The team that fights together stays together?  Plays better? A non-pitching pitcher "takes one for the team" and gets ejected so that the victim of the brawl inducing event doesn't?

All I have to say is that the entire brawling incident in the seventh inning at Oakland yesterday was a tad weird.  6'4" 250 pound Joe Blanton shoves 5'9" 160 pound Ichiro Suzuki from Sunday into Monday to pick up a ball that Jason Kendall lost after it had bounced off the back of a sliding Jose Lopez.  Then, after shoving Ichiro, he didn't even pick the ball up for a long time--not that it would have gone anywhere or gotten anyone out anyway (but that's another story entirely), instead stood there staring into space, more or less, only to be confronted by another rather small gentleman in 5'10" 180 pound Jason Ellison, fists cocked and ready to defend his teammate.

This precipitated the clearing of the dugouts and "bullpens" (AKA small areas with chairs at the sides of foul territory).  Shoving and epithet throwing, but no actual fisticuffs, ensued.  Mariners' bullpen coach Jim Slaton has his hands full (literally) attempting to restrain 2006 first round draft choice Brandon Morrow and the pitcher now renamed "The Franchise" (AKA El Cartuela and/or King Felix), who badly wanted to enter the fray and get his licks in.

All in all it took nearly 15 minutes to get the melee settled down once and for all, having re-erupted when "off duty" pitcher Miguel Batista was offered up as a "human sacrifice" and ejected so that Ichiro could stay in the game (not that there was any reason he should have been ejected to begin with, he didn't start the fight--in fact he just kept right on going toward the dugout after getting shoved by Mr. Blanton), and he got a little peeved at that.

Likely the whole thing was really precipitated by Mr. Blanton's frustration at having just given up a career high 12 hits and a total of six earned runs.  Someone had told him previously that he "owned" the M's, and he believed his own pub, and he was even less happy when he got ejected, sparing a bit of time for an obscene gesture to the M's dugout and some choice four letter words that did not require a lip reader to understand.

After the game, which the M's took 7-3, and which gave them the series victory, Queen's "We Are the Champions" and other raucous music could be heard in the visitor's clubhouse and much celebrating of the growing cohesion of the team went on, according to a blogger/beat writer for the Seattle Times who was there. 

So, is it a good thing or a bad thing to do a little fighting once in a while to fire up your teammates?  How about the old "taking one for the team"?

It was reported today in the Seattle Times that Mariners' pitching coach and none other than our young El Cartuela himself (seen above) both read and took to heart an open letter from a well known local Mariners' blog/commentary, in which the authors' analyzed his pitch selection and recommended a change.

This particular blog entry confirmed something that Chaves has been working with Felix on for a time now, since his return from the DL. A copy of it was handed to the Mariners' bullpen at McAfee Coliseum, from whence it was passed on to Chaves, who then passed it on directly to Felix.

The result of his having read it?  He decided to try following Chaves' (and USS Mariners') advice, and pitched eight innings of two hit baseball, ending up with a 4-0 shutout against the A's (now if Evil Empire version 1.0 could have done just as well against John Lackey today, all would be well with the world).  Who knows what might happen if he learned something more permanent from this and continues to follow the advice?  The return of King Felix?  One can but hope so.

But, back to my point as alluded to in the title of this post.  This just goes to show that you never know who might be reading what you write and taking it to heart.  I know that there is a bit of a controversy going out there in the Fox blogosphere right now about the quality of bloggers' writing and posts.  I tend to take responsibility for what I write, and I have been known to write the fluff and or off-topic piece, but I try to pose some serious issues as well.

So, keep on writing and talking about things that you know or desire, and you may see your name in an article like the one in the Times some day.

Now, the other side of the coin presents itself.  Whether or not professional athletes in any league are to be punished for their off field bad behavior, should on-field bad behavior not be taken to task?

