MLB hits Rays hard

MLB came down hard on the Rays for Thursday's brawl, suspending James Shields for six games, Jonny Gomes and Edwin Jackson for fives games each, Carl Crawford for four games and Akinori Iwamura for three games.
Three Boston players were also suspended - Coco Crisp for seven games, Jon Lester for five games and Sean Casey for three games. And nothing for 3B coach DeMarlo Hale, who was said to have body-slammed Shields to the ground.
Manager Joe Maddon said the discipline was unfairly heavy against the Rays given that Crisp started the incidents on both Wednesday with a hard slide and Thursday by charging the mound.
"I would like to have seen more of their guys involved in the suspensions; it just seems to be a little bit imbalanced in our favor,'' Maddon said. "Furthermore, the way they whole thing began, it was perpetrated on their side so that part of it has the unfairness attached to it.
"The fact that their guy started it and we had more guys nailed than they did, that's the part that doesn't sit well with me even in regard to the game (Thursday) where they only got one guy thrown out. I really didn't like that either.''
The Shields and Gomes suspensions were supposed to start tonight but they will appeal, Maddon said, which delays the start. If nothing else, that is a way for the Rays to get a better sense of who will be out when.
The suspensions were announced just before batting practice, and Maddon had a closed door team meeting to discuss the situation. All players were also fined the usual "undisclosed amonts."
Maddon had a couple of specific issues as well.
His biggest was why Crisp only got seven games if Gomes and Crawford got five and four for coming to their teammates' defense. "Those are incongruent,'' Maddon said. "I really believe we reacted to a situation, which I don't think anybody, anywhere would deny we reacted in the appropriate manner based on what happened. When the perpetrator's time is way too close to us, and we reacted to it, I don't agree with that.''
Another was why Lester was not ejected by the umpires but was suspended for "intentionally throwing" at a Rays batter. "I don't understand that, quite frankly,'' he said.
And another was why Shields was suspended for that long when he was defending himself. "Shields' suspension doesn't make sense to me either,'' Maddon said. "It would have made sense if he had thrown him out for hitting the batter, but he didn't. He was not thrown out for hitting the batter, he was thrown out for something that happened after. Basically he was thrown out for defending himself, which I don't agree with either.''
Also, the discipline is staggered so as not to make it too hard to field a team. Plus all suspensions can be delayed if the players opt to appeal. Here is when they were supposed to start, though all are talkign about appeals.
Tonight: Shields and Gomes, plus Crisp and Lester
June 11: Crawford
June 13: Jackson
June 14: Casey
June 17: Iwamura
By staggering them that way, each team looks to only missing one position player at a time and one pitcher. In other words, Shields suspension will force him to miss one start, and then Jackson's suspension starts when Shields' is over.
Overall, Maddon said, "I want it to be very clear I defend everything our guys did.''

Comments

[Raymond the Rays Mascot]

I want a piece of wimpy Wally, he's a wuss, where is he? running & hiding like a sissy just like I figure. I'll hunt you down until I find you & i'm going to keep swinging until I connect, but no need to, we're going meet up again if you're not too wicked scared to come to Trop, then we'll have to take it to the streets preferably in an alley b/c it's not going to pretty for you. The war has just begun.
So what are you gonna do when all the Rays-Hulk-a-maniacs run wild on you.

Go Rays we got your backs!

[Gatorman]

Funny how Sawx fans are complaining about the 3-on-1 beating Coco took... it's your boys' job to protect their teammate. Are the Rays supposed to say "whoa, whoa... let's make sure nobody gets hurt!" Are you kidding?

Coco was especially lucky that Shields' punch missed, because he might actually have been knocked out cold on the bottom of the pile. Not a good place to be. Lesson? Don't charge the mound, punk.

[Danny]

It doesnt serve the baseball world right by penalizing too many Red Sox players because it will hurt the bottom line for the league in TV ratings and at the stadium. Where the Rays have had little or no succeess so far and have yet to make a name for themselves.

[JJ]

could have been a lot worse - can you imagine if they didn't suspend jonny at all????

[JJ]

Just jonny being jonny... Rays sent him up to hit, and he went down swinging.

[Brian]

"The Rays are poor examples of that. 5 guys on one speaks volumes." What also speaks volumes is the lack protection the Sox provided for one of their own. And then two of them fighting each other in the dugout afterward.

[CharlieRay]

It's no longer Coco Crisp, It's now Snap, Crackle & POP

[carolinasox]

Amazing ... this board virtually didn't exist 365 days ago ... but that's a good thing b/c baseball is king and more teams in the hunt make it better for everyone.

And, yes, the Rays were beyond stupid here. Hit Coco in the 8th inning or when the Sox come to the Trop in a month.

Plus, by the time that happens, the Rays will be in 3rd/4th place and it will not matter anyway.

Will be at the Trop with my Sox shirt/hat on Monday night.

