On Mother’s Day, the walls inevitably came crashing down. And, just as I prophesied last Wednesday, it wasn’t a pretty sight to behold.

The portly Aruban right-hander lasted just 5.1 innings against an Oakland Athletics squad that, by virtue of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim dropping their fourth straight game, somehow escaped their unpleasant weekend retreat in the Metroplex with an uncontested share of first place in the suddenly competitive AL West.

And the Texas Rangers, blessed with a golden opportunity to pull within three games of the division lead for the first time since April 17th, unfortunately failed to capitalize in front of 23,959 hopeful followers.

I have no particular interest in fully revisiting each individual aspect of Ponson’s inadequate outing, because truth be told, I believe the following pitching ledger makes for a fine abridged version of the afternoon’s sordid diamond happenings:

5.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 1 K, 1 HR. Yech.

Four runs by Oakland in the first inning set the tone for the day, as Ponson’s stuff lacked the pure break and velocity needed to consistently mow through Oakland’s surprisingly competent lineup. And when your fastball lacks that extra bit of zip, your curve isn’t snapping and your control isn’t all there, bad things happen.

More specifically, flying bad things. Sorta like those wretched flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, I suppose - only far more destructive.

Ponson’s ground-to-fly ratio on Sunday (4-to-11) was the direct inverse of what we had come to expect from the 31-year-old after his first three appetizing efforts of the season, which were punctuated by brilliant command of the strike zone and, not surprisingly, a spectacular 3.17 ground-to-fly ratio.

Just 59 of Sidney’s 103 pitches went for strikes on Sunday, equating to a strike percentage of just 57.3% - nearly 10 percentage points off his previous clip of 66.2%.

If runs are the paper currency of baseball, then strikes account for the various pennies and nickels that comprise a full dollar.

And Ponson, unfortunately, went bankrupt:

“I had no command of any of my pitches, and I was a flyball pitcher,” Ponson said. “You see what happens when you are a flyball pitcher here. Souvenirs. I battled as much as I could, just trying to make pitches. But I put myself and the team in a hole today.”

To their credit, the Rangers quietly chipped away at freshly activated Athletics starter Rich Harden, and reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning when Josh Hamilton smashed an two-out RBI triple down the right field line, ensuring that Ian Kinsler’s one-out double would not entirely be in vain. But the triumph was short-lived.

After loading the bases with one out in the sixth inning, Ponson issued a game-tying walk to Jack Cust on five pitches, prompting the emergence of reliever Franklyn German from the right field door separating two similar, yet radically different worlds - the comfort of the bullpen, and the harsh reality of the actual playing field.

The corpulent right-hander proceeded to induce a tie-breaking Frank Thomas RBI sacrifice fly and a harmless inning-ending Emil Brown fly out, probably the best outcome one could reasonably expect given the circumstances.

But the back-and-forth affair was unfortunately not to remain that way. Michael Young re-knotted the game at 6-6 shortly thereafter with an RBI single that squeaked through a drawn-in Athletics infield, but things quickly went south after Bobby Crosby doubled and Mark Ellis singled to lead off the seventh inning:

Reliever Franklyn German caught Ellis off first and threw to Young, who ran Ellis back toward first but never looked Crosby back to third. By the time Young flipped to first baseman Frank Catalanotto to try to catch Ellis, Crosby had broken for home. He scored easily ahead of Catalanotto’s throw.

“That was my fault,” Young said. “I’ve got to keep an eye on the guy on third and one on the guy in the rundown. I just instinctively thought he wouldn’t break until I got rid of the ball. I’ve got to do a better job there.”

One Jack Hannahan single and one Ryan Sweeney RBI sacrifice fly later, the Athletics had procured an 8-6 lead that they would not again relinquish. Oakland tacked on four more runs over the final two innings against Jamey Wright and Eddie Guardado, effectively placing all hopes of a dramatic late-inning Mother’s Day comeback out of reach.

The winning streak sure was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it?

After yielding two ninth-inning runs in a demoralizing 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night, Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Eric Gagne has been yanked - or yanked himself, rather - from the role of closer. The 32-year-old ex-Ranger has notched 17 strikeouts in 15.2 innings pitched this season, but has also permitted a horrific 6.89 ERA and 1.85 WHIP while successfully converting just nine of his 14 save opportunities.

