Prince Controversy (UPDATED with Video)

UPDATE: Here is the link to the video of Prince Fielder trying to charge into the Dodgers clubhouse from KCAL/KCBS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuoA-d3xiHo

Well, it was turning out to be your run-of-the-mill Dodgers rout at the Ravine last night, until Manny Ramirez was beaned in the 7th inning.

The Dodgers were blowing out the Brewers 12-3 at the time, but Milwaukee decided they needed to get tough with Ramirez. Number 99 had already homered in the 5th inning, and doubled in two runs in his previous at bat in the 6th, so it was about time.

I wasn't against the Brewers beaning Manny. It's part of the game. You do something great against us, we're gonna take down your best guy. It's childish, but it's baseball people.

Anyways, the real question was whether or not the Dodgers would respond. After all, this is a team that twiddled their thumbs while the Phillies made Manny eat some dirt last year in the NLCS. The Dodgers Chad Billingsley did not respond within the game and almost lost the clubhouse. It wasn't until the heroics of Hiroki Kuroda that the Dodgers proved they had a pulse.

So, I wasn't really expecting any kind of retaliation, especially after the Dodgers put five more runs up on the board in the 8th inning. The score was 17-4, but I almost forgot who was on the hill...

Guillermo Freakin' Mota. This is a guy that smoked Mike Piazza in a Spring Training game in March 2003. Check out Piazza's crazy face at 1:30 of the video. The man was incensed. Guillermo Mota can do that to people.

So, like I was saying, in a 17-4 game in the 9th, it was on like Donkey Kong. Guillermo Mota nailed Prince Fielder in his rib cage and he lumbered to the floor. Home plate umpire Lance Barksdale immediately tossed Mota, without any prior warning, and the Prince just stood near home plate like a Nancy Kerrigan would and asked "WHY?! WHYYYYYYYYY?!"

It must have been perplexing to the big vegeterian because Mota and Fielder were teammates last year in Milwaukee.

But the real story occured after the game. Fielder was waiting for Mota to emerge after the game to discuss their latest cooking recipes. Obviously Mota didn't show up, and Fielder made a beeline towards the Dodgers clubhouse. He was held back by security and teammates (BTW, I'd love to see this video. It'd be like seeing Oprah being held back by her handlers before attacking a buffet. DON'T DO IT!!!).

Anywho, Andre Ethier found this very amusing:

"Some people have different manners at their homes," Ethier said. "Some people don't have to knock. Some people just let themselves in."

Meanwhile, Russell Martin tried to make sense of it all:

"It's part of the game," Martin said. "Our premier hittter gets hit and he's been hit around quite a bit this year. It's just kind of protection. That's all it is, it's part of the game. It's been a part of it since I first started playing."

"I understand he's frustrated, but I don't think you should take care of it after the game. It's the kind of thing where if you want to argue and yell at somebody, you do it during the game."

Then, Russell Martin said something that almost put a tear in my eye even though he may very well end up being susepended.

"We don't want the same scenario as in last year's playoffs where the Phillies tried to intimidate us by throwing at Manny and we didn't really retaliate," Martin said. "We don't want to be considered as a team that doesn't have our players' backs. It's about keeping the team unified and pulling the wagon altogether."

I agree with the plunking of Fielder. It shows that the Dodgers have the necessary baseballs to answer back when their top hitter gets beaned. This is an important message to send to the rest of baseball that the Dodgers are not going to take it anymore.

As far as tonight is concerned, this will be the last time the Dodgers and Brewers will play this season. Suspensions and fines might be handed out later today by MLB's Bob Watson. A suspension for Fielder will be a much harder pill to swallow than a suspension against Mota for the Dodgers. The Blue Crew has 36 other great relievers to take his place.

Major League Baseball and the umpires need to send out a no-tolerance policy tonight if they want to keep the Dodgers and the Brewers away from each other's throats. We'll see what happens, and I'll be there (as a fan) to find out! GO SCHMIDTYYYYYYYY!