TOP FIGHTS IN YANKEES HISTORY: #10-6

The Yankees have had many great rivalries, ones which often spilled beyond just the game of baseball. Tempers often flared up, emotions ran high, and most of us remember where we were and how we yelled at the TV when certain fights happened. I thought it might be fun to take a walk down memory lane and look at the top 10 fights in Yankees history. One disclaimer, though. These are from my recent memory. So, you’ll forgive me if I missed that one fight in September 1938. I mean, these memories are not just about what happened. It is about how it made us feel as it was happening. If any of these still make your blood boil, join the club and grab some popcorn!

10. Graig Nettles kicks George Brett in the head

It was the 1976 ALCS in the winner-take-all Game 5 (it was a best of 5 back then) and George Brett hit a triple to the wall. Brett was coming into third and Graig Nettles was close to the bag. As Nettles stepped away, it became clear that Brett wanted to knock him over – so much so that his momentum caused him to fall forward. That put his head in perfect position for a subtle kick from Nettles. Brett got up and took a not so subtle swing at Nettles. Nettles was quickly on top of him pounding him into the artificial grass while the benches cleared. When it ended, they were tending to Brett, who looked a mess. If you look carefully at the video, Nettles needed no attention. He picked up his glove and took his position as if it was all in a night’s work.

9. Jesse Carlson Throws Behind Jorge Posada 

September 15, 2009. With a 9-2 lead, Toronto reliever Jesse Carlson, retaliating for Aaron Hill being hit earlier in the game, threw a pitch behind Jorge Posada. Clearly angered but maintaining his composure, Posada got on base and came around to score. After crossing home plate, his fist found Carlson’s forehead. Benches cleared, Posada was ejected, and the camera got a shot of a nasty gash on Carlson’s forehead. This is what happens:

8. 2000 World Series: Roger Clemens Throws the bat at Mike Piazza

It was Game 2, and tensions between Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza were already running high. Clemens had hit Piazza in the head in July of that year, and this was a showdown. Piazza breaks his bat on a foul ball, a shard of it bounces towards Clemens, who grabs it and throws it at Piazza. Benches cleared and there was some shoving. It escalated an already fierce rivalry. Cooler heads prevailed, and the Mets would not be able to settle the score until June 2002. That is when Clemens had to pitch at Shea Stadium and take an at-bat, and everyone anticipated Clemens being beaned by Mets pitcher Shawn Estes. He missed. I still laugh about it.

7. 2003 ALCS Karim Garcia and Jeff Nelson vs. the Grounds Crew Member

This series was filled with fights, and it will get more than one entry in this Top 10. This one, however, was just bizarre. The benches had already cleared earlier in the game, and the atmosphere was heated. According to Jeff Nelson, a member of the grounds crew had begun antagonizing him in the bullpen, and a fight ensued. Right fielder Karim Garcia, who had been hit earlier in the game,  sees this and jumps the wall to help his buddy Nelson. After they restored order, they took the guy to the hospital and kept him overnight. He appeared the next day in a neck brace. Was it real? I have my opinion, but we will let you decide.

6. Reggie Jackson vs. Billy Martin

It was June 18, 1977, and the Yankees were in Fenway Park. In a tight race for the AL East, the Yankees were down 7-4 in the sixth. Reggie Jackson lets a Jim Rice fly ball drop in front of him, which Rice was able to stretch into a double. Reggie was never a superstar fielder, but manager Billy Martin thought he should have gotten to the ball. He decided to send Reggie a message with a fielding substitution, sending Paul Blair out to play right. Reggie gets to the dugout and the shouting ensued. The two had to be separated, resulting in one of the most epic moments of the 1970’s Yankees.

Well, that is all for now. Next week we will have one through five. Think you know which ones will be on the list? Let us know if we got it right, or if there are any which HAVE to be on the list.

--Ike Dimitriadis, 
BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

PEDRO TRIES TO PIN "BEEF" ON POSADA

A while back, when Bleeding Yankee Blue interviewed Laura and Jorge Posada, I asked Laura about Jorge's big hit off of Pedro Martinez in the 2003 ALCS.  It was a bloop double into the outfield to tie the game. It was huge moment as a fan and for Jorge and the Yankee. I had to see what Laura thought about that moment.  There's that answer:

Laura: "I was right there and that was an Epic moment!  Getting a hit off Pedro in 2003 was not an easy task and due to the history of "love" between them, it just made it a little sweeter!  As a spectator, you could feel the electricity in your body when he got that double."

Not sure if the reader noticed back then, but at the time, when writing up the interview, I put quotes around love.  We wanted to emphasize that word, because for a while there, it was clear that Pedro and Jorge weren't exactly best friends.  Now, to be fair, I don't go calling Jorge up asking him his feelings about athletes. But we are both Leos, and I think I understand Leos very well.

I can tell you from my own experience of being a Leo that if someone rubs me the wrong way, I hold onto it and keep my anger and emotion close to the vest until the time is right.  If I'm poked again, I come after you hard and all at once.  It's not arrogance... it's the way I am made. I am a Leo. I am top of the heap. I want respect, especially when I give it. If I don't get it... you'll get my aggression as if to say, "You're on my radar!" 

Now, I'm guessing here... But I see Jorge as that guy as well. I think that's what happened in that "Zimmer game" when Pedro was throwing at Karim Garcia's head and then pointing at Jorge and his own head. Posada, being a leader, felt his need to defend and got angry that day. 

It wasn't just because of Karim Garcia. It was because he was harassed by Pedro for years about his ears. How would you feel if someone was making fun of your appearance every time the 2 met? Clearly it festered.  I respect what Jorge did that day, because I would have done the same thing.

Now, a few years later, there's some clarity to the quoted Love from that BYB / Posada interview.  Pedro Martinez has come out now and stated that he wasn't too fond of Jorge Posada. Well, clearly the feeling is mutual. Pedro said this of Jorge:

“He always seemed to have a real bad attitude towards me... he was so arrogant. We competed cleanly. I never tried to hit him or do anything... He never wanted to talk to me. He was always mad at me for some reason. Then he let it go alittle too far with the Zimmer incident."

OK, is it me, or does Pedro Martinez sound arrogant and all high and mighty? Has he forgotten about his harassment toward Jorge?

Then this came out of left field...

"Between Latinos, you don't mention anybody's mother. And I never forgot that one. Up to this day."

WHAT?

Here's the thing; Pedro was a tough competitor and he was a great pitcher for a long stretch.  No one, not even Jorge Posada can deny that, but when there's name calling and bitching and moaning, especially throughout that stretch of the bitter rivalry, things get said and things aren't forgotten. Here's what we DO know... Pedro Martinez razzed Jorge Posada for a long, long time, calling him Dumbo. Here's what we don't know;  I have no idea if Jorge Posada said something about Pedro's mother. There is no evidence of it. There is nothing in print before Pedro announced it. In fact, it's one man's accusation... and that man happens to be Pedro Martinez.

Pedro admits calling Jorge "Dumbo":

"I call him Dumbo, but that’s no reason for him to want to kill me.”

Well, going back to what a Leo's makeup is, I can tell you that while name calling isn't a reason to "kill" someone, it is a reason to hold a grudge.  Couple that with Jorge's lifetime average against Pedro, .203 average in 74 at bats, and there's mad frustration, no question about it!  So... when it comes to screaming at Pedro during a fiery rivalry game.... yeah, it came to a head and according to me... it's warranted to get heated.

But the "mother" stuff? Come on Pedro... I just don't buy it, and I don't even believe it!  Why? I'll tell you...

Jorge Posada was known as a quiet leader. That was his focus. He spoke when he needed to and we all know about the famous closed door team meetings.  Those meeting usually ended with a guy like Eric Chavez coming out and saying, "Yeah, Posada gave it to us good, and he's right, we need to step it up." But publicly? Jorge was not that guy.

Jorge may have come off as arrogant and "fired up" when it came to playing the Red Sox, but that was passion. Fact.  We've seen the guy play, he was a tough competitor.

One thing Jorge is NOT is a sneaky bitch. Now we're back to Pedro...
 

Martinez had a different approach when he played. He had loose lips. He trash talked, and now, being elected to the Hall of Fame, he's on a big stage. Pedro's got the microphone, and he knows it.

Pedro now can virtually say what ever the hell he wants and people are going to listen, be it true or not.  As Yankee fans, you're smart enough to know how hard Posada played.  You also know he's not the guy Martinez is painting him as.  Even the Daily News headline was careful about how they crafted their headline: Pedro Martinez implies that Jorge Posada ignited infamous 2003 Red Sox - Yankees brawl by insulting his mother. 

That's right... Pedro implied it. There's never been one stitch of print about it. 

In the end, I think about what Jason Varitek said about Jorge Posada when he retired.  It puts it in better perspective than someone like Pedro who's had loose lips for his entire career. V-Tek said of Posada:

"After hundreds of head-to-head games during the regular season and the postseason, I can't say I respect and admire anyone at our position more than I do Jorge. The hard work and preparation he put into catching is a huge reason he has five championships on his resume. He is a true grinder."

Read  WHY VARITEK EVEN RESPECTS POSADA...WHO KNEW? That was from January 2012.  

What's this all about? Well, 3 things.

The first thing is respect.  One thing I do know about Jorge Posada is he respects the game.  If he had beef with someone, you'd never truly know about it.  What I know about Pedro is he did a lot things that could be considered sneaky and disrespectful to get under a player's skin.  It helped him in his career.  It really did.

The second thing is about being a fan.  Now, I'll get ripped by Red Sox fans for this post and I did nothing to deserve it.  In fact, I personally respect how Pedro pitched.  He was very, very good. He deserves the Hall nod, no question. But as far as his approach, I never liked it. It always seemed JV to me.  Fans need to know where this "mother disrespect" is coming from.  It's coming from Pedro. A guy who has always blabbed unnecessarily because he knew the press would pick it up.  Here's the truth... we don't know what Jorge said.  All we can do as fans is circle the wagons for our member of the Core Four.  He was always a great competitor, a good teammate, a fan favorite and he did it with hard work, passion and class.  

Here's the 3rd thing and final piece of this puzzle... Who cares? What, Pedro can dish it but someone allegedly says something about his mother and that's wrong?  You can't have it both ways, Pedro!  I don't believe the story anyway, but if it were true... is Pedro really crying on a stage after being elected into the Hall of Fame? Come on man...

Don't believe everything you read ladies and gentlemen.  Keep backing our guy. This is 1 man's account... Pedro's.

Hey Jorge, you will always have our support at Bleeding Yankee Blue. You and Laura and BYB family members are this point. This story is ridiculous, and to be honest, it wasn't worth my post right here... but I felt the need to defend.  The whole thing seemed 1 sided for the past 24 hours... that can't happen.

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