The BTiA 40-man roster page has been fully updated to account for Sunday’s transaction log.

Twenty-six paltry at-bats aren’t nearly enough to determine whether first baseman Chris Shelton (.122/.222/.292, 42 OPS+) can be a contributing member of this 2008 squad, but he must start hitting. Bottom line.

The bizarre odyssey of journeyman reliever Bryan Corey (whose sparkling 2.60 ERA in 17.1 IP with the Rangers during the summer months of the 2006 season facilitated a trade deadline swap with Boston for right-hander Luis Mendoza) has come to a rest in San Diego. Corey, 34, was dealt to the Padres on Sunday for a player to be named later or cash.

Why do I choose to spotlight this seemingly irrelevant transaction? Because Corey has one truly unique timeline to his credit:

• 3/6/08 - Red Sox agree to terms with Corey on a one-year deal.
• 4/11/08 - Red Sox designate Corey for assignment.
• 4/18/08 - Corey refuses his assignment to Triple-A Pawtucket, becoming a free agent in the process.
• 4/23/08 - Red Sox agree to terms with Corey on a minor league contract, assigning him to Pawtucket.
• 4/25/08 - Red Sox purchase Corey’s contract from Pawtucket and recall him to the active roster.
• 4/29/08 - Red Sox designate Corey for assignment.
• 5/1/08 - Red Sox outright Corey to Pawtucket.
• 5/12/08 - Red Sox trade Corey to the Padres for a PTBNL or cash.

Good times, good times.

Despite clocking in with baseball’s fifth-lowest 2008 Fan Cost Index and sixth-lowest average ticket price (according to Team Marketing Report’s 2008 MLB Fan Cost Index, released in late March), the Rangers entered Saturday with an average home attendance of just 22,954 per game - good for eighth-worst in all of baseball.

No, school isn’t out yet, and the Red Sox and Yankees haven’t yet made their token yearly excursions to North Texas, but this can’t possibly be an encouraging sign for club president Nolan Ryan and his estimable cabinet of advisors. The recent prodigious climb in the standings has aided short-term fan enthusiasm (to a certain extent), but the long-range health of the fanbase is still a worrisome uncertainty at this juncture.

High-A Bakersfield southpaw Zach Phillips yielded 12 baserunners in just five innings of work on Sunday, but somehow permitted only three runs to score and kept the Blaze hanging around just long enough for first baseman Mauro Gomez to single home third baseman Taylor Teagarden with no outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, capping a 7-6 walk-off victory that pushed Bakersfield to within three games of first place in the California League Northern Division.

A six-game hitting streak has allowed top catching prospect Taylor Teagarden to quietly spike his Pacific Coast League batting line to .286/.429/.357, which is far more palatable than the dreadful 10-for-59 start he experienced at Double-A Frisco to begin the season. His eighth-inning RBI triple in a losing 13-5 effort against the Fresno Grizzlies on Sunday was his first since 2005, when he socked four in 96 AB at Low-A Spokane.

Rehabbing outfielder Marlon Byrd (left knee inflammation), coincidentally, went 3-for-4 in that same losing RedHawks effort, and is likely less than 48 hours away from 15-day disabled list activation. With outfielder David Murphy beginning to ever so slightly scuffle at the dish (.163/.220/.395 in 43 AB since April 29th, not including Sunday’s 1-for-5 effort), the Rangers could most definitely benefit from Byrd hitting the ground running upon his return.

Guillermo De La Cruz against Erik Bedard on Monday night. This is definitely not one you’ll want to miss.

Quick Hits: Left-hander Kason Gabbard is experiencing no residual stiffness or pain from his physical altercation with Richie Sexson last Thursday…top pitching prospect Blake Beavan recorded five innings of one-run baseball for Class-A Clinton on Sunday, punching out five…Clinton first baseman Ian Gac smashed two home runs in support of Beavan, bringing his season total to 14 and helping the LumberKings to a 12-4 victory over Peoria.

The Texas Rangers bullpen, thoroughly beset by exhaustion after being forced to record 25 outs in Saturday evening’s narrow 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics, received a much-needed insurance policy on Sunday.

