He punched him in the head..

[brinkeguthrie]

CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett was behind the plate Friday after appealing his 10-game suspension for his role in a bench-clearing melee last week when he punched A.J. Pierzynski of the White Sox.

White Sox third base coach Joey Cora was suspended two games, and Pierzynski, who knocked Barrett over at the plate prompting the punch, was fined.

Cubs manager Dusty Baker said Barrett's penalty was a "little harsh."

"We knew it would be something. We were hoping it wasn't going to be that many days," Baker said.

Was Baker surprised Pierzynski didn't get a suspension?

"Kind of. Yeah," Baker said. "Like I said, whenever there is a cause, there is an effect. The effect was Michael."

Speaking in Toronto, Pierzynski said he is appealing the $2,000 fine. After he was punched, he went back to the dugout waving his arms and slapping hands with teammates.

"They said they fined me for inciting the crowd," Pierzynski said. "I've seen a million guys do that to the crowd. That's why I'm appealing. We'll see what happens.

"I think it's a little steep for what I did. That's why I appealed it. I don't think that I did enough to deserve what I got fined."

The loss of Barrett would be a big blow to the struggling Cubs, who are already without injured slugger Derrek Lee. Barrett is batting .295 with six homers and 22 RBIs.

"It's probably going to affect three people. It will affect Michael, whoever is going to be sent down and whoever is called up," Baker said. "It's pretty severe."

White Sox general manager Ken Williams said he would like to see a more aggressive approach to when penalties should begin.

"I just wish Major League Baseball would really take more of an active role and mandate when penalties should be served," Williams said. "Why should Michael Barrett get the chance to beat us the next day? Or the next time we play them? He'll play against us and then serve his suspension against Detroit. That's fair?"

In the second inning, Pierzynski knocked over Barrett at home plate before the throw arrived and slapped the plate after the collision as the ball got away. As Pierzynski got up and started to move around Barrett, the Cubs catcher punched him.

Barrett later said he should have pushed Pierzynski away instead of punching him and apologized to any youngsters who were watching.

"It's an emotional game, no problem with A.J. running him over, that's good hard, clean baseball," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said.

"In fairness to Michael, you get jolted like that and you get knocked a little silly -- and A.J. did take a few steps toward our side of the field -- and I think it's just normal that you would react, that there was going to be more action or some kind of a second confrontation and I hope Michael would be given some kind of leniency for that."

Anderson, who hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to score Pierzynski, got into a fight with Cubs first baseman John Mabry.

"It seems to be the appropriate thing to do is just appeal it," Anderson said. "I don't really know. It's the first time I've ever been suspended so I'm kind of just rolling with the punches."

Barrett, Pierzynski, Anderson and Mabry were all ejected and the game was delayed 15 minutes. The White Sox won 7-0.

[philly soulfan04]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

[BJ Sands]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

50 games for punching a player that is universally hated and probably said something to provoke it? Ten is just right.

[illinirox1]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

50 games for punching a player that is universally hated and probably said something to provoke it? Ten is just right.

Agreed. The appeal is unnessicary though.

[The_Admiral]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

What would you do to Delmon Young? Slit his throat?

Sometimes I wonder about you people. Do you like baseball? Or do you just like rules? Is there something about making people adhere to strict rules and punishing them for breaking said rules that's just so exciting? There's respect for the game, and then there's this pathological obsession with regulations that I see here. Every single time, "oh heavens! I would give him a billion games for THAT!"

[FiddySicks]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

50 games for punching a player that is universally hated and probably said something to provoke it? Ten is just right.

Why does that always seem to be everyones obsession lately? Universally hated? Seriously, I dont care if he punched Jesus or Hitler, a guys suspension should NEVER be shortened or lessened because the other guy may have "had it coming". Thats one of my biggest gripes with baseball today.

[BJ Sands]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

50 games for punching a player that is universally hated and probably said something to provoke it? Ten is just right.

Why does that always seem to be everyones obsession lately? Universally hated? Seriously, I dont care if he punched Jesus or Hitler, a guys suspension should NEVER be shortened or lessened because the other guy may have "had it coming". Thats one of my biggest gripes with baseball today.

Why not? Bob Watson (MLB's dean of discipline) was a player and knew when he was playing who deserved to get nailed. Some guys deserve to get nailed. Pierzynski is one of them. If it were somebody like Joe Mauer or Paul LoDuca, I think the suspension would be longer.

Pierzynski is a grade-A pud and everybody around baseball knows it.

[Gamingboy]

If Barrett had punched anyone other then Pierzynski, he would have gotten a bigger suspension.

If Barrett had punched a player while the Cubs were in, say, New York or St. Louis, there would have been a chance he would have been arrested.

[philly soulfan04]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

50 games for punching a player that is universally hated and probably said something to provoke it? Ten is just right.

