With guys like Tripp Cromer, Dave Anderson, Mike Maddux, and Jeff Reboulet over the years, the Dodgers certainly haven't had the "toughest" teams. Still, with enough idiots on the field at any given time, fights are bound to happen—and you gotta love 'em! Below are some of the Dodgers' best fights and brawls (in chronological order).

• 1965 - Juan Marichal beats John Roseboro with bat
• 1978 - Don Sutton and Steve Garvey brawl
• 1981 - Reggie Smith attacks fan at Candlestick
• 1986 - Steve Sax and Greg Brock nearly come to blows
• 1986 - Tom Niedenfuer charged by Ray Knight
• 1987 - Mike Marshall pisses off Giants & fans
• 1987 - Mike Marshall and Phil Garner scrap
• 1988 - Pedro Guerrero throws bat at David Cone
• 1988 - Tommy Lasorda attacks the Phillies mascot
• 1989 - Mike Scioscia charges Pascual Perez
• 1990 - Rick Dempsey vs. Lenny Dykstra
• 1993 - Gary Sheffield (as a Padre) charges the mound
• 1993 - Dodgers brawl with Rockies twice in Denver
• 1993 - Jim Leyland charges Kevin Gross
• 1995 - Jose Offerman shoves Eric Karros in the dugout
• 1997 - Ismael Valdes and Eric Karros brawl in shower
• 1998 - Gary Sheffield and Jason Kendall fight
• 1998 - Andres Galarraga punches Darren Dreifort... but misses
• 1999 - Shawon Dunston charges Jamie Arnold
• 1999 - Chan Ho Park karate kicks Tim Belcher
• 1999 - Dodgers and Mariners have 15-minute melee
• 2000 - Chad Kreuter attacks fan
• 2001 - Brian Jordan (as a Brave) goes after Kevin Brown
• 2003 - Guillermo Mota nails Mike Piazza... and runs away
• 2003 - Paul Lo Duca and Milton Bradley get into it
• 2004 - Eric Gagne and Michael Tucker almost come to blows
• 2005 - Milton Bradley and Jeff Kent publicly feud

Also see: Memorable Dodger Moments

August 22, 1965

Dodger catcher John Roseboro was a clutch hitter and classy fielder, but he's remembered most for an incident in 1965, considered by many to be one of baseball's uglier moments. Juan Marichal, the San Francisco Giants pitcher, came up to bat in the third inning of a game at Candlestick Park. Marichal had hit a Dodger player earlier and a peeved Roseboro had been firing Sandy Koufax's pitches back to him just inches from Marichal's ear as he took his turn at bat.

Marichal turned around to tell Roseboro to stop and Roseboro stood up and took off his mask. Marichal saw this as a threat and immediately hit the catcher over the head with the bat twice, opening a 2-inch gash in Roseboro's head. With blood gushing down Roseboro's face, the two teams—already heated rivals battling for the NL pennant—brawled for 14 minutes.

Marichal was suspended for eight games, and Roseboro later sued him for $110,000 in damages. Yet, the two men somehow became friends in the 1980s.

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August 20, 1978

Don Sutton, the ace right-hander, and Steve Garvey, the power-hitting first baseman, were never close. Despite his outgoing personality that made him popular with the fans, Garvey wasn't particularly well-liked by his teammates. Usually players kept quiet, but when Sutton criticized him in a Washington Post story that was picked up across the country, Garvey snapped. He confronted Sutton in the visitors' clubhouse at Shea Stadium and Sutton confirmed he had made the comments. The argument escalated from there, with Sutton enraging Garvey by making a vulgar remark about Garvey's wife.

Garvey recalled the incident: "It was, did you say this? And if you did, why? Then he started to bring her (Cyndy) into it. ... He poked me in the chest and that was it. All of a sudden, we were pushing and shoving. I got scratched in the eye." They were locked together, rolling on the floor for several minutes before teammates pulled them apart. As one player said, "Hey, this team is always hugging (after home runs). Those guys were just hugging on the floor."

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September 24, 1981

''It started in the sixth inning when I was stretching in front of the dugout,'' said Dodger outfielder Reggie Smith. ''A fan said, 'You stink, you have no class,' so I said, 'What does that make you if you're talking to me?' The fan said, 'If I come down there I could get hurt and be out of my $40,000 a year job. But if I hurt you, it will hurt the Dodgers.'''

