Headhunting

Nothing like seeing Chris Sale give up six two-out unearned runs in Cleveland to turn my attention to the Cubs and Cardinals.  Whenever the Cubs get good, they tend to have personality clashes with the Cards.  When he managed St. Louis, Tony LaRussa couldn’t stand anyone who questioned his genius or threw inside at his hitters.  Cubs’ skipper Joe Maddon is starting to sound a little like LaRussa.

In Friday’s game, Cubs’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth.   The next inning, Cubs’ starter Dan Haren threw a pitch that bounced off the helmet of pinch-hitter Matt Holiday. And the inning after that, Rizzo got hit again.  In his postgame news’ conference, Maddon wondered if Tony Soprano was in the dugout, ordering the hit.  Lo and behold, on Saturday three Cardinals were hit.

Who started it?  Each team will point to the other, which can go all the way back to Cain and Abel.  The idea is to throw close at batters who crowd the plate, as Rizzo does.  Hitting a batter risks injury and retaliation as well as possible motivation; hbp #3 in Saturday’s game ignited a three-run St. Louis rally in the ninth that nearly won the game.  The Cubs are the new kids on the block and want to establish themselves as tough, if not bullies.  They—and especially their manager—need to remember that Tony Soprano is in the eyes of the beholder.