His name? Doug Mathis.

The 24-year-old sinkerballer’s contract was purchased from Triple-A Oklahoma before the Mother’s Day series finale at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, with veteran right-hander Kevin Millwood (strained right groin muscle) being placed on the 15-day disabled list to accommodate his addition to the 25-man roster.

Mathis will apparently make his Major League debut against the Minnesota Twins on May 20th, as the Rangers will employ the upcoming Thursday off-day as an opportunity to keep the remainder of the starting rotation on their regular four days of rest while delaying what would have been Millwood’s 10th start of the 2008 season until next week.

In seven starts and 45.2 innings pitched with the RedHawks this spring, Mathis - crowned the BTiA Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April - had recorded a solid 3.55 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, while posting a fine ground-to-fly ratio of 2.06 and notching 30 strikeouts.

His success is largely dependent on his ability to consistently throw strikes, rather than devastating stuff or overwhelming deceptiveness, and because of that he’ll need to maintain his sharp command if he is to remain at the Major League level for long.

Texas also successfully slid Japanese right-hander Kazuo Fukumori through waivers and outrighted him from the 40-man roster, again placing their player quota at 39.

The 31-year-old movement artist has pitched well at Oklahoma City since his April 13th demotion to the minor leagues (delivering a 1.59 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in 11.1 innings), and though he may be presently absent from the big league squad, his two-year, $3 million contract will ensure the Rangers don’t forget about him.

And the Texas Rangers, for all their innumerable early-season struggles, continue their improbable and unforeseen resurgence back into contention - this time with a crisp 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics, simultaneously marking their 10th victory in 13 games and their fifth consecutive series win.

This ballclub is utterly confusing right now. And I like it.

Though it’s obviously not a good thing that Kevin Millwood - whose “ace” status is being heartily challenged by fellow right-hander Vicente Padilla - was removed from Saturday evening’s contest after just 12 pitches due to a strained right groin muscle (which will be re-evaluated on Sunday to determine whether a stint on the 15-day disabled list will be necessary), I have to openly wonder if his untimely departure wasn’t something of a blessing in disguise.

After notching quality starts in four of his first five outings of the 2008 season, Millwood had been shelled to the tune of 17 earned runs on 24 hits and six walks (including four home runs) in his last three starts going into Saturday, spanning just 15.1 innings. Opposing batters had lit him up to the tune of an Albert Pujols-esque .338/.397/.592 line during that same time frame.

It’s possible that Millwood’s recent failings have been the result of a mechanical kink in his delivery leading to poor movement and/or command, a problematic mental roadblock, or just plain terrible luck. It’s also possible that his injury isn’t new, and that he’s actually been dealing with this issue for some length of time.

Whatever the case may be, Kevin had arguably not made a positive contribution to the starting rotation since mid-April, and it’s far better that he takes a momentary breather, works through whatever is currently ailing him and comes back firing on all cylinders than if he were to continue struggling through critical innings at the big league level.

Josh Rupe, the Rangers’ emergency replacement of choice once it became painfully obvious that Millwood would not be able to continue, certainly could have pitched better. And yet, I find it difficult to overly fault him for the two runs (one earned) credited to his ledger that finally snapped the pitching staff’s scoreless streak at 33 innings; he did, after all, successfully bridge that perilous gap between the early innings and middle relief, and securing a win is far more important than snapping an ancient franchise record.

Frankie Francisco, who relieved Rupe with two outs in the fourth inning, hasn’t looked that ridiculously dominant since 2004.

The Rangers’ #1 through #4 hitters collectively went 9-for-16 at the dish on Saturday evening. The rest of the lineup? A putrid 1-for-16.

But in an odd twist of fate, all six runs scored by Texas came with two outs, including a Milton Bradley laser to the left-center wall that plated Josh Hamilton in the first inning, and a two-run special to Greene’s Hill in straightaway center field during the third inning. Miscellaneous RBI base hits from Hamilton, German Duran and Ian Kinsler accounted for the remainder of the Rangers’ run production.

.500 or bust, baby.

