Rough stuff

If there is one person who has raised the ire of the Gateway Grizzlies it's Chris Sidick. No, it's not Mario Garza, who who hit two home runs in Game 2. Not Aaron Ledbetter, who took a shutout into the seventh inning of Game 1. Not Matt Sutton, who had two productive games at the plate.

It's Sidick, who has been setting the tone for Washington's lineup from the leadoff spot and on the basepaths.

In case you missed the details, it was Sidick's hard slide into second base in the ninth inning of Game 1 that not only broke up a potential double play and allowed Eric Earnhart to score the game-winning run, but separated the shoulder of Gateway shortstop Ryan Saltzgaber. In Game 2, with two outs in the fourth and Washington leading 5-2, Sidick tripled off the tall left-centerfield wall. The next batter, Jarod Rine, pushed a dribbler up the third-base line.

Gateway third baseman Manny Paula scooped up the ball and had only one play - throw to catcher Charlie Lisk to get Sidick at home plate. Sidick, who was out by about 10 feet, came in hard and low with his forearms in front in an attempt to knock the ball from Lisk's glove. Lisk made the tag and turned to pick up his mask. Sidick, meanwhile, turned and began walking back to the dugout.

Thats' when Paula, trailing the play, saddled over toward Sidick and said something as he passed by. Sidick made a 180-degree turn and headed toward Paula. That's when home-plate umpire Dan O'Connell got between both players as the benches and bullpens emptied. After some brief finger-pointing, order was restored. O'Connell gave a warning to both teams.

My opinion of the two plays? Both were clean but hard plays. It would, however, not have surprised me if Sidick was called out at second base in Game 1 for obstruction. Though the rules say nothing about what Sidick did, the play looked odd. It was a cross between a roll slide and a WWE backflip. The play at the plate was certianly a good baseball play. This is a pro baseball and you can attempt to run over the catcher. This isn't Pony League, where you have to slide into home plate. Sidick didn't go in with his elbows high, around the catcher's head. He didn't go in with his spikes up. All he tried to do was knock the ball out of Lisk's glove. Lisk didn't even give the play a second thought, as he turned and picked up his mask.

At the time, I thought the play might be a spark for Gateway, a rallying point. The Grizzlies did pull to within 5-4 after that, but relief pitcher Justin Mattison came in and struck out the first four Gateway hitters he faced, thus dousing any spark the Grizzlies had.