Fists of Fury

Yesterday Chicago Cubs battery mates Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett had a brief dugout scuffle after a frustrating top half of the fifth that saw the Atlanta Braves plate five runs. The altercation later spilled into the clubhouse and latest reports suggest that the 6-5, 250 lb Zambrano beat the snot out of Barrett, sending him to the hospital to receive six stitches on his kisser. My, how the Cubs are a woeful franchise.

Barajas has long been a vocal critic of pitcher-on-catcher violence. Not so much to protect fellow members of the tightly-nit catching fraternity, but rather to maintain the health of his own pitching staff. Barajas is a peaceful man, but when confronted with flying fists he will respond swiftly and decisively. More than a few minor league pitchers saw their careers derailed in the late 90s after allowing a dispute over the way Barajas called a game to boil over into fisticuffs. Unfortunately they were not so lucky to escape the scrap with a mere busted lip. Since that time word has spread about the previously unkown fact that in his teenage years Barajas was a successful amateur pugilist--a Golden Gloves favorite before turning to baseball full-time. The rumor that he bested current WBA and WBC cruiserweight champion Jean Marc "The Marksman" Mormeck in a street fight while on a student exchange trip in Paris, France, in autumn of 1991 cannot be verified at this time, but is likely true.

Zambrano and Barrett's Barajas number is 2. They were teammates with Tony Womack on the 2006 Chicago Cubs, Womack was the starting shortstop on the Barajas-led 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks.