Are Bench Clearing Brawls Good For Baseball?
Some of the most memorable moments in baseball history have come from bench clearing brawls.
Whether it was Nolan Ryan putting Robin Ventura in a head lock, or Pedro Martinez throwing poor old Don Zimmer to the ground, brawls are exciting.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the game of baseball, unless talking about the unwritten rules, but for some reason, fights draw major attention to the game.
Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura and Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado exchanged punches on the field Tuesday night leading to questions of how Major League Baseball can keep brawls from happening.
If you missed it, here's a glimpse:
This came just weeks after Texas Rangers' Rougned Odor clocked Toronto Blue Jays' Jose Bautisa in the face, leading to a bench clearing brawl.
Two of the biggest highlights of the 2016 baseball season have come from two teams fighting each other.
Is that a problem? Or is it something for which Major League Baseball can benefit?
Think about it this way:
The Blue Jays and the Rangers don't play each other again in the regular season, but if they were to match up at any point during the playoffs, the fight earlier in the season will just add another story line to an already loaded history.
Brawls create tension. Tension creates drama. Drama creates excitement.
After a long and monotonous 162 game regular season, some tension, drama and excitement heading into a playoff series isn't a bad thing.
True rivalries are missing from today's game. Even the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox rivalry has dwindled down over the years.
A little hatred between players and teams can only benefit the league which is trying to figure out ways to keep the younger generations of baseball fans interested.
Brawls shouldn't happen every night, but when one happens occasionally, baseball shouldn't figure out ways to cut it out, they should embrace it.