The fan, 37-year-old Michael Dooley, then picked up a souvenir batting helmet and threw it at Smith, who immediately jumped into the stands and began pounding him. As other fans and teammates joined the fracas, Smith tried to pull Dooley onto the field.

When the five-minute disturbance was ended, eight fans were taken into custody and Smith was ejected. As Smith was being escorted from the stadium, a fan threw a beer bottle in the direction of Smith, but it landed 10 to feet in front of him and he continued off the field without further incident. After being released from jail, Dooley was treated for injuries at Stanford University Hospital. ''His ribs and hand were injured,'' Dooley's wife said. ''He was being pulled into the field by the Dodgers and off the field by the cops, while he was being beaten by both.''

''Everybody who sits by the Dodger dugout razzles the hell out of them,'' Mrs. Dooley said, defending her Giants-loving husband. ''It's part of the rivalry and he hates the Dodgers so much."

Interestingly enough, Reggie Smith would sign a free-agent contract with the Giants just 5 months later.

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May 27, 1986

The Dodgers were at Shea to face the Mets, and players were warming up on the field before the game. As Steve Sax was playing catch with Mike Scioscia, Greg Brock stuck his bat in the way. Sax then threw a ball that struck Brock in the back. The two players apparently started yelling at each other as the moved into the dugout. Before any punches were thrown, however, other Dodgers intervened.

Brock: "When you play 180 games with the same guys, you're going to have disagreements. We yelled at each other, that's all. It was just a heated moment, that's all, and afterward it all blew over. I've had the same argument in the batting cage with Sax for taking too many swings."

"We were just yelling. It was over with right away," Sax told reporters. Brock replied, "He asked my wife out."

"It was nothing," said utlity player Enos Cabell. "These boys don't even know how to fight."

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May 27, 1986

Before the game at Shea, Tom Niedenfuer helped break up a shouting match between Steve Sax and Greg Brock (see above), Then, a few hours later, Niedenfuer was involved in a scuffle of his own.

Starting pitcher Bob Welch was removed in the 6th inning, and Niedenfuer was brought in to face George Foster with the bases loaded. Foster hit a grand slam, and Niedenfuer glared for several seconds into the Dodger dugout until third baseman Bill Madlock came to the mound. After Madlock returned to his position, Niedenfuer's next pitch struck Ray Knight in the left elbow. The Met third baseman immediately flung his bat down and headed toward the 6-foot, 5-inch Niedenfuer, who got low and tackled the 6-foot, 2-inch Knight, with Dodger catcher Scioscia close behind. Both benches and bullpens then emptied.

Knight said he had no recourse but to charge the mound. "If he wants to hit me, fine," Knight said. "I'll do the same thing to him."

"There was just a lot of scratching going on underneath that pile," Niedenfuer told reporters. "There are a lot of long fingernails in this league."

Neither player was ejected, but both were slapped with huge fines: $300 for Knight and $250 for Niedenfuer.

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April 21, 1987

With two outs in the 10th inning of an early season game at Candlestick Park, Dodgers outfielder Mike Marshall hit a three-run homer off Giants pitcher Scott Garrelts, eventually lifting the Dodgers to an 11-8 victory. San Francisco Mananger Roger Craig had ordered Pedro Guerrero intentionally walked to get to Marshall. As he rounded the bases, Marshall pumped his fist and gestured several times at Craig, angry that the Giants would walk the hot-hitting Guerrero for a second time just to face him. ("They didn't have any confidence that I could do the job, and that was part of the frustration," Marshall later whined.)

Garrelts responded to Marshall's chicken-shit gestures by throwing the next pitch over the head of Dodgers catcher Alex Trevino. Both benches emptied, and Guerrero and San Francisco's Chris Brown had to be heavily restrained in the 15-minute scuffle. On the Dodgers' way back to their dugout, Giants fans threw coins, paper cups, and beer at the players. Marshall got drenched. About 75 fans were ejected, and several were arrested.

"It was disgusting the way those fans behaved," Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda said. "They're a disgrace to the U.S.A. What gives them the right to throw things at ballplayers?" (Meanwhile, a few Dodgers apparently spit at fans during the incident. Any comments on that, Tommy?)

Lasorda didn't stop at that, having equally harsh words for the Giants. ''What the hell did he [Garrelts] throw at Trevino for? That's ridiculous,'' Lasorda said. ''Trevino's standing there, and the guy throws at his head. It was terrible. I have no respect for him.''