[Eric]

did anyone hear Crisp in his post game comments. What a thug!!! Baseball makes more money off the Sox, so sure they are favored. How about the third base coach of the sox throwing shields on this throwing shoulder, his butt should be fined and suspended. I have to say, the sox are a little thuggish.

[me]

are you people serious, or just stupid??? Yes, Coco should not have charged the mound, but what shows the sportsmanship of an entire team is the reaction. The Rays are poor examples of that. 5 guys on one speaks volumes. What the Rays proved is how immature as a team that they really are. The big picture is what this team should have been thinking about. If Shields had connected with Coco's face, Coco would have still been able to hit, Shileds would have been out indefinitely.
Morons!!!

[RF]

Maddon bears much of the blame for this whole thing. If he hadn't been so public in his calling out Crisp (both on the filed in the Wed game and off the field after), the actions of Thursday would likely have been far different. If Maddon had kept his mouth shut and hit Crisp the next day in retaliation (which should have been late in the game), I don't think Cocoa would have reacted the same way. It was Maddon's public calling out of Crisp that later made Cocoa feel he had to do something. Crisp charged the mound and the rest is history. Ray lose the game and now have more suspensions than the Sox. Maddon's team is the biggest loser in this and he is very much to blame for it.

[Huh?]

Eric B,

7-3? Where are you getting your numbers from? I thought Sox fans were supposed to be more knowledgeable about the game than the rest of us. Guess not.

[Johnny]

Sox are bitches. Overpaid whiners. Get used to being punked by the Rays for the next few seasons.

How about Manny bitchslapping Youklis? That was beautiful. Nobody likes that guy, not even his own teammates.

[Johnny]

Sox are bitches. Overpaid whiners. Get used to being punked by the Rays for the next few seasons.

How about Manny bitchslapping Youklis? That was beautiful. Nobody likes that guy, not even his own teammates.

[Johnny]

Sox are bitches. Overpaid whiners. Get used to being punked by the Rays for the next few seasons.

How about Manny bitchslapping Youklis? That was beautiful. Nobody likes that guy, not even his own teammates.

[eric b]

7-3 on the season you little fairweather fan,In a month you will be a yankees fan. Typical florida trash

[Bodog]

Eric B, Rays a half game behind the girly rainbow Sox. Can't wait until June 30.

[eric b]

lol i love these loser rays fans come out of the woodwork and defend a crappy team they barely followed last year

[Ryan]

Let's see..Crisp barely gets hit then goes after the best shot at beating their team. Crisp figured he'd get thrown out and so would Shields giving his team a better chance.

I'm sure if Zimmer were there, Crisp would've picked up Pedro's duty and thrown him down.
Oh by the way...great game against the worst team in baseball tonight Red Sox.

I'll say it again, enjoy your first place Sox, because when we get home and you go on the road, we'll switch again.

[ben bolt fan]

Hey Frank you must be a Boston idiot to defend any action by a over paid player like crisp. And your third base coach getting nothing just shows baseball needs the Red sox more than any other team. What a sell oput as usual and another reason not to watch baseball. Thank god football is a month away so we can watch the Patriots go 16-0 but lose the game that counts!

[Tonight]

My goodness, the Red Sox got destroyed tonight.

Rays are winning 12-2 in the 9th.

[eric b]

It will give you crybaby rays fans an excuse is sept when you are in 4th, well if we have blah blah waaaahhhh

[sacbunt]

I should have said there "As for Shields, 5 *team* games for a starting pitcher is standard..."

[sacbunt]

"like 1 0r 2 players with suspensions and us being slammed with suspensions taking out Akinori and Carl of a series and Sheilds for his next 5 games"

To be more precise, it was three players from Boston (Crisp, Lester, Casey).

As for Shields, 5 games for a starting pitcher is standard. It's done so the starter will have to miss one regularly scheduled start. The suspension doesn't last 5 *starts*, which is what I think I'm reading in your comment.

[matt]

just because Boston is a higher quality team with more money than us doesn't mean that you can let them get only have like 1 0r 2 players with suspensions and us being slammed with suspensions taking out Akinori and Carl of a series and Sheilds for his next 5 games
I'm with the rays on this one go rays good luck. Boston sucks

[Anthony]

"Do you f@ggots..." Wow, is homophobia a requirement of FL residency or what?

[Why?]

Get off this board, you piece of sh%t.

[eric b]

Haha good point, and what have the rays won? I rest my case

[Re: Rome is Burning]

Exactly, Bill.

Anyone see Jim Rome today? He had nothing but praise for Gomes.

And on every other show, announcers are blasting Coco.

[Bill]

They have no life. They have a 'Puritan' mentality that they think they are better than everyone else....even though they didn't win a thing between 1919 and 2004.

[Bill]

Once again I'll just rely on the fact that every person not associated with the Rays or Boston is calling out Coco for being a wuss.

Period.

[Why?]

Okay, once and for all, could someone please explain to me why Red Sox fans post on this message board?

Do you f@ggots not realize that this is a St. Pete Times website, and a Rays blog.

