look at Roger Federer this way in the U.S.?
Is there any way to really calculate Aroldis Chapman's long-term value to the Reds?
Will the Lakers and Celtics ever have the sort of basketball rivalry Greece and Turkey have?
Is anybody jacked up about the WNBA playoffs? Anybody?
How did Shaquille O'Neal and Justin Bieber become BFF?
WOODY HAYES WOULD BE MOST PLEASED
The Michigan-Ohio State showdown, staged annually at the end of the regular season, is one of college football’s greatest spectacles.
Tipsheet grew up watching Bo Schembechler coach against the mercurial Hayes. The intensity was palpable, even on the black-and-white TVs.
So this corner of cyberspace was happy to see the Big Ten Conference maintain that rivalry despite splitting those schools in its expansion/realignment. The league’s clever “cross-division rivalry game” compromise will allow these schools to continue their annual late-season clash.
And they could still meet in the Big Ten title game, too. Win-win!
“We heard the fans, there's no doubt about their voices mattered,” Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany told reporters.
Chicago Tribune scribe Teddy Greenstein had this take: “More than 11,000 fans flocked to a Facebook page called ‘Don't Mess with the Ohio State/Michigan Game!’ because they feared that college football's greatest rivalry would be watered down by an October date. They now can put down their pitchforks and circle Nov. 26, 2011: The Buckeyes will visit the Wolverines to end the regular season.”
But Detroit Free-Press columnist Michael Rosenberg wasn’t totally happy: “Maybe I’m just being old-fashioned, but I’d much prefer these teams face each other in Ann Arbor or Columbus with something definitive on the line, instead of that game being a prelude to a title game in an NFL stadium.”
Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com seconded that concern: “Some of you will celebrate the preservation of the sanctity of the last Saturday in November. But something is going to be missing. ‘The Game’ is not going to be for the Rose Bowl ever again. Oh, it could eventually lead to a Rose Bowl, or a national championship, but it won't be that end-all, be-all.”
GOOD LUCK TO ILLINOIS
The Illini will have their hands full playing football in a division with Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin – in addition to Purdue and Indiana. But it's "rivalry game" with Northwestern is good for all their fans in Chicago.
And speaking of Indiana, the Hooisers were headed for trouble no matter how the Big Ten aligned.
MEMO TO HOME-TEAM ANALYSTS: BE CAREFUL!
This reminder comes from the AP:
WASHINGTON -- The Washington Nationals say Rob Dibble will no longer work as a TV analyst for the team's games, a split that comes after the former reliever made comments critical of rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
Dibble lashed out at Strasburg last week for not pitching through pain. Dibble said on Sirius XM Radio that “you can't have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder, sore elbow.”
Strasburg has since been diagnosed with a torn elbow ligament and will have surgery Friday. He will be sidelined 12 to 18 months.
MEGAPHONE
“I'll sleep a lot better than I did at Wimbledon, which basically felt like I handed someone a win. Tonight, I felt like the guy earned it. That's probably easier to deal with when he comes up with the goods.”
Roddick, addressing the media after another early Grand Slam exit.