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September 2, 1987

At about 5 pm, a couple hours before game time, Mike Marshall had already taken batting practice and was standing outside the cage. Phil Garner, who would spend only half a season as a Dodger, approached Marshall and told him to shag balls in the outfield. An argument ensued, and in Marshall's words, "Phil Garner picked a fight with me." The players returned to the dugout and headed up the runway, where the scuffle began. Punches were thrown, and the players rolled around on the ground until they were separated by coach Joe Amalfitano, shortstop Craig Shipley, and an usher.

The 38-year-old Garner, 5 foot 8 inches and 177 pounds, sported an inch-long scratch on his left cheek and a few welts on his face. Marshall, who was 6 foot 5, 218, and only 27 at the time, ended up with just a couple small scratches. "Judging by the looks of my face, I'm about as good a fighter as I am a hitter the last few months," said Garner, who was batting .209 at the time.

Garner admitted starting the fight. "I instigated it," he said. "Sometimes, when players are frustrated, tempers flare. Mine flared. I make no excuses for it. I'm not going to apologize because I have nothing to apologize for. Sooner or later, it was going to happen."

It is was widely known that Dodger players were fed up with Marshall over his numerous injuries and shitty attitude. One player, who asked to remain anonymous, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, "This thing has been brewing for a long time. I'm surprised it wasn't 24 guys against Marshall. I mean, they (management) let him get away with a lot of things. Look, he's already gone home. How come nobody else on the disabled list goes home and misses games? He hasn't seen the end of a game since we've been home."

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May 22, 1988

Less than 24 hours after the Mets' Dwight Gooden had drilled Alfredo Griffin on the wrist, and the Dodgers' Brian Holton had retaliated by plunking New York's Howard Johnson, the teams got into it again. The incident occurred in the sixth inning of the Mets' 5-2 win over the Dodgers. After striking out Kirk Gibson, Cone's first two pitches to Guerrero were high and inside—one of which Guerrero fouled off. Cone's next pitch was a curve that glanced off Guerrero's shoulder and hit him in his batting helmet. Guerrero glared at Cone, and then threw his bat with both hands at the pitcher, but it sailed wide and stopped near shortstop Kevin Elster. As Guerrero began to walk slowly toward Cone, he was grabbed by Mets catcher Barry Lyons and third baseman Howard Johnson. Both benches emptied, but no punches were thrown.

Guerrero told reporters that his intent was to "brush back" Cone with the bat, in the same way that Cone threw close to him. Guerrero claimed he didn't want to hurt the pitcher, only send him a message. "They can hurt us, we can't hurt them," Guerrero whined. He was later suspended for four days and fined $1,000 by the National League. (Although if accounts of his I.Q. are correct, the league could have fined him $100,000 and he wouldn't have known the difference.)

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August, 1988

After the Philly Phanatic had stomped numerous times on a stuffed doll dressed in a Dodgers uniform with ``Lasorda'' on the back, Lasorda wrestled the doll away from the mascot. Lasorda then hit the Phanatic in the face with the doll, pinned him to the ground and threw a few punches. Truly a great sight.

"What he did wasn't entertainment," said Lasorda. "I love the Dodgers, and it wasn't right for him to stomp on the doll with the uniform. There were a lot of kids there, and he's showing them violence. He didn't need to do that.''

David Raymond, who masqueraded as the Phanatic, didn't seem too bothered. "When he grabs me, he gets his shots in pretty hard, but I didn't know that he was serious,'' Raymond said. "I'm really just trying to make fun of Tommy's shape."

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May 31, 1989

In the Expos' three-run first, Dodgers starter Orel Hershiser threw a pitch behind Hubie Brooks. The next pitch hit Brooks, who started toward the mound but was restrained by plate umpire Bill Hohn as players from both teams rushed onto the field.

After the Dodgers scored the five runs in the seventh, Montreal's Pascual Perez hit Mike Scioscia on the helmet. Scioscia flipped his bat away and headed straight to the mound, but was cut off by Expos third baseman Tim Wallach before he could reach Perez. Other Dodgers tried to reach Perez, including Kirk Gibson, who was wrestled to the ground by three Expos.

''I was trying to think of a way to get to him,'' Gibson said. ''Me, I'd never charge the mound because you aren't going to get what you want. But all I knew was Mike couldn't get to him, so I was trying to.'' When Gibson tripled in a run earlier in the seventh, he stood on the bag and pumped his arm twice, mimicking Perez's bit on the mound after throwing a strike. (Apparently it runs in the family.)