Quick Hits: With the Rangers’ bullpen thoroughly depleted after throwing 8.1 innings on Saturday, Texas will likely recall a reliever from Triple-A Oklahoma before Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Oakland Athletics…right-hander Luis Mendoza (sore shoulder) tossed 45 pitches in a simulated game with no problems on Saturday…third baseman Hank Blalock (torn left hamstring) participated in batting practice on Saturday for the first time since landing on the disabled list…RedHawks infielder Joaquin Arias played at shortstop on Friday for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery last summer.

BTiA’s Fun Facts: Rangers pitchers have thrown 31 consecutive scoreless innings, eight short of the team record. Furthermore, the bullpen hasn’t allowed a run yet this month, though it’s only brought the bullpen ERA down to 5.41. Over that same span, the Rangers defense has committed only three errors. Coincidence? I think not.

The very first thought that raced through my mind after the Texas Rangers’ scorching hot 25-year-old outfielder slammed knee-first into the left field wall during the first inning, while sprinting full tilt in a futile attempt to snag a Daric Barton foul ball? He blew out his kneecap.

The second thought, as Boggs laid crumpled in the left field corner at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington while his teammates and coaches rushed to his aid? He blew out his hamstring.

The third thought? He’s…he’s up. And walking. And dominating.

Wow.

It’s borderline incredible that Brandon was even able to remain in the game after that high-velocity collision with the solid concrete base between the dirt track and the protective padding along the left field wall. But what the estimable Mr. Boggs proceeded to do next was positively transcendent.

With his mother, father and sister in attendance, Brandon shelled Athletics starter Greg Smith - whom entered the rematch just five days removed from a brilliant six-inning, one-run and 10-strikeout performance against the Rangers in Oakland - with three hits in three plate appearances, including a 379-foot solo blast with one out in the second inning and a critical two-out RBI double that doubled the Rangers’ lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning. He finished a triple shy of the cycle.

Boggs is now hitting .385/.419/.641 with a pair of long balls in just 39 AB, which is no small feat for a player who has notched just 18 games above AA-ball. He won’t sustain this absurd level of performance forever, of course - but then again, he doesn’t have to in order to remain a extremely valuable commodity to this ball club.

It was Scott Feldman and the pitching staff, however, that really stole the headlines. Utilizing what might be termed as an “effectively wild” arsenal, the 25-year-old sinkerballer yielded just four walks and two hits en route to six innings of shutout baseball.

Right-handers Jamey Wright and Joaquin Benoit contributed perfect frames in relief, and closer C.J. Wilson, despite some disturbingly erratic control that indirectly led to a pair of base hits, successfully nailed down the victory.

The Texas pitching staff has now recorded three straight shutouts and 31 consecutive shutout innings, the second-longest scoreless inning streak in club history. Just eight more shutout innings would tie the all-time franchise record of 39 consecutive scoreless innings, set from April 27 - May 1, 1981 by the likes of former Ranger greats such as Doc Medich, Steve Comer, Danny Darwin and Rick Honeycutt.

The onus is now on you, Kevin.

MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan wrote on Friday morning that Class-A Peoria manager (and 2005 Hall of Fame inductee) Ryne Sandberg charged Clinton LumberKings skipper Mike Micucci - and allegedly had to be wrestled to the ground - after reportedly “taking exception to one of the LumberKings bunting in a perceived inappropriate situation” during Clinton’s 7-3 victory on Thursday evening. Bizarre.

Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi, desperate to boost his ailing offense, obtained Triple-A Oklahoma outfielder Kevin Mench from the Texas Rangers on Friday and inked freshly released outfielder Brad Wilkerson. Both made their Blue Jays debuts on Friday evening, albeit in a losing 6-1 effort.

Washed up ex-Rangers are the new market inefficiency.

If baseball writers can go on hot and cold streaks just like professional ballplayers can, then I’m in the midst of a 2-for-25 slump. My fuel reservoirs are empty right now.

And finally, general manager Jon Daniels has vehemently refuted a Thursday afternoon Dallas Observer article by columnist Richie Whitt (alleging that the Rangers had held preliminary discussions with Don Baylor, Mike Hargrove, Jim Tracy and Jackie Moore regarding their soon-to-be-vacant managerial post), purporting that the story was “full of inaccuracies.” Manager Ron Washington’s job looks to be safe through at least the All-Star break.

