data-mm-id=”_lqggpa5yl”>Joe Kelly sparked the first benches-clearing … uh … social-distanced brawl of this new, strange MLB season Tuesday night when he threw a pitch behind Alex Bregman's head and had some choice words for Carlos Correa after striking him out. What I'm sure was a cordial discussion took place on the field afterwards as everyone donned their masks and tried to stay away from each other while cussing out the opposing team. It was all rather amusing, to be honest. But the Los Angeles Dodgers are not laughing today as MLB handed down suspensions for the spat. They'll lose Kelly for eight games and manager Dave Roberts for one. #Dodgers P Joe Kelly suspended 8 games for his actions Tuesday night vs the Astros in Houston. #MLB #WBZ @wbz pic.twitter.com/Ihn1qRmuIx— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) July 29, 2020An extremely generous soul might believe that Kelly's inaccuracy was just that, rather than an attempt to send a message, but Kelly does not get the benefit of the doubt as noted above. That's the equivalent of suspending Kelly for around 22 games in a season of standard length, which is a big hit. MLB's front office was not kidding around when it announced it would be harshly punishing players who retaliate against the Houston Astros in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal, and those who create situations leading to violations of social-distancing and other rules in place this season.Eight games is a lot in a 60-game season. Plus, Kelly is a reliever, so it's not like he'll only miss one start. He could have theoretically pitched in most, if not all, of the team's next eight games. The Dodgers have enough talent to overcome the loss, but each game matters significantly more this season. This might make other pitchers think twice before giving an Astros player a brushback pitch. Which is, after all, the whole point. MLB made that abundantly clear in its first opportunity to do so.
Related Posts
data-mm-id=”_2zqpxc8qe”>The two top seeds in the NFC will meet to decide who will advance to Super Bowl LIV, as the San Francisco 49ers host the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. The Packers are also out to avenge their 37-8 loss to San Francisco in Week 12.Can the 49ers shut down Aaron Rodgers again?Yes, the Packers finished 13-3, but it was a weird 13-3. They finished with a first-round bye, but weren't truly exceptional in any category – 15th in points scored, ninth in points allowed, and 18th in both yards gained and allowed. The 49ers' 37-8 victory in Week 12 exposed the true flaws of Matt LaFleur's team, particularly in the passing game. Against the 49ers, Aaron Rodgers passed for only 104 yards, and all nine passes he attempted of over 10 yards fell …
data-mm-id=”_ivbavyo4m”>Rex Ryan's current job is to go on television and use his unique personality to create entertainment. And he's quite good at it because the scales are tipped in favor of those who don't have much of a filter between brain and mouth. Creating buzz, though, means courting controversy or, at the very least, ruffling some feathers. Fresh off calling Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper a "turd" and then apologizing for it, Ryan got sucked into the stinky argument that is Tom Brady or Bill Belichick on Wednesday's First Take. The former Jets coach, siding with the greatest quarterback of all time, used the opportunity to throw one of his former players under the bus. “Let’s give him somebody else, let’s give him Geno Smith, le…
data-mm-id=”_0cbvltrbv”>Here's the situation: Jars of Clay, the 90s Christian Rock, one-hit wonder, has a version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer set to the tune of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. It is not new. They've been playing it since the Clinton administration. It is awesome. Somehow the band released an entire Christmas album in 2007 and did not include their version of Rudolph. This is a crime. This version of Rudolph should be on the radio every holiday season. It should be Mariah Carey and Jars of Clay and then everything else. Why am I telling you this now? Well, because it is brand new information to me. How did I learn about this? Jars of Clay formed at Greenville University. Over the last week, Greenville, a Division III basketball program, has playe…
data-mm-id=”_dkksexs02″>An coach and a referee got into a fight at some kind of organized high school age basketball game on Saturday. It's a wild scene that was all caught on video by a parent. It looks like it starts when the coach shoves or punches the referee, who then squares up, correctly assuming the coach is going to want to continue fight. The coach throws a leg kick and then they start taking swings. The coach shoves a female official away multiple times before the fight is broken up and the referee is convinced he should leave. Inexplicably, it appears the coach is staying as the video ends.This appears to be new, but there are many previous incidents of youth coaches having physical altercations with officials. That's both extremely sad and completely unsurprising…