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August 20, 1990

With runners at first and third, home plate umpire Ron Barnes called Philadelphia outfielder Lenny Dykstra out on strikes in the fifth inning. As Dykstra, who was leading the league in hitting at the time, approached the plate with two outs in the seventh, he started complaining to Barnes. He then turned to Dodgers catcher Rick Dempsey, accusing him of brown-nosing the umpire. As Dempsey stood up and took off his mask, Dykstra dropped his bat and stepped forward. The 40-year-old Dempsey immediately popped him in the face with his glove and followed with a quick right. The two tangled and fell to the ground and the benches cleared.

Seconds later, Dempsey was on the bottom of a huge pile. "Somebody grabbed my face when we rolled on the ground," said Dempsey, who ended up with a large welt on the side of his face. "After I saw the replay, I saw it was Dykstra. He grabbed me by the side of the face and squeezed every pimple I had."

"What's he mad about?" Dempsey continued. "He made an out. I make four of them a game. If I was hitting .340 I'd be kissing every player on the opposing team."

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June 10, 1993

With the Padres ahead, 9-2, in the sixth, San Diego batter Gary Sheffield charged the mound after Dodger relief pitcher Ricky Trlicek hit him in the back with a 3-1 fastball. As Sheffield made his way to the mound, Trlicek took off his glove and cap, apparently ready to get his ass kicked. ("I didn't even know I did that," Trlicek later said.) Sheffield plowed into him and threw a punch that grazed the side of Trlicek's head.

The two players wrestled eachother to the ground the as both benches emptied. They were pulled apart quickly, and no other punches were thrown. However, Dodgers outfielder Cory Snyder had to restrain Derek Bell of the Padres, who evidently wasn't happy about the fight ending so fast.

Trlicek and Sheffield were ejected. Trlicek—who is definitely missing a vowel in his last name—suffered a scrape on his forehead and a small cut on his right wrist. After the game Sheffield said he thought Trlicek threw at him because he had swung hard at a 3-0 pitch with a big lead. "I just reacted," Sheffield said.

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June 15, 1993

Just months into the Rockies' first season, The Dodgers came to town with bats and fists. Rookie Mike Piazza hit two home runs, went 4 for 5 and had five RBI, but the 12-4 Dodger victory is remembered most for two fights in the span of an inning.

It began in the bottom of the seventh, when Andres Galarraga, having hit in eight consecutive at-bats, was brushed back by Ramon Martinez. While on first, Galarraga was hit in the neck by an errant pickoff throw. Galarraga then tried to steal and kicked second baseman Jody Reed (forgot about him, huh?) as he slid in well behind the throw. "I've really never seen a cheaper shot than that," said Reed. The kick didn't go over well with the Dodgers, so Martinez hit batter Charlie Hayes in the chest with a 3-2 fastball. Hayes immediately charged the mound to touch off the first fight. The scuffle lasted three minutes and Martinez and Hayes were ejected.

Then, an inning later, Piazza hit his second home run of the game. Rockies pitcher Keith Shepherd hit Cory Snyder with his next pitch, who glared at Shepherd but hung around the batters box. Shepherd, however, gave Snyder a come-get-me gesture, which brought the rest of the Dodgers pouring onto the field. Shockingly, the charge was led by Darryl Strawberry, who was held back by Rockies catcher Joe Girardi before he reached Shepherd. Jim Gott used his Judo skills on Shepherd, however, and Roger McDowell managed to land a couple punches, bloodying Shepherd's nose. "He asked for it and got it," Eric Davis said of Shepherd.

Geez, who would expect violence from a Dodgers team that included Strawberry and Davis? "Most fun I probably had all year," said Strawberry, who was ready to get back to L.A. and beat his wife.

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August 24, 1993

The fun began when Dodgers pitcher Kevin Gross hit the Pirates' Kevin Young in the head with a pitch. Pirates manager Jim Leyland and reserve outfielder Lloyd McClendon spent the rest of the half-inning yelling at Gross from the dugout. Later in the game, Pittsburgh pitcher Bob Walk retaliated by hitting Gross in the leg and was ejected. Leyland—who was about 70 years old at the time and smoked like a chimney—argued with the umpire and was also ejected, then exchanged words with Gross. Before you knew it, Leyland charged the Dodgers pitcher, and the two grappled near the mound. Players from both dugouts and bullpens spilled onto the field around the home plate area, and Don Slaught grabbed Gross, breaking it up.

