Whoop that trick!

“Fuck the Cubs”
-Ozzie Guillen--White Sox manager--May 18, 2006

“If the Cubs had any sort of heart, pride or soul, they would have responded angrily and tried to put up a fight. But in perhaps the biggest indictment yet of lame-duck manager Johnnie B. Baker, the Cubs had no heart, no pride, no soul and only two hits.”
-Jay Mariotti--Chicago Sun-Times--May 19, 2006

"I was really trying to protect the plate, and as soon as I got knocked down, I fell back, a little startled at first. … I didn't really see him hit the plate. All I know is that when I got up and sort of gained some sort of consciousness, he's walking toward me and sort of bumps into me. At that point, I just reacted, and I reacted in a bad way. I wish I would have pushed him away from me but, unfortunately, what's done is done."
-Michael Barrett--Cubs catcher--May 20, 2006

The shot heard around the city. The play that could change the fortunes of two teams. The right hook that demanded respect for at least one guy wearing a Cub uniform. Saturday’s Cubs-Sox game had all oft that. Correction, a 15-minute stretch of the second inning of Saturday’s Cubs-Sox game had all of that. And you know what? It could be the start of a whole new mentality on the North Side.

If you were out at the track on Saturday, blowing your money by betting on Barbaro, or at home getting yourself mentally ready to watch the three game sevens in the NBA playoffs over the next 48 hours, you missed one hell of a baseball game. No, there was never any doubt who was the better team on the field at the Cell. There was no question that one team looked more like a squad out of the Central Suburban League instead of the National League Central. But that didn’t stop this from being an ESPN Instant Classic.

Bottom of the second, bases loaded, and White Sox rookie CF Brian Anderson is at the dish. Fellow rookie Rich Hill, the Cubs pitcher, throws a pitch that’s hit out to yet another first year player, Matt Murton. Murton makes the catch, takes a step and throws to the plate. The Sox runner on third, catcher A.J. Pierzynski, tags up and heads home. The ball and Pierzynski get to Cub catcher Michael Barrett at roughly the same time, but instead of sliding around Barret (who didn’t have the ball by the way), A.J. decides to run through the Cubs backstop. He is of course called safe, and instead of getting up and going to the dugout like any normal player would do, Pierzynski chooses to slap the plate with his hand. After this, he finally gets up, walks right into Barrett, and sort wraps himself around the Cub catcher. Instead of just shoving Pierzynski, like he later said he wishes he had done, Barrett decides to land a Floyd Mayweather right hook to A.J.’s face. Benches clear, shoving ensues from both sides, and the two catchers, along with a couple of other players are tossed from the game.

Of course this didn’t seem to do much at the time for Hill, who allowed a grand slam only two batters later. Nor did it do much for the other 22 active players, who out hit the Sox by three yet lost by seven runs.

But it will do something for the mentality of this team, I can guarantee you that. You don’t just sit back and watch your catcher get run over by your inner-city rival and do nothing. That’s why I’m quite pleased at what Barrett did, and especially who he did it to. Other then Guillen, Pierzynski is the heart and soul of the White Sox. And seeing him take a fist to the cheek by one of our guys couldn’t help but bring a smile to my face.

Yes, Barret will surly be suspended for what he did. Add to that the loss of D-Lee and the absence of Aramis Ramirez and Todd Walker’s bats and the Cubs have really no legitimate hitters. But now this team will have some swagger to it. I hope Dusty tells today’s starting pitcher, the always aggressive Carlos Zambrano, to not do anything that will get him ejected, because I’m sure that the White Sox are sniffing blood and want to officially kill the Cubs season on May 21. But if Big Z can pitch as well as he has in his previous two starts, and the Cubs can somehow get a win, I think this could be the beginning of a turn-around for the season. Retaliate June 30 through July 2, when the Sox come north. Retaliate by crushing the ball all afternoon against Sox ace Jose Contreras. Because if this team wants any chance of being a contender the rest of the season, they need to avoid eliminating themselves this afternoon.