Bet you almost forgot what winning baseball felt like, didn’t ya?

Notes: Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News reports that shortstop Michael Young (sore left hip flexor) has returned to the lineup, while Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes that catcher Gerald Laird has been scratched in favor of fellow backstop Jarrod Saltalamacchia for undisclosed reasons.

Major League Baseball handed Richie Sexson, who charged the mound after a high pitch from Gabbard, a six-game suspension and a fine. Rangers catcher Gerald Laird was fined $1,000 and Ponson $500 for their parts in the scrum. Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez also was fined.

Ponson said he will appeal just to find out what Bob Watson, who handles discipline for the league, was thinking.

“I didn’t do nothing,” said an animated Ponson, who used several expletives during his brief chat with the media. “Basically, they’re telling me next time I get off the bench, go and hit somebody and get your money’s worth.”

Sexson asked the players’ association to appeal, and any suspension will be delayed until after a hearing.

Gabbard said he was not throwing at Sexson, who threw his helmet at Gabbard as he sprinted to the mound.

Dallas Morning News Rangers Blog: Mench traded

The Rangers have traded Kevin Mench to Toronto for cash considerations. Mench was batting .282 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games for Triple-A Oklahoma.

Mench had a clause in his contract that allowed him to ask for his release if he wasn’t in the majors by June 1. With all of the Rangers’ outfielders, including the red-hot Brandon Boggs, there wasn’t room for Mench.

MLB.com: Murphy ropes in AL Rookie honors

The month of April is in the books and the nod for top rookie in the American League goes to Texas outfielder David Murphy.

In the charter version of Major League Baseball’s newest award, Murphy outpolled Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, Tigers right-hander Armando Galarraga and A’s left-hander Greg Smith to win the newly created Rookie of the Month Award presented by Gillette.

“It’s flattering,” Murphy said. “I try to play hard every day and contribute to the team’s success but individual accolades are always flattering.”

But you’re not going to hear about that game. You’re not going to hear about Ian Kinsler’s lead-padding two-run blast, Ramon Vazquez’s fantastic 4-for-5 night at the plate or the 5.1 cumulative innings of two-hit shutout baseball recorded by the relief quartet of Franklyn German, Jamey Wright, Eddie Guardado and Frank Francisco.

You’re also not going to hear about the Rangers’ offense methodically wearing down Mariners starter Felix Hernandez and forcing him to depart after just five innings with an exorbitantly high pitch count of 112.

And that’s really, really unfortunate.

Regarding the well-publicized Kason Gabbard-Richie Sexson incident of last night, I have little doubt that this was a premeditated maneuver by Sexson, intended in part to inspire some show of life and energy from a floundering Mariners squad that currently languishes in the American League cellar at 14-22.

Losing, after all, breeds impatience and frustration, and therefore it’s probable that Sexson felt he needed to take matters into his own hands. Indeed, the only possible reason I can conjure up for Gabbard’s high, yet seemingly innocuous pitch eliciting such a violent reaction from Sexson is that he stepped to the plate not looking to reach base (which is, after all, his job), but looking for the first inside pitch that offered him a legitimate excuse to bull-rush the mound.

What’s currently riling me more than the incident itself, however, are Sexson’s post-game remarks:

“I understood the situation, but there is a right way and a wrong way to play the game,” Sexson said. “If you hit me below the shoulders, I am fine with that. I was well aware of the fact he probably was going to hit me. But get up near the face, and that’s when you start talking about careers.

“Throw a pitch up around my head, [and] I’m not going to deal with that. It’s the wrong way to play baseball. I have played the game a pretty long time. This guy can hit corners at will, and he throws one up there. How hard is it to hit me in the thigh?”

Three things:

● Does anybody honestly believe that Kason Gabbard would legitimately go headhunting with his sub-90 MPH fastball? And what, precisely, would give Sexson probable cause to assume that Gabbard was “probably going to hit [him],” rather than one of his teammates? Because I know it wasn’t his devastating offensive potential.

● Kason Gabbard walked four batters in 3.2 innings of work on Thursday evening, and has walked 13 batters in 24.1 innings this season. Is that seriously what you would call being able to “hit corners at will?”