"That was stupid," Leyland later said. "I threw one punch that didn't connect. I don't think it would have knocked him down anyway." ESPN replayed the fight and included a tale of tape, showing Leyland at 5 feet 10 and 170 pounds and Gross at 6-3 and 225.

"Maybe it was out of frustration," Gross said. "Maybe it's because he hates me. I don't know. I wasn't about to throw a punch at anybody unless I had to. I'm out there trying to win a game. But it's a good thing he didn't take a swing at me. I would have had to hurt him."

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June 21, 1995

In the Dodgers' 7-0 loss to St. Louis, shortstop Jose Offerman made an error, was involved in another misplay that led to two runs, was thrown out at second trying to advance on a fly ball to center, and did not run hard on his eighth-inning pop-up. Eric Karros was sitting in the dugout when Offerman approached him. Karros appeared astonished by something Offerman said and stood up to face the shortstop, who then shoved Karros lightly. Unfortunately, bench coach Bill Russell and worthless second baseman Delino DeShields separated the two before the argument could escalate.

"It was somebody trying to step up to be the team leader," said pitcher Tom Candiotti. "Karros saw something he didn't think looked right to him, and he let it be known. I thought he did it in a very constructive manner."

"All good teams fight because they want to win," DeShields said. He then proceeded to punch Ron Perranoski in the face.

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April 26, 1997

Fed up with the lackadaisical efforts of teammates, Eric Karros openly ridiculed pitcher Ismael Valdes in a team meeting that was intended to clear the air. Karros criticized Valdes for being passive in a 3 1/3 inning, four-run, eight-hit effort against the Marlins.

Then, long after the half-hour closed-door meeting, sharp words broke out between the two in the Dodgers' shower room. Veterans hurried in from the adjacent clubhouse to separate the two. Karros and Valdes exhanged shouts and shoves... although no word on bodily fluids.

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June 28, 1998

As he crossed home plate in the 6th inning of a game versus Pittsburgh, Gary Sheffield swatted the helmet off Pirate catcher Jason Kendall. Kendall thought Sheffield intentionally knocked it off (and he was probably right), and called it a cheap shot as Sheffield was heading back to the Dodgers dugout. Sheffield turned around, and it it was on. Both players were soon wrestling, rolling around on the field as benches cleared. At one point, Sheffield attempted to pick up Kendall, but instead got hit in the face with his shin guard, opening a cut near his eye. Both Sheffield and Kendall were ejected, and eventually suspended.

As fate would have it, both players would be teammates just a week later at the All-Star Game in Colorado. Sheffield, however, refused to make nice. "He's still my enemy," Sheffield said of Kendall. "There's no room for players like that in the game. You won't see me sitting next to him on the bench. He's not my teammate." Gary Sheffield: all class.

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August 22, 1998

After Darren Dreifort hit Andres Galarraga with a pitch for the second time in a week, the Big Ugly Cat charged the mound, stirring a bench-clearing brawl at Turner Field. Galarraga snapped when Dreifort hit him with a pitch on his left leg while leading off the second inning. He charged the mound and swung wildly at Dreifort, who ducked and grabbed Galarraga's legs. A truly priceless moment. They began wrestling on the mound and were quickly encircled by their teammates, managers, coaches and the umpires. Galarraga was ejected and Dreifort was forced to leave because he suffered cuts on his throwing elbow. Galarraga was later suspended for 3 games.

"Probably the first time he hit me, I should have fought him in that situation," said Galarraga, who acknowledged that he had earlier vowed to charge the next pitcher who hit him with a pitch. "But I tried to be patient, I tried to be the nice guy. I tried not to be the bad guy, but two times? I can't believe he hit me."

"The guy stands right on top of the plate, and then he strides into the ball," Dreifort said. "We've got guys who pitch inside in this game, and guys have gotten hit for years, that's the way it is."

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May 23, 1999

It started when Dodgers rookie Jamie Arnold hit Cardinals utility player Shawon Dunston with a pitch. Dunston immediately charged the mound and body-slammed Arnold, setting off a bench-clearing brawl. Arnold dropped his head in disgust immediately after the ball hit Dunston, obviously not throwing at him on purpose. "The only reason I knew he was coming (to the mound) was because I heard the crowd's reaction," Arnold said.

