Good Ol' Fashioned Baseball

You gotta hand it to Russ Springer.

The man's got balls the size of Barry Bonds' head.

Big Ol' Bonds walks up to the plate in Houston, and I'm assuming that the coach told Springer, a relief pitcher for the Astros, to walk him.

As pitchers are wont to do to Steroid Boy.

Allegedly.

Mr. Springer says "Hell, Bonds gets a free pass?

"He gets it my way."

First pitch sails behind Bonds' back.

Mr. Springer gets a warning from the ump.

Think that's the end?

Not bloody likely.

Pitch 2: Low and inside. Bonds has to skip out of the way.

Pitch 3: High and inside. Bonds turns to take the impact, and the ball hits the handle of his bat.

Foul ball. Two balls, one strike.

Pitch 4: Inside pitch.

Pitch 5: Bonds gets plunked and takes his base.

The ump stands up, tosses Springer, along with Houston's manager, Phil Garner.

As he walks to the showers, the Houston crowd gives Springer a standing ovation.

...

Baseball used to be a sport for tough men. Back when the DH was unheard of, and pitchers pitched complete games with incredible regularity, beanballs would be tossed out of venegance, hatred, or pure spite on a regular basis, and bench-clearing brawls meant something.

The rules have made it a hitter's game, and now the pitcher doesn't even get the opportunity to accidentally plunk a guy before he hits the locker room, let along intentionally.

You gotta hand it to Russ Springer. He played it the old-fashioned way, even if he gets a fine for it.