Boy, Michael Barrett sure likes to fight

In the course of a long baseball season, teams that have run so far ahead of the pack that there's precious little to keep their interest, even in May, need to make their own fun.

This is evidenced by the following clips on Bugs & Cranks of the tussle in the Cubs dugout where Michael Barrett and Carlos Zambrano got into it.

No, wait - this team can't win, has major bullpen problems and really can't afford to lose either of the participants if they want to so much as stay close in the NL Central.

The Tribune is claiming the fight was a result of mounting frustrations in an two-error, 8-5 loss to the Braves this afternoon - just to highlight their point, the online photo gallery features fight photos and shots of players missing balls.

At least they were sent to neutral corners until things had cooled off... Wait, they were both allowed in the clubhouse at the same time and there was a second act according to Lou Piniella? Jesus, can't the Cubs do anything right?

A few things come to mind:

* Can Barrett go a full season without assaulting someone?
* Someone needs to tell Zambrano to avoid punching a man in catcher's gear. It's like a goalie fight in hockey.
* Good for Zambrano to lead with his non-pitching hand. Someone was watching Bull Durham in the off-season. (Though it looked like he was looking to get his right hook into the party when the rest of the dugout swarmed them. That was dumb.)

(I'm posting the YouTube video of the ESPN clip from AwfulAnnouncing as a bonus.)



(Photo from: ChicagoTribune.com)