Can we give Michael Barrett a standing ovation? Let's applaud Michael for a classy display of sportsmanship on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field.

After A.J. Pierzynski crashed into him while he was blocking home plate without the ball, Pierzynski kind of leaned into Barrett after scoring. Barrett lost control and punched A.J. in the grill, provoking a bench-clearing brawl that saw John Mabry and Brian Anderson get ejected along with Barrett and Pierzynski.

I was going to refrain from making fun of the Cubs 7-0 loss to the White Sox, because they've had it bad this year. Derrek Lee broke his wrist, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood are about as stable as Liza Minelli and their offense is slightly better than Kansas City's.

But this set me off. Michael Barrett proved why the Cubs are seemingly going nowhere. Here you are, eight games under .500, 10 games out of first place and you're punching people? Tsk, tsk, Mr. Barrett. See how good the Cubs do without you. As one of the Cubs few offensive stars on a team full of flickering and burned out bulbs, they need Barrett.

Alas, Dusty Baker has lost control of this team. Cooler heads would have prevailed in that situation, but the Cubs are frustrated, angry and coming apart at the seams. While they certainly aren't out of it, they are coming dangerously close. Lee is out until the middle of June, and by then the Cubs could be 15 games out or more.

It's great to hear Cub fans react like Barrett is a hero. A hero for throwing a right cross when it wasn't even necessary. Pierzynski is a dirty player, but Barrett proved to be dirtier. Barrett is a very good offensive catcher. He'll never be Pudge in his prime, but teams could do a whole lot worse. Today's melee reaffirmed why he'll never go into that upper echelon of catchers. One needs to look no further than the 2004 World Series at what should have been done. Then-rookie Yadier Molina thought that the Red Sox were stealing signs, so he took action and got in Manny Ramirez's face. There was no need for Molina to lace up boxing gloves and clock Ramirez in the jaw. He didn't need to knee him in the groin, or even tackle him. The Cardinals were in the same position, and Molina showed at just 22 that he was able to take charge without feeling a need to lay the smackdown. That's maturity. Barrett comes across as a hot-headed bully that needs a timeout.

So, Michael, while you're sitting on the bench for the next week and you're pouting because you got bowled over, take the time to watch how a real catcher would react. Think about the old elementary school taunt:

Sticks and stones,
 can break my bones,
but A.J. Pierzynski will never hurt me

MVPujols (Ryan) thanks you for reading his blog. He also encourages you to leave comments, positive or negative. Don't drink and drive.