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.

The Under-the-Radar Tigers, and the Perseverance of Nadal

When the subject of American League contenders is raised, one immediately thinks of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels. They are the creme-de-la-creme, and according to popular belief, the only three AL teams with legitimate World Series aspirations. But there is one team that is flying completely under the radar, one team with a vast wealth of talent that will make them dangerous in October. That team is the Detroit Tigers. Entering Saturday, Detroit has a comfortable six-game lead in the AL Central. Granted, this is a weak division, as the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox don't exactly strike fear in the hearts of their opponents. With this being said, however, the Tigers deserve some attention and respect.

There are several reasons why the Tigers will be a force to be reckoned with in October. The first is their manager, the feisty and ultra competitive Jim Leyland. At 64 years of age, Leyland has more passion and energy than most people half his age. He has the respect of everyone in baseball, due in large part to his impressive managerial track record of turning around previously doomed franchises. After being hired by the Florida Marlins in 1997, Leyland immediately delivered a World Series title in what was only the fifth year of existence for the Fish. When Leyland got the Tigers managerial job in 2006, the franchise was in total ruins, only three years removed from a 119-loss season. But in his first year, Jim Leyland led the Tigers to an American League pennant. Now, Detroit is back in the hunt again. Their pitching, led by Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson, and their offense, led by Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco, will keep the Tigers in every game in the postseason. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels shouldn't celebrate an AL pennant just yet.

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With the exception of Melanie Oudin's stunning win over Elena Dementieva, the 2009 U.S. Open has not yet seen many upsets. All of the big names remain. However, last night at Flushing Meadow we saw some signs of struggle from Rafael Nadal. Nadal, coming off a knee injury that prevented him from defending his title at Wimbledon, labored in his second round match against Nicolas Kiefer. Kiefer pushed Nadal to a hard-fought fourth set, a fact that does not bode well for Nadal if he wants to beat the likes of Federer, Roddick, and Murray. With this being said, though, panic is not warranted. Even in a struggle last night, Nadal showed why he is such a tenacious competitor. Rafa thrives under adversity, and he never stopped battling against Kiefer, eventually battling his way to victory. Rafael Nadal is still a major threat to win the U.S. Open.

The Nadal-Kiefer match was the primetime event at Center Court last night, but the most thrilling match of the night took place at the Grandstands court between Taylor Dent and Ivan Navarro. Dent and Navarro delivered an enthralling five-set thriller that worked its way to a fifth-set tiebreak. In the end, the American Taylor Dent prevailed, adding another chapter to an inspirational Cinderella story. Dent was once ranked 21st in the world, viewed by many as the next big thing in tennis. But two back surgeries left him out of tennis for four years. Last night's win was a sweet return for Dent, a reminder that pure grit and determination can indeed overcome physical shortcomings.