During the Evil Empire version 1.0 versus Mariners game today (yes, the one in which Roger Clemens made an "on-field" announcement (from Steinbrenner's box) that he is returning to be the "savior" of the team) Josh Phelps deliberately mowed down Mariners' catcher Kenji Johjima while crossing the plate to score a run in the 5-0 shutout.

Television replays of the incident clearly show that Phelps readjusted his course to the plate to run into Johjima, who was offline to take the throw to the plate from the outfield.  The path to the plate was clear, and a normal slide would have scored the run without the necessity of a potential injury to the defending catcher.  Catchers fully expect to take the hit if they are blocking the plate in an attempt to put the runner out, but should not be exposed to such when they are offline.

Starting LHP Jarrod Washburn took the traditional, if unwritten, baseball approach to payback by plunking Phelps in his next at bat, causing a warning to both benches from the umpires.

Apparently, however, Scott Proctor took exception (whether on his own or at the "suggestion" of someone in EE v1.0 management) and threw behind Yuniesky Betancourt, perilously close to his helmet.  This brought on the usual benches clearing verbal altercation and resulted in the ejection from the game of both Proctor and Joe Torre.

If this were basketball, their refs would have called Phelps' action (most likely) a flagrant foul, and he would also have been headed for the showers.  But, folks, this ain't basketball, and Phelps suffered no consequences for his action.

Should he?  I say yes, he should.  What has Joh ever done to Phelps to have merited a dirty hit?  Nothing that I am aware of.  That being the case, I personally think that Phelps deserves at least a two game suspension--more, if it turns out that Johjima has suffered some sort of injury from this deliberate act.

On an equally concerning note, Felix Hernandez' next start has been pushed back from this week to next, 15 May 07, due to some continued elbow pain/tightness during his rehab bullpen sessions.  I, for one, am hoping that this does not mean he is in the same situation as his friend Francisco Liriano was last season, but am concerned for his health status at this time.

UPDATE:  Proctor got suspended four games (but has appealed and will continue to pitch), Torre for one, and Phelps? Phleps?  Not a one.

OK, all of you fantasy owners who hit the panic button yesterday when you heard about the injury to Felix Hernandez' elbow (including me, to be sure), you can exhale a bit now.

Dr. Khalfayan has read the MRI that was done on the elbow last night, and has this to say about it:  The flexor/pronator complex has a strain, <b>NOT</b> a tear in it.  He also says that he does not anticipate that Felix will miss much time due to this injury.

As I had mentioned in comments from the previous post, Felix was out playing a game that the M's call "flip" this afternoon, which is kind of like hackey sack, but with a baseball, and without the feet; using instead the hands and baseball gloves. 

Seen up close, he was smiling and laughing, clearly enjoying the company of his friends and their activity.  He was not in a sling or any kind of immobilizer, and appeared to be moving the entire right arm well, without significant discomfort.

Further updates will be forthcoming, but this is better news than I was anticipating hearing this afternoon.

In the meantime, Jake Woods has been optioned back to AAA Tacoma, and Sean Green called up to fill in as a spot starter until Felix is back.

21 year old Felix Hernandez followed up last week's one hitter at Fenway Park with being removed from the game in the first inning tonight with "tightness" in his pitching elbow. He was replaced by LHP long reliever Jake Woods.

This after not being able to get the ball over the plate, and allowing hits to all three of the Twins' top of the batting order.  The final number of runs credited to Hernandez was 5 through the end of the first inning (well, there goes the 0.00 ERA, and not at all in a good way).

Further diagnostic studies will be completed tomorrow, and the removal from the game has been labeled "precautionary" by Mariners training/medical staff for the time being.

It is almost coincidental (or is it?) that Hernandez' best friend, Francisco Liriano of the Twins, had almost the same thing happen to him last year, and will not be pitching this season at all, after Tommy John surgery.

Pitchers all over the league (both of them, actually) seem to be falling like flies early this season, which can't be good for anyone.

More information to follow as soon as it is released.