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Gibbons, Lilly don't make list of top 10
Dan Connolly
Baltimore Sun
Aug. 24, 2006 12:00 AM
When Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons and starting pitcher Ted Lilly charged into the home dugout tunnel Monday night, they also walked into a peculiar area of baseball history.
It doesn't happen too often, but physical skirmishes between a manager and one of his players have dotted baseball's landscape for decades. The altercation between Gibbons and Lilly - which happened after Gibbons removed his pitcher in a seven-run inning and Lilly complained and then cursed at his manager while walking off the field - was not an all-timer.
For one, it happened outside the eye of TV. And the "combatants" have downplayed the altercation, saying no punches were thrown. Although it's news this week, it's hard-pressed to stand the test of time. But these do:
- Yankees manager Billy Martin vs. Reggie Jackson, 1977
It was barely physical, but this is atop the list simply because of star power and the public stage. It was a nationally televised Saturday afternoon game between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park when Jackson loafed after Jim Rice's double. Martin pulled the pitcher and then he pulled Jackson from the outfield - in the middle of the inning. The burly star and scrappy manager had words and Martin lunged toward Jackson before coaches separated them.
- Rangers manager Frank Lucchesi vs. Len Randle, 1977
Randle, a former Arizona State star, was upset at the end of spring training that he had lost his second base job to rookie Bump Wills, who, coincidentally, also played at ASU. So, after allegedly being called a punk by Lucchesi, Randle, 28, punched his 49-year-old manager in the face, broke his cheekbone and sent him to the hospital. He was fined, suspended and traded to the Mets.
- Reds manager Lou Piniella vs. Rob Dibble, 1992
Everyone remembers this footage. Piniella screaming at his Nasty Boy reliever that Dibble didn't want to be treated like a man. Dibble and Piniella wrestling. The argument may have stemmed from comments Piniella made to the media about Dibble's shoulder injury, but Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo was there and won't publicly comment on exactly what happened. With constant replaying, it's a TV standard.
- Yankees' Martin vs. Ed Whitson, 1985
This is significant because Martin had his arm and a couple ribs broken in the tussle with Whitson, a Yankees starter. The brawl took place at the Cross Keys Inn in Baltimore. A Yankees-led investigation into what happened was 58 pages long.
- Yankees manager Yogi Berra vs. Phil Linz, 1964
On a bus ride after the Yankees had lost four straight, Linz, an infielder, decided to play Mary Had a Little Lamb on his harmonica. Berra yelled for whoever was playing the harmonica to cut it out. Legend has it that Linz didn't hear Berra and asked superstar Mickey Mantle what the manager had said. Mantle reportedly told Linz that Berra wanted him to play it louder and Linz cranked it up. Berra eventually ran to the back of the bus, screaming profanities at his player. An angry Linz then threw the harmonica, which hit Joe Pepitone and cut his leg. Linz was fined, but received a $20,000 endorsement with a harmonica manufacturer.
- Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog vs. Garry Templeton, 1981
Herzog snapped when he saw Templeton make obscene gestures to the Busch Stadium crowd. When Templeton got to the dugout, Herzog grabbed him and pulled him down the dugout steps before being separated by several Cardinals players. Templeton was traded to San Diego - for Ozzie Smith - that off-season.
- White Sox manager Lena Blackburne vs. Art Shires, 1929
Shires, an aspiring boxer, paired off against Blackburne on at least two occasions, including once in a hotel room. One time, Blackburne was knocked unconscious. Shires also boxed in the off-season, until baseball outlawed the pairing of boxing and baseball for fear players may get involved with gamblers.
- Twins' Martin vs. Dave Boswell, 1969
Yep, Billy Martin again - and this doesn't count the time he punched out a marshmallow salesman. It happened in a bar. Boswell was one of the Twins' best pitchers; he won 20 games that year. But Martin didn't care, reportedly beating his ace while Boswell was held by a couple of patrons.
- Indians manager Ossie Vitt vs. all of the Indians, 1940
Vitt was so reviled by his players that writers referred to that team as the "Cry Baby Indians" for all of their moaning about Vitt. Legend has it that the Indians players would fake fights among themselves to lure Vitt in to break up the scuffles, just so they could land anonymous blows on their manager. He never managed after that season.
- Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda vs. Rick Sutcliffe, 1981
This conflict was more with Lasorda's office furniture than the manager himself. Enraged that he was left off the team's postseason roster, Sutcliffe went off on Lasorda's office. He overturned his manager's desk and busted a chair or two. He was traded to Cleveland that off-season.
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