The Posada Brawl, and Temper on the Tennis Court

Heading into last night's Blue Jays-Yankees game in the Bronx, there didn't seem to be any notable storylines. The Fighting Pinstripes are running away with the AL East, simply biding their time before the calendar strikes October, while the Toronto Blue Jays are once again mired in a thoroughly forgettable season. Yet by the end of the game, this seemingly meaningless showdown had produced one of the most indelible images of the 2009 baseball season: the nasty, gigantic gash on the head of Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Carlson.

Here's what took place: The Jays were rolling when two of their hitters were plunked. With this being baseball, there was bound to be retaliation. Eventually, the inevitable occurred, with Carlson throwing a heater behind the back of Posada. Posada and Carlson exchanged some words, and the benches momentarily cleared, though no real fracas transpired. Posada ended up with a walk, eventually scoring on Brett Gardner's double. Here's where things got juicy. As Posada approached the plate, Carlson intentionally stood on the wrong side of home plate, a way of metaphorically flexing his muscles and sending a message to Posada. As Posada crossed the plate, he elbowed Carlson, and tempers flared. The benches cleared again, and this time it got violent. As both teams trotted back to their respective dugout, Posada looked steamed and slightly disoriented, and Jesse Carlson had a wound the size of Canada on his forehead.

So, who is to blame? One could argue that Carlson provoked Posada, first by throwing behind him, then by standing on the wrong side of home plate. But I say Posada exhibited a gross overreaction. As John Kruk astutely noted on "Baseball Tonight", Posada had to know that somebody was going to get thrown at in retaliation. That's part of the unwritten rules of baseball. In his career, Posada has ordered many a pitcher to retaliate, so for him to respond like he did was simply hypocritical. And his elbow to Carlson as he crossed home plate was wholly unnecessary. Posada received a four game suspension and a fine of $3,000 for his actions. Carlson received the same punishment, but the Yankees all-star catcher deserves the brunt of the blame.

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Speaking of tempers, how about that U.S. Open. We should be talking about the incredible performances of champions Kim Clijsters and Juan Del Potro, but instead we are discussing the fiery antics of Serena Williams and, to a lesser extent, Roger Federer. And in my opinion, it is much ado about nothing. Serena did indeed say some reprehensible things when she was called for a foot fault in the waning moments of her semifinal match against Clijsters, threatening to shove the f***ing ball down the throat of the line judge. In no way do I excuse these words, but Serena understandably got caught up in the heat of the moment. After all, it was a horrible call that cost her the match. Two days later, Roger Federer was caught spewing salty language to the line judge during his championship match against Del Potro. Hoopla ensued, and people began to criticize Federer. Not me. Tennis has a long history of temperamental greats, most notably John McEnroe. Like McEnroe, Serena and Federer simply got caught in the heat of the moment. We all have tempers, and in my opinion, it is refreshing to see superstar athletes expressing genuine frustration. It just makes them seem more human.