The fight for the NL Central...no, literally.

In the tightly contested race for the NL Central, it seems as though the crushing blow has been struck. The brawl in Cincinnati appeared to be a young, confident team standing up to the perennial favorites of the division, but I tend to see it in a different manner. To me, picking a fight with the team that had handled you mightily the night before was nothing more than an act of desperation from a team that has ultimately met a superior opponent.

Now, I do not condone the actions of the Cardinals in retaliating during the skirmish, especially Yadier Molina. I hold Molina in high regards as one of the best human beings in baseball, and to see him stoop to the level of the loud-mouthed Brandon Phillips was a bit disappointing, even though I can understand how it would be difficult to hold one's composure in the face of such a character. It was, however, refreshing to see Phillips back up all that trash talking with colossal strikeouts and ferocious ground outs to second.


One of the more surprising aspects of the entire situation (besides Johnny Cueto trying to spike anybody within a five-foot radius) was Scott Rolen's actions towards Chris Carpenter. I could not completely decipher if Rolen was attempting to harm Carpenter, but the look on his face sure did not seem like the visage of a man trying to diffuse a situation. I understand that Rolen is now a Red, and subsequently on the other side of this fierce rivalry, but he is attacking guys he won a ring with. We never saw Manny charge across the field at Fenway with the Dodgers and take a shot at Josh Beckett, so I really don't understand where Rolen's animosity is coming from. Perhaps Rolen simply got caught up in the moment, and only saw an opposing jersey instead of the man wearing it, but I don't believe there is any excuse for hostility towards a man who is a key reason for the jewelry in your trophy case.

While the actions of some Reds players may have been somewhat confusing, the motive of the instigater is quite simple. I honestly believe that Brandon Phillips was attempting to get some source of satisfaction out of the series, and because the team didn't really seem like they wanted to show up, he decided to take other actions; a type of “if you can't beat 'em, then beat 'em up” mentality. But the fight proved absolutely nothing, and really backfired on Phillips, as the Cardinals swept the series easily, and one of Cincinnati's best pitchers was the only player to get suspended in the tussle. While some believe the fight may galvanize the Reds to make a push to regain the division lead, it seems clear to me that if you can't beat them on the field, and you can't beat them up on the field, then there seems to be little you can do to knock the Cardinals off their perch, firmly atop the NL Central.