Dugout scuffle

While I do agree that fighting in the dugout is ridiculous and I do think that Prince needs to not go after a starting pitcher, I think people are severly overreacting to this situation in terms of blaming Prince for being hot-headed and having a temper. I've read lots of comments painting Manny as an innocent bystander and frankly, that's just ridiculous. Hell, the way some people are telling it, Prince is the Big Bad Wolf and Manny's Little Red Riding Hood.In case you didn't see it, <a href="http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200808053256212&amp;c_id=mil">the video is here</a>. You know, in the highlights section of MilwaukeeBrewers.com. Nothing says says highlight like intra-squad fighting.

And while the fight was stupid, to say the least, it doesn't come close to the level of idocy reached by Ned Yost in his post-game comments on the subject:

<p>“It’s not a big deal,” Yost said. “For eight months a year, we’re a family. At times things happen, flare up, but it’s between the family. It’s in the family. </p>   <p style="font-weight: bold;">“It’s a little bit rude when your neighbors are fighting next door for you to go knock on the door and ask what happened. We handle it ourselves. It’s between us and it’s nobody’s business. But it wasn’t that big a deal.”</p> Seriously Ned? Did you just all but condone domestic violence?

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume this isn't what he meant to say, but holy crap, NED?

Of course the altercation and the awful handling of it by Ned have been front page stories since last night. It was also a big topic of conversation on ESPN's Mike and Mike in the morning radio show. Mike Greenberg said it was probably the stupidest thing a coach or a manager will say this year. After the break, after saying that MAYBE Ned's media scolding didn't come out as he may have meant it, he said that the media asking a question about an altercation, captured and broadcast on every sports outlet across the country was at a minimum, worth addressing. Greenie went on to note that Ned's reaction to the media, calling reporters "rude" for even daring to ask about the physical confrontation, shows that he's not in step with what's going on around him.

Here's the thing. We know that's not what he meant. But he said it because he's a hot-headed pain in the ass in post-game interviews. As per his usual, Ned was snippy, condescending and obnoxious in the press conference. A reporter asked him a question that frankly, had he not asked, he should have been fired by his employer for failing to cover the story. Instead of using the opportunity to smooth this over and calmly downplay the whole situation, Ned, in his usual manner, got angry and short with the reporter and instead became the story himself.

Someone get Ned some PR classes. The scuffle was bad enough and would have landed the Brewers in most telecasts, but when the manager makes an even bigger deal about it and all but condones domestic violence, it's front-page news. Every story I've read on the situation mentions Ned's comments. Ned's handling on the media is just plain awful and needs to be addressed.

The Journal went on to report:

<p style="font-style: italic;">Yost, who almost certainly will discipline Fielder for attacking a teammate, also said the matter would be forgotten when the Brewers report to the ballpark today. And he again insisted no one should make a big deal of it.</p>  <p style="font-style: italic;">“There’s a privacy issue here somewhere,” Yost said. “Just because it’s on TV doesn’t make it anybody’s right to know what happened. It’s between us. </p>  <p style="font-style: italic;">“If you want to know what happened, what transpired blow by blow, or what words were said, I’m sorry. You’re not going to know. It’s private. It’s between us and it’s not a big deal. It’s not the first time it happened and it won’t be the last.</p>  <p style="font-style: italic;">“It’s what happens. It makes teams better. It’s not a problem. It’s nobody’s business.”</p>