● Who is Richie Sexson, of all people, to be lecturing anybody on the “right and wrong” ways to play baseball?

And you know, if Gabbard had indeed plunked Sexson, or had come a few inches further inside, Richie’s actions would have been largely justified. Nothing can excuse the helmet-throw, of course, but if I had felt for one second that there was any modicum of intent on Kason’s part, I would have nothing negative to say about Sexson’s initial charge.

But if there was intent on a pitch that Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram described on Friday morning as being “at least 18 inches from touching him,” then there’s really no point in ever pitching inside, is there?

Vicente Padilla faces the Mariners for the second time in a week on Monday evening at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. This ain’t over, folks.

Quick Hits: Team physician Dr. Keith Meister recommended “extended time” off for rehabbing right-hander John Patterson on Wednesday, making it unlikely that he’ll pitch for the Rangers this season. A real shame, that is.

● I try very, very hard to steer clear of personal attacks directed towards anybody associated with the great game of baseball. I really do. But I’m going to have to make a special exception in this case.

Richie Sexson is a gutless, spineless piece of trash.

Because I am so incensed, I’ll allow a semi-neutral third party - namely, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram - to describe what transpired with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning of Thursday evening’s game at Safeco Field:

Richie Sexson has been ejected after charging Rangers pitcher Kason Gabbard in the fourth inning. The odd thing? Sexson wasn’t even hit by a pitch. He charged after Gabbard uncorked a fastball that sailed high but didn’t appear close to hitting Sexson.

Gabbard had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury two batters after the melee. He had come off the disabled list today after suffering a back injury last month.

Both benches and bullpens cleared. The most animated player beside Sexson was Mariners starter Felix Hernandez, who had plunked two Rangers. One was Ian Kinsler in the fourth. The second baseman spun and looked toward Hernandez before taking a slow walk to first base.

Hernandez also hit catcher Gerald Laird in the second inning, and Laird was also an active combatant during the melee. At one point he was separated from the fracas by Milton Bradley, who picked up Laird, carried him 10 feet, and pushed him in the chest to calm him down.

You can only imagine the incredulous look of disbelief that crossed my face when television replays conclusively showed that the pitch - an 89 MPH fastball from Gabbard - was a good 12 to 14 inches away from hitting Sexson.

It. Wasn’t. Even. Close. I can’t possibly emphasize this enough.

And Richie, in all his infinite wisdom, decided to bull-rush the mound, tossing his helmet at full force into Gabbard’s back (the root cause of his two-plus week stint on the 15-day disabled list) and tackling him to the ground, contorting Kason’s body into an unnatural shape as Sexson’s 6′ 8″, 240-pound frame landed upon him.

Credit catcher Gerald Laird for diving atop Sexson so quickly, thereby breaking up the immediate melee. When taking into account the vast discrepancy in size between the two combatants, Gabbard could have very easily re-injured himself - or at the very least, sustained an injury more serious than the initial “bruised legs” diagnosis that necessitated his untimely departure from the game.

● Felix Hernandez is only marginally less idiotic than Sexson. His animated attempts to join the fray (which were impeded by his catcher, Kenji Johjima, former teammate Eddie Guardado, and an unidentified Mariners coach) would have been far more credible if he hadn’t already drilled a pair of Rangers in the preceding four innings.

Perhaps neither of those plunkings was intentional, but it nonetheless goes without saying that Hernandez was far from being in any sort of position to complain about Gabbard’s purported “brushback” pitch.

● There was a time when Milton Bradley would have been at the center of that conflict, swinging his fists wildly and stirring up additional chaos where none was needed.

Milton Bradley has matured. A lot.

● Tom Grieve, as quoted by Rangerfans.com’s Joe Siegler, is absolute gold - as usual:

“That is a gutless, 6-foot-7, .200-hitting, formerly good player. What a joke!”

[…]

“If he doesn’t get suspended for a week for that gutless move, I’ll be completely shocked. Number one, for charging the mound on a pitch that wasn’t even close, and then getting twenty feet away and throwing a helmet at him like a girl. What a joke.”

● Believe my account of the incident is full of half-truths and inaccuracies? Then decide for yourself: