For anyone who has ever played serious baseball, it is common knowledge that when in the on-deck circle, it is important to always be paying close attention as a pitch is delivered.  As a hitter, not only should you be attempting to time the pitcher’s release point, but you also should be paying close attention to avoid serious injury on a sharp foul ball.

However, even when paying attention, an on-deck hitter is still susceptible to being drilled by a foul ball- just ask former Cardinals’ outfielder Juan Encarnacion.  In late August of 2007, Encarnacion was struck in the left-eye socket by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Aaron Miles- an injury that ultimately ended Encarnacion’s career and that has been described by Cardinals’ medical director Dr. George Paletta as, “The worst trauma I’ve seen. Absolutely.”

Fortunately for Florida Marlins’ rookie Logan Morrison, it appears that he will ok after taking a foul ball to left side of his face in the 10^th inning of Sunday’s victory against the Atlanta Braves.

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In the same sense that people say baseball is better with Josh Hamilton in it, the exact opposite can be said about Nyjer Morgan of the Washington Nationals.  Baseball is worse with Nyjer Morgan in it.  On Wednesday night, Morgan continued his dip-shit ways by igniting a brawl with Chris Volstad and the Florida Marlins.  However it was not just the brawl itself that made Morgan appear completely despicable, it was how he handled the entire situation- for a second it even seemed like he might head into the crowd.

Now, considering that he hasn’t even served what was supposed to be a 7-game suspension for throwing a ball at a fan in Philadelphia, I think it’s safe to say that Morgan’s punishment is overdue.  The brawl is just the latest of his extra curricular activities on what has become a deep list of disconcerting outbursts by the center fielder.  Therefore, I think that it’s time that either the Nationals organization or Bud Selig lay down the law and suspend Nyjer Morgan for the remainder of the 2010 season.

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Shortly after the bench-clearing brawl between the Reds and Cardinals, I received an email from a good friend and former teammate, asking about one of baseballs many, under-appreciated nuances.  Since it is a discussion that delves into the mentality surrounding the brawl, as well as a discussion about the overall makeup of professional baseball players, I felt that it would be appropriate to post it in it’s entirety on The Golden Sombrero.

Rosey,

So this is a few days after the Cards/Reds brawl, so I won’t even ask if you saw it, since I know you did.  But I was wondering if you knew anything about the shin-guard-tapping-as-a-sign-of-friendship thing that got pissed off Yadi?  I had never heard of that before and was wondering if you knew about it/encountered it anywhere.  I’m going to start looking for it…when I get the rare chance to see a game.

Keep on keepin’ on,

Ryan

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Ryan,

A batter tapping the catcher’s shin guards as he strolls up the plate is a subtle term of endearment within the game, much like when a first basemen chats it up or pats an opposing hitter on the butt after a base hit.  A similar type of courtesy can be observed when a catcher hands the batter his bat after running out a foul ball, when the batter picks up a catcher’s mask for him after an admirable foul ball attempt, and when a hitter picks up the ball at his feet after the catcher wears a foul tip.

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Apparently Yadier Molina didn’t appreciate Brandon Phillip’s comments from Monday, and he wasted no time displaying his discontent with the Reds’ second baseman.  Like any respectable baseball player would do, Molina confronted Phillips after he tried acting all “buddy-buddy” with him as he stepped up to the plate, in his first at-bat on Tuesday.  All hell broke loose, the benches cleared, and Jason LaRue is in some pain today.

The bigger story here is that Chris Carpenter finally got to throw down.  For those who have watched him pitch this season, Carp has been at the center of several confrontations and skirmishes, but nothing that had materialized into a bench clearing brawl.  Thus, it comes as no surprise that he was one of key players in Tuesday’s brawl- he’s been itching for this for the past 4 months.  Here’s some videos from the Reds/Cardinals fight from Tuesday:

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Winning Major League Baseball’s Triple Crown is arguably the noblest distinction an offensive player can receive. To hit dominantly for both power and average is a tremendous feat and even if someone manages that, a good bit of luck is still necessary to provide the base runners necessary to bat runs in. As prevalent as offense was throughout the steroid era, it still never happened. In fact, the feat is so rare that it was last accomplished by the Boston Red Sox’ Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. That season, the Yaz hit .326 with 44 home runs and 121 runs batted in. But we are now past the halfway point of the 2010 campaign and there are presently four different players still in the running for this most illustrious of baseball awards.

The first and most likely candidate to keep up the consistency needed to win the Triple Crown is Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera. The four time All-Star first baseman is currently second in the majors in batting average, hitting .349, and considering he is a career .314 hitter it is definitely within his capabilities to maintain such a high mark. At the moment he is also second in the American League in home runs with 24 and leading the AL in RBI at 88. Prior to this season the once wild-partying Cabrera entered treatment for alcoholism and followed up with a promise that he has so far delivered on to be more focused this year. The Tigers are currently three games back in the AL Central division and with lead-off man Austin Jackson hitting well over .300 there should be ample opportunity for Cabrera to drive home runs. If he doesn’t fall off the wagon down the stretch either personally or professionally then Miguel Cabrera is by far the most probable contender to become MLB’s first Triple Crown winner in over forty years.

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