"Dunston overreacted," Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. "That's Dunston. The kid has 15 innings in the big leagues. He came out of Double-A and was the fifth pitcher out of the bullpen. He's just trying to survive. He's not trying to hit anybody, and anybody with any baseball sense knows that. I lost a little respect for (Cardinals manager Tony) La Russa, too, accusing the kid of nailing him (on purpose)."

La Russa responded: "Losing respect can go both ways." Dunston, meanwhile, took a page out of Gary Sheffield's speech guide: "I have to take care of Shawon Dunston. I can't worry about anyone else," said Dunston.

Perhaps the most baffling part of the fight was Dodgers center fielder Devon White coming to the defense of Dunston. With both benches and bullpens emptying onto the field, White was the one who pulled Dunston out of the pack. Later, White verbally defended him: "If he felt he was thrown at, he did what he felt he had to do," said White. Nice, Devo, way to support your teammate.

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June 5, 1999

Early in the game, Chan Ho Park had beaned Angels infielder Randy Velarde—the smallest guy in the Angels lineup. Soon after, Park gave up a grand slam to backup catcher Matt Walbeck, who was hitting about .206 at the time. A few batters later, Park nobly took out his frustration on Velarde—again.

Later in the game, Park bunted up the first base line. Angels pitcher Tim Belcher picked up the ball and tagged Park in the chest. That's when the Dodgers pitcher went apeshit. After taking a step back, Park dug into his Korean bag of tricks and karate kicked Belcher in the mid-section with his cleats. Whether it was more reminiscent of Mr. Miyagi, Bruce Lee, or Pelé, Park actually got his ass whooped. Belcher, who must have been about 45 year old at the time, threw Park to the ground and pounded on him.

Park received a seven-game suspension and was fined $3,000 by the National League. "He pushed the ball in my chest," Park said afterward. "That's not normal. It feels like he was trying to hurt me." Yeah, no shit.

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July 11, 1999

Triggered by an inside pitch from Mariner reliever Frankie Rodriguez to Mark Grudzielanek, the Dodgers and Mariners brawled for more than 15 minutes. The inside pitch came immediately after Trenidad Hubbard stroked a three-run double to put the Dodgers ahead 12-3. Rodriguez repeatedly uttered a four-letter word while challenging Grudzielanek to retaliate.

Everything appeared to be contained initially, with only some grabbing and gesturing. Then the Mariner relievers reached the mound and changed the mood. Jose Paniagua found someone's head with a sucker punch. Then players paired off - David Segui and Raul Mondesi, Butch Huskey and Angel Pena, Paniagua and Devon White, Jose Mesa and Dave Hansen, Jay Buhner and Pedro Borbon. Seattle reliever Damaso Marte pumped up the emotions with a sweeping right hand on the run to Hundley's head, and that led to the swell of players landing on Seattle outfielders Brian Hunter and Charles Gipson, both of whom were injured. "They kept cheap-shotting us," Dodger catcher Todd Hundley whined.

Umpires scurried from pile to pile while trying to separate players and coaches as fans booed and threw trash on the field. When it appeared the melee had finally ended, Seattle first baseman David Segui stirred things up again by seemingly challenging the entire Dodger dugout. When order was eventually restored, umpires ejected four Mariners and three Dodgers, including coach Rick Dempsey who was later suspended for 17 games.

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May 17, 2000

In the 9th inning of a Dodgers' 6-5 victory in Chicago, a fan grabbed Kreuter's cap, apparently hit him and then took off running. Kreuter, who was sitting in the bullpen next to the stands, gave chase, and a few of his teammates followed. The rest of the bullpen gathered along the first-base wall and the Dodgers' dugout emptied. The only thing better than seeing players fight with eachother is seeing players fight with fans. Priceless! "If you wanted a hat that bad, be polite and ask for one," said Todd Hundley. "We'll give it to you. We've got a whole bunch of them." (And I'm sure Hundley had time to hand out hats... he sure as hell wasn't too busy throwing out baserunners.)

When the fight was over, several fans had been hauled out, the game had been delayed 10 minutes, there was litter on the field and much of baseball was in shock. Nearly a week later Major League Baseball suspended 19 players and coaches for periods ranging from three to eight games, although many of the punishments were eventually reduced.

