Hockey comes to baseball. >>

BOSTON, MA - JULY 8: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox and pitcher Kevin Gregg #63 of the Baltimore Orioles fight in the bottom of the eighth inning at Fenway Park on July 8, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Also, before Ortiz even charged the mound, the ump had already tossed Gregg, and I can't remember seeing a player get tossed while the ball was live, either.

There was a runner on third who left the base to join the fray and ended up being called out for "abandoning his base".

Costas and Michaels didn't say anything about that. Too engrossed in the 1970's.

The ball was flying back into the infield while the fight is going on. I wonder what happens if someone has a chance to score. The O's pitcher is a dope. Gesturing at Ortiz was way over the line.

Papi's uni is ugly enough, but the O's in green?! :puke:

And each guy leaving the bench would have been automatically suspended, and the coach and team fined.

:sarcasm:

Even Don Mattingly agrees with this position. If two guys want to fight, let them square off at the mound alone, one on one (like any fight should be). Let the umps break it up when the fighters have tired themselves out like the refs in hockey do. Let them get it out of their system and then send their asses to the showers. Until the early 80's bench clearing brawls were common in hockey, but since they changed the rules to suspend players and fine coaches and teams there hasn't been one.

Not only that, but in baseball fights there's often cheap shots while everyone is milling about. If two guys are fighting one on one, with no other players allowed near them, those would disappear.

Lastly, no action will be taken on this for weeks. In baseball you can appeal and stay in the lineup literally for months before a suspension kicks in. In the NHL they deal with these things within a day or two. There is an appeal process (usually done by teleconference) and that's that. If there's punishment to be doled out it starts immediately. And it doesn't matter what time of year it is. In the Stanley Cup Finals the NHL handed out a 4 game suspension, effectively ending the season of the player. You'd never see that in a million World Series. Baseball could learn a LOT from how the NHL is run discipline wise.

Oh wait. :9