The Takedown
Unfortunately, the AP seems not to have caught Kyle Farnsworth taking Paul Wilson to the ground after Wilson charged him (I at least can’t find a picture of it) (see recap of game/brawl). But I give you this one so you’ll never accuse me of not being willing to succumb to sensationalism.
UPDATE (6/20/2003 11:55pm): Dusty Baker has some good quotes defending Farnsworth:
“I don’t expect [a suspension],” Baker said. “He wasn’t the aggressor in the situation. It looks bad because their guy got the worst of it. That’s what happens when you go after somebody. Kyle told him ‘I wasn’t trying to hit you,’ and the guy came out there anyway. It was self-defense.”
Cincinnati manager Bob Boone said it was obvious to him that Farnsworth threw at Wilson as the Reds’ pitcher squared off to bunt.
But Baker said, “I could say the same thing when [Wilson] hit Moises [Alou] in the knee. How can you tell? I went home last night and watched it, and that pitch wasn’t even close.
“No. 1, he bent over trying to bunt, so it looked closer than it was. And No. 2, that’s how you’re taught to throw the ball when a guy is trying to bunt—up and in. … I don’t know what Boone is talking about, really. And I really don’t care.”