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March 13, 2001

In the first inning of a spring training game against the Braves, Kevin Brown nailed Brian Jordan on the forearm with a 1-2 pitch. Jordan was forced to leave the game, and went for treatment in the Braves' locker room. Meanwhile, Brown exited after four innings, and his walk to the clubhouse took him past where Jordan was standing. According to witnesses, Jordan and Brown began talking from a distance and then started to jaw at close range.

"Jordan was hovering around, waiting for Brown to come off the field," said David Graham, 47, of West Palm Beach. "Brown threw down his mitt and Jordan grabbed his uniform, right around the neck."

The confrontation occurred far down the right-field corner and out of sight for most fans at Holman Stadium. Most of the crowd only saw players from both teams sprinting to the scene, along with a few policemen. The game was delayed for about five minutes.

"No punches were thrown, none were intended to be thrown," Jordan said. 'You can only get hit so many times before you take offense at it. I know he has better control than that."

"I guess he was upset," Brown said. "He wanted to know if I'd hit him on purpose. I said, 'Good gracious, why would I hit you on purpose?"'

Brown and Jordan, of course, were later to become overpaid teammates on the Dodgers.

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March 12, 2003

A few years from now, when he's out of baseball, Guillermo Mota will be remembered for one thing, and one thing only: running away from Mike Piazza. In March of 2002, Mota and Piazza got into it during a spring training game, and Piazza was fined by the league. Rekindling that feud in March 2003, Mota came inside to Piazza to start the bottom half of the sixth inning of an otherwise uneventful Dodgers/Mets game. Mota's next pitch nailed Piazza on the back, and it was on.

Piazza wasted no time charging the mound, cocking his fist as he quickly approached Mota. Doing what any normal coward would do, Mota threw his glove at Piazza's head and began backpeddling away. As Piazza gave chase, Mota headed toward the outfield, knowing full well that he was about to get his lanky ass kicked. Lucky for him, Piazza was intercepted and tackled to the ground by Brian Jordan, Adrian Beltre, and Larry Barnes. As a violent Piazza tried to struggle free—his eyes practically popping out of his Pert Plus head—Mets outfielder Jeromy Burnitz took up the chase, almost catching up with the backpeddling Mota as he crossed the infield dirt. With literally dozens of players running all over the field (keep in mind it was early in spring training and the rosters were full), Mota somehow backed his way into the Dodger dugout and escaped to the locker room.

Moments after Guillermo Mota was rushed out of the clubhouse by Brian Jordan, Mike Piazza sped his BMW to the other side of the stadium and entered the supposedly secured clubhouse, shouting "Where's Mota? Where's Mota?" Not believing people when he was told that Mota had left, Piazza reportedly searched every nook and cranny of the clubhouse before leaving, all the while in a violent rage. (Did we just write "nook and cranny"??)

Just a couple days after the fun, Piazza and Mota were suspended for 5 games. And everybody had something to say. Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, who has also thrown at Piazza, got in on the action, saying: "Maybe he felt like he had to show off his testosterone. But this may be more embarrassing than the one before. Why would you go after skinny Guillermo Mota in spring training and do nothing to Roger Clemens in the World Series?"

> Watch a photo animation of a portion of the incident.

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June 14, 2003

With Andy Ashby pitching for the Dodgers, Milton Bradley (then with the Indians) led off the fourth inning with a home run. Before Bradley even left the batter's box, he had peeled off his batting gloves. The Dodgers took offense, especially Paul Lo Duca, who was wired by Fox, who was broadcasting the game.

"He's too good of a ballplayer to be doing stuff like that," said Lo Duca after the game. "If you're cocky, that's fine. It's good to be cocky and confident. I'm cocky when I play out there, and that's the way he plays. I just think he goes a little overboard."

The animosity between Lo Duca and Bradley escalated after Bradley struck out in the fifth, and Lo Duca was thrown out trying to go from second to third in the seventh on Shawn Green's fly ball to Bradley. After Bradley's strikeout—to end the inning with the go-ahead run on base—Lo Duca shouted, "Take your gloves off for that one." Also on TV, Lo Duca made reference to what would happen if Bradley had tried to show up a pitcher such as Kevin Brown, who's not a pussy like Andy Ashby.

"Somebody alerted me to the fact he was over there poppin' off," said Bradley. "I saw the videotape of him saying some things. I guess he kind of feels bad my numbers are better than his, and I spent two weeks on the DL... I live by a simple creed that says, 'If you don't know me and I don't know you, don't approach me and I won't approach you.' Don't assault me and I won't assault you, because you don't know what I will or won't do. I'm going to end it with that."