[rayray]

Maddon is a joke and his actions continue to make the team look like a joke. Man up. He keeps the feud going by beaning Crisp after it seemed pretty even to me from the night before, then boo hoos because more Rays get suspended. Any time Rays are dirty, it's good baseball, but all other teams are picking on the Rays. I like the team, cannot stand him. He's the king of Bush League.

[Anthony]

By the time the suspensions are over the Rays will be in 3rd = fans stop showing up = team demoralized = season over. At least Maddon will have an excuse, I guess that's why he supports their actions.

[Real Boxer]

Anyone who complains about "fighting dirty" outside of a ring doesn't know how to fight. If you think there are "rules" in a brawl, you are going to lose that brawl (unless your opponent is also dumb enough to think there are rules).

[Brian]

The fight is over. Time for us to move on. Either team won't benefit from fighting. We will keep it in the back of our minds though. It looks like Boston has other issues in that locker room of theirs. We need to win the three back, that is our focus. If you want to beat them, beat them at home next time all 3 games.Beat them at the plate. Beat them at getting them out. waste their time while at the plate by wearing the pitchers down, so they are forced to make that change.Rise above the nonsense. Let them hang themselves.The umpires who didn't see this coming should have stopped it by ejecting Coco puffs to begin with.

[Colt]

gomes in the last 2 fights has jumped the guy from behind. not very cool.

Shields should never had thrown at Coco and his last 2 games have not been very pretty. This hurts our team. Nothing was gained from this because they already were a TEAM..

Very Imature to get sucked into this

[Real Boxer]

Coco is FAR from a boxer. If he was, Sheilds would have eaten dirt after that incredibly telegraphed haymaker. Coco's punch was much (pardon the pun) crisper, but it still stunk on ice. And he came in wide open. A good fighter would have dropped Coco easy. Coco picked the right sport.

[eric b]

Coco is a boxer he would destroy shields

[Edgar]

the Edwin Jackson suspension was a good one. MLB is doing a favor for the Rays. Jackson suspended, that is no loss. I won't miss 5 innings 4 ER's and 4BB's along with 5K's. Analogy to Jackson is like an exotic dancer; they are both a tease. They both have the goods but they will show you so much; they can not give you the rest. Jonny Gomes is a good fighter but he doe not show it on the field with his bat.

[Ray F]

That was a great pic SACBUNT... there should be a caption contest on it.

[sacbunt]

"Cocopuss didn't retaliate against the scrub who blocked the base...he went after a better player."

This was a topic of discussion on another message board last night. How legendary would it have been for Coco to charge the mound, only to sprint past Shields and straight into Aki? Izzy Alcantara eat your heart out...

[Ray F]

Jackson was wailing on the 3rd base coach after he tackled shields. That's why he got tossed. I watched it in slow-mo last night over and over. Crawford didn't look like he was pulling hair to me. It looked like he was layin some se4rious uppercuts though.

I'm glad it sorted out this way. It shows Boston lost the fight!!!

We may not win the AL east, but at least we've kicked the collective a--es of the Red Sox and the Yanks in spring training.

Next up- Baltimore and Aubrey Huff's whiney gullet!

[Steroid Rocket]

What should have happened was to go after ManRam's hands...try to break one.

A. Manram out for a month, with lil Mami.

B. Manram kicks CocoPuss's butt for being a jerk and causing the problem in first place.

Cocopuss didn't retaliate against the scrub who blocked the base...he went after a better player. "Tick for tack".

[myopic bosux fan]

Nice Pic Sacbunt. That skankee should not have attacked verychek with his face. Go sux...

[sacbunt]

"Hope Shields connects next time, would be worth him breaking his fist as long as he busts up Coco's jaw so he can't talk so much."

As a Red Sox fan, I'll take that swap in a heartbeat.

[Hawkeye]

".....the people not associated with the Rays for Boston all say Coco was out of line."

Bingo! If Coco would have just taken his medicine for spouting off and taking Aki out, the situation would have ended. But, he had to be a Macho-man. Hope Shields connects next time, would be worth him breaking his fist as long as he busts up Coco's jaw so he can't talk so much.

[Bodog]

Eric B - what the F%&K you think that wuss Casey was doing to Shields while Shields was on the ground after being body slammed by Hale. Coco Puffs should be glad that Shields didnot connect with that right cross or you beantowners would be fetching Coco Puff's azz out of Boston Harbor.

[sacbunt]

"johny gomes is a bit**, fight a guy toe to toe dont be a punk and wait till there are 3 guys holding him down and get in a few cheap shots."

Opportunism in a fight is also a time-honored tradition. For instance, one doesn't even have to take off one's mask to start punching.

http://www-mtl.mit.edu/~scchen/public/pics/2004.12%20THE%20JOY%20OF%20SOX/Varitek%20punch%20Arod.bmp

[Bodog]

I must have missed something during the brawl, I didn't see Jackson doing anything. They apparantly missed Lugo - who had a choke hold on Longo.