Gary Sheffield is an idiot

Everybody knows it hurts to get hit by a baseball. I've been hit on the elbow, the knee, the thigh, the ribs, the nose ... everywhere. It hurts, and what's more, it can injure you. But that's the risk you take stepping into a batter's box. In order to get batters out, pitchers have to throw the ball at high velocity to a spot very close to the batter's body. The batter has a split second to decide whether to swing at the ball, then actually swing, if he so chooses. John Kruk against Randy Johnson in the All-Star Game notwithstanding, the batter is generally not thinking about having to get out of the way of the ball until it's nearly on top of him. This means the pitch is occasionally going to hit the batter. Everyone understands this.

When Fausto Carmona hit Gary Sheffield on his back forearm with a pitch in the Indians' 6-5 win over the Tigers Friday night, Sheffield got the idea that Carmona had "absolutely" (Sheffield's word) hit him on purpose, despite the fact that it was a breaking ball, despite the fact that it wasn't that far inside, and despite the fact that it was an 0-1 count. He didn't charge the mound right away; he waited until after Carmona had thrown over to first to keep him close. Sheffield yelled something to Carmona, Carmona apparently gestured in reply, and Sheffield decided to start a bench-clearing brawl.

Naturally, Sheffield was ejected. I thought Carmona probably would be too, even though he didn't do anything but defend himself; and I was right. Victor Martinez, who was also trying to defend his pitcher, got thrown out as well, as did the Tigers' Placido Polanco. I didn't really see what Polanco did to get tossed, but I think it's a crock that the two Indians were ejected. I'm reminded of the time Robin Ventura charged the mound after an inside pitch by Nolan Ryan, and Ryan got in five punches to the face before they were pulled apart. Ryan wasn't ejected, wasn't suspended, wasn't disciplined in any way, because it was understood that if an opposing player comes out trying to perpetrate acts of violence against the pitcher, the pitcher has the right to defend himself. I don't see how this situation's any different. If the umpires thought Fausto threw at Sheffield, they should have tossed him after the pitch; so he was obviously ejected for his role in the brawl. I'm sorry, but I think that's dumb. Carmona got some punches in, but Sheffield started it.