A year later, the two were teammates. Beautiful.

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June 25, 2004

Ah, the Giants and the Dodgers. The names change, but it's nice that some things don't. A day after Giants outfielder Michael Tucker almost came to blows with Dodger pitcher Jeff Weaver after a collision along the base line, Tucker was once again center stage. It started when Gagne threw a high fastball that sent Tucker tumbling to the ground. Though the pitch appeared to be well over the plate, Tucker stepped toward the mound and pointed at Gagne, a former hockey player who welcomed the invitation and dropped his glove. Teammates intervened, however, and no punches were thrown.

Gagne turned even more violent when he learned of his ejection, attempting to charge the umpires gathered at the mound. He flipped the ball over his shoulder toward the mound while leaving the field, then tipped his cap to the Giants fans jeering him above the dugout. Manager Jim Tracy and other Dodgers defended Gagne, saying it was ridiculous to think that he was throwing at Tucker. But in a radio interview, Gagne said he was trying to "send a message, and I guess [Tucker] didn't like it.

"You know the game enough to know what was going on," Gagne told Fred Roggin. "What [Tucker] did was not respectful to Jeff Weaver... [My teammates] are my family, they're the people I'm with more than my real family, so you have to respect my players."

When asked if he expected punishment, Gagne had this to say: "They better not. That's totally stupid. It was just a fastball inside; I didn't know it was going to be that big of a deal, but people complain. The game has changed. There's no crying in baseball."

As for Tucker, apparently it wasn't the pitch that angered him so much as the smile on Gagne's face. "Don't throw 97-98 up and in and then smile at me," Tucker said. "You see the replay, you see the ball and then he walks down toward me, smiling like, 'OK, get up.' That's what got it going."

"If Gagne's got a problem, it's a short walk from where his bullpen is to right field," Tucker said the next day, refusing to let it go. "If Tracy's got a problem with me, it's a short walk from where his dugout is to home plate. I'm not that far away. I'm not that hard to find."

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August 20, 2005

Out-of-control in 2004, Milton Bradley had taken anger management classes prior to the '05 season. For six months, it looked as if those classes had worked. Though he wasn't doing much on the field, Bradley was a model citizen... until Jeff Kent pushed a little too hard. On a Saturday night in Florida, Jeff Kent drove a ball into the gap in right-center. Bradley was on first, and cruised around to third base—not far enough as far as Kent was concerned. After the game, Kent confronted Bradley about his hustle. A yelling match ensued in the clubhouse, with Bradley throwing a chair in anger. Trying to get in between his teammates, Brad Penny was spiked in the foot by Jeff Kent. Meanwhile, Bradley ended up in Jim Tracy's office, apparently telling his manager that he he was tired of Kent's abuse.

"For some people, all their life is baseball," Bradley said after the altercation. "All they care about is how many hits they get, how many runs they drive in and how many plays they make. They're just looking for a plaque. I love baseball to death, but it's not my life…. You can read between the lines and see who's had problems with teammates; never me."

Bradley went on to insist that he wants people to see him as a good person. "Anybody who's willing to stand between me getting there needs to be eliminated," he said.

The next day, Bradley singled in the first inning. One batter later, on Olmedo Saenz's inning-ending pop-up, Bradley sprinted around the bases at full speed, staring into the Dodger dugout as he reached third base. Bradley then pointed at the dugout, jabbing his finger before flipping his helmet to the ground. "I was just checking in and making sure my hustle was up to par," Bradley sarcastically said after the game.

It would have all ended right there had Bradley honored Jim Tracy's request to keep the feud internal. But Bradley didn't listen—he had too much to say. Three days later, when the Dodgers were back home, Bradley played the race card: "He [Kent] doesn't know how to deal with African American people. We all joke about race in here. But there are things said off the cuff that I don't interpret as being funny. They are funny to him and [comedian] Jeff Foxworthy, but not to Milton Bradley."

"I take offense to that," Kent told reporters, right after saying he wouldn't respond to Bradley's comments. "That's just absolutely pathetic if it comes from his mouth."

Bradley also disputed Kent's supposed role as a leader. "If you're going to be a team leader, then you need to mingle with the team, associate with the team," Bradley said. "You can't have your locker in the corner of every clubhouse [when] we go on the road. You can't put your headphones on and sit in the corner and read a motocross magazine."

Good times.

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