Why does that always seem to be everyones obsession lately? Universally hated? Seriously, I dont care if he punched Jesus or Hitler, a guys suspension should NEVER be shortened or lessened because the other guy may have "had it coming". Thats one of my biggest gripes with baseball today.

thats what im saying, if i punch jesus i get a lesser suspension because everyone loves him than if i punch hitler? barret gets 10 games, and anderson gets 5..and honestly what did anderson do to get 5 games

[Seadragon76]

thats what im saying, if i punch jesus i get a lesser suspension because everyone loves him than if i punch hitler? barret gets 10 games, and anderson gets 5..and honestly what did anderson do to get 5 games

Anderson cracked another guy in the melee that happened after Barret cold cocked Pierzynski.

[The_Admiral]

Yeah, he punched John Mabry, but you don't see me going "THAT BASTARD! 40-GAME SUSPENSION IF I HAD ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT! "

[FiddySicks]

Yeah, he punched John Mabry, but you don't see me going "THAT BASTARD! 40-GAME SUSPENSION IF I HAD ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!      "

Yeah but i think that any time you exert violence against some one in any way, wether it be throwing a punch or tossing a ball at a guys head (mesa to Visquel, a bunch of people to Bonds) the message should be sent that crap like that will not be tolerated. To put it in the most simple of terms, Barrett assulted Pierzynski, he shouldve been arrested.

[The_Admiral]

But you'd probably defend Bonds by saying "steroids weren't illegal in MLB." So does real law apply on the field or not?

[philly soulfan04]

Yeah, he punched John Mabry, but you don't see me going "THAT BASTARD! 40-GAME SUSPENSION IF I HAD ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT! "

ok i remember hearing him get exjected but i didnt really get to see what he did. the thing with anderson and barret is that anderson didnt start it. barret completly overeacted by punching AJ on a clean play.

[FiddySicks]

But you'd probably defend Bonds by saying "steroids weren't illegal in MLB." So does real law apply on the field or not?

Thats completely beside the point. It doesnt matter if Bonds Fu*ked the pitchers mom, if the pitcher tosses purposely at his head he should have the book thrown at him. And thats for everyone, not just Bonds. Thank you for once again twisting around what someone else said and wasting everyones time.

[HedleyLamarr]

how can 10 games be too harsh..he punched him in the head and AJ did nothing. i figured he would get 25-30 games but i would have given him 50.

50 games for punching a player that is universally hated and probably said something to provoke it? Ten is just right.

Why does that always seem to be everyones obsession lately? Universally hated? Seriously, I dont care if he punched Jesus or Hitler, a guys suspension should NEVER be shortened or lessened because the other guy may have "had it coming". Thats one of my biggest gripes with baseball today.

"You sayin' Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?"

10 games is about right.

Waiting 5 days and letting Barrett be given the choice to appeal wasn't right.

[STL FANATIC]

Anderson, who hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to score Pierzynski, got into a fight with Cubs first baseman John Mabry.

"It seems to be the appropriate thing to do is just appeal it," Anderson said. "I don't really know. It's the first time I've ever been suspended so I'm kind of just rolling with the punches."

And that's the problem with how baseball's suspensions work, right there. If you get suspended, you appeal and get it cut down a game or two. It's become standard. Maybe Anderson didn't deserve 5 games...I haven't seen what he did, just read that he fought with Mabry. So maybe he should appeal. But too many players (Barrett..) appeal just because they don't like being suspended and know it will likely get cut down.

[The_Admiral]

Yeah, he punched John Mabry, but you don't see me going "THAT BASTARD! 40-GAME SUSPENSION IF I HAD ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!      "

ok i remember hearing him get exjected but i didnt really get to see what he did. the thing with anderson and barret is that anderson didnt start it. barret completly overeacted by punching AJ on a clean play.

So he gets half the time, and will also get it cut down on appeal. I'd have gone 8 and 4, personally. That's reasonable.

As for Barrett overreacting, have any of you ever been in any sort of competition? High-stakes sporting event? An actual confrontation with another guy? Tension and adrenaline run high. That's not a complete excuse, but you guys need a sense of perspective here. If somebody runs at you full speed, knocks you on your ass and sends you flying back a few feet, taunts you, and then comes walking toward you, what are you going to do? Put your hands in your pockets and say "aw shucks"? He was stupid to do it, but I can see why he would. Nobody is thinking rationally in that situation the way we can at our laptops. You get knocked on your ass like that with thousands of people cheering that it happened to you, you're gonna act. That's just how it is.

Kenny Williams is a massive tool. How can he be shocked that his players were suspended? Did he think the Cubs just fought themselves? Nobody involved with the White Sox should ever speak to the press. Be it Kenny Williams calling the best player in team history a f***ing idiot, Ozzie Guillen's various incomprehensible profanity-laced rants, Mark Buehrle's spitter accusations, and so on, they just give the impression that they're the dregs of society, each and every one. And that's by baseball standards.

[NJTank]

I dont understand why Pierzynski was not given any games taht does not seem right.

[Fred T. Jane]

I dont understand why Pierzynski was not given any games taht does not seem right.

Why? He didn't do anything? Everything about the play was kosher until Barrett decided to do something completely retarded to Pierzynski. What doesn't seem right is a guy getting fined $2000 for being smacked in the jaw and walking away, reputation or not.