After Thursday night’s melee in Boston between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay (no longer Devil) Rays, Red Sox centerfielder Coco Crisp called out his Rays’ outfield counterpart in a post game interview.

The basis of Crisp’s assessment of the bench-clearing brawl was that Carl Crawford employed some less than masculine tactics when the teams went down to the ground duke it out on the pitchers mound.

The Boston/Tampa brawl can be seen here: RedLasso.

Crawford came back with the following brazen words, “He better not have said my name,” Crawford said. “Coco don’t know me.” (Yahoo! Sports)

Well Mr. Crawford, I would say Mr. Crisp got to know you quite well when you were pulling his hair and scratching him on the bottom of the pile up, as if you were taking on some bleach blonde with a tramp stamp at the bar who just made a pass at your boyfriend. In fact, I think I have seen several teenage girls use fairer fighting techniques on internet videos.

This display made me think back to some other less than flattering moments other baseball players have had in the heat of the battle:

1. Nolan Ryan vs Robin Ventura (August 1994, Arlington Stadium)

While no one can say Robin Ventura fought like a girl when he charged the mound against Nolan Ryan in 1994 at Arlington Stadium, no one can really say he did anything except become Ryan’s personal stress relief punching bag. I still giggle like a little girl (better than fighting like a little girl at least) when I watch clips of this classic beat down.

2. Pedro Martinez vs Don Zimmer (October 2003, ALCS - Boston)

Even though Pedro Martinez came out on top of this altercation with the Yankees’ revered bench coach, how can you respect a guy who slings down someone as old as the dirt at Yankee Stadium by his shiny bald head? Plus Pedro’s arms and the attention to appearance make me think twice about this guy’s masculinity.

3. Israel “Izzy” Cristostomo Alcantara vs. Jeremy Salazar (July 2001, Triple A)

Although this “altercation” occurred in the Cape Cod League and there was nothing girly about it, my third most infamous baseball fighting tactic has to go down as the most bizarre in baseball history. Out of nowhere, Alcantara, of the Pawtucket Red Sox (seems like the Red Sox have a taste for fisticuffs throughout the organization), pulls a move on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons catcher that mixed martial arts fans would find disturbing (at least MMA fighters do not have spikes on the bottom of their feet). (ESPN)

What Do You Think?

There are several other great brawl moments to recant across all professional sports, but these were a couple that came to mind immediately. Please share your favorite sports brawl moments, and be sure and vote for your favorite less than flattering brawl moment.

Some Extra Video (including Ryan/Ventura & Alcatara/Salazar incidents): 2002 ESPN Sportscenter Top 10 Baseball Brawls

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