Brawls

The scene in California last night, as the Arizona Diamonbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers found themselves in a bit of a tussle, is one that I enjoy seeing in professional sports. It's not something that should happen every day, but when division rivals get testy with one another, it's good to see them defend their honor in front of the fans. I understand how throwing at players can make a team upset, especially when it's near the head, as Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke found out yesterday. But the idea that grown men will take out their frustration on the middle of the playing field, and settle it "like men" is amusing to me. Now, it absolutely should not escalate to the "Malice at the Palace" brawl that took place with Ron Artest and the Pacers when they played the Pistons, but keeping the other team honest is fine by me. It's allowed in hockey (if not encouraged?), and acceptable, to an extent, in football. Basketball has clamped down after the aforementioned incident, and you still see it crop up to an extent in baseball. I like the idea of players policing each other for breaches of the rules, so I wasn't horrified, by any means, at what took place at last night's Dodgers game.