You charge the mound because you’re furious. Because you want to hurt someone. You know you’ll be ejected, fined, suspended, but it’s all worth it for brief taste of revenge. You never do it thinking that it all might go horribly wrong, and you might wind up on the receiving end of one of the most iconic beatdowns in sports history. Robin Ventura was one of the finest third baseman to ever play the game of baseball. I can’t hear his name without picturing him in a headlock, being whaled upon by a 46-year-old man. It was nothing personal. The Rangers (and Ryan in particular) and White Sox had been at each other’s throats for three years, going back to when rookie Craig Grebeck had pimped a spring-training home run off the aging, ornery flamethrower. The two teams exchanged occasional beanballs, but things escalated in a game on Aug. 2 that saw four hit batsmen. On Aug. 4, 1993, Robin Ventura greeted Ryan with a first-inning RBI single. In the second, White Sox starter Alex Fernandez hit Juan Gonzalez. So when Ventura came up in the third, Ryan drilled him in the upper arm. Ventura took four steps to first, then changed his mind. Ventura’s errors were manifold. Rather than barrel into Ryan at full speed, he slowed down when he hit the mound, allowing Ryan to remove his glove. Ventura went low on Ryan, trying to wrap up his trunk, but couldn’t get any leverage on the big Texan. Ryan wrenched Ventura’s head to the side, as if trying to wrest it off, then deliver five or six short, quick uppercuts to Ventura’s dome before the cavalry could arrive. Ivan Rodriguez was the first there, and the 21-year-old catcher was already in rough shape. He had undergone surgery on a broken cheekbone less than a week earlier, and had missed the previous night’s game with what sound like post-concussion symptoms. “I didn’t try to go out there and fight,” Rodriguez said. “I went out there to try to separate them.” He couldn’t do a thing, as Ventura’s momentum was carrying the fight away from Rodriguez and into center field. The arrival of the White Sox bench was what saved Ventura, but lead to what Ryan considered the scariest part of the altercation. Ryan ended up beneath a massive pile of bodies, and only the arrival of Bo Jackson kept him from serious harm. From a Ryan biography: “All I remember is that I couldn’t breathe,” says Ryan. “I thought I was going to black out and die, when all of a sudden I see two big arms tossing bodies off of me. It was [Chicago’s] Bo Jackson. He had come to my rescue, and I’m awful glad he did, because I was about to pass out. I called him that night and thanked him.” After the game, Ventura tried to downplay his humiliation. “I’m all right,” Ventura said. “He gave me a couple of noogies, but that was about it.” Ryan was not ejected from the game, though Ventura and Chicago manager Gene Lamont were. Ryan would retire 12 of the next 13 batters and picked up the win in a 5-2 Rangers victory. It would be Ryan’s last season in MLB, and Ventura would be the only batter he hit all year. Neither player was apologetic about their role in the fight, though Ryan emphasized that he wasn’t about to hold a grudge. “I have nothing against Robin Ventura,” Ryan said after the game. “The next time I face him, it won’t even cross my mind.” The two met in 2012 for the first time since the brawl and were cordial, though Ventura was and is more reluctant to bring it up again. Can’t say I blame him. Relatedbetting calculatorsnfl parlay calculatormoneyline probability calculatorhalf point calculatorkelly criterion stakinghedge calculator for bettingbetting the spreadwhat does over under mean in bettingparlay bettingwhat is round robin bettingpositive ev bettingwhats hedge betting
Related Posts
Harry Kane s pivotal penalty miss in England s World Cup defeat against France is fuelling his desire to win trophies.
The Three Lions crashed out at the quarter-final stage in Qatar after Kane hammered an 84th-minute penalty over the crossbar with England 2-1 down against the eventual runners-up.
Kane has scored three Premier League goals in as many games since returning to club side Tottenham, as he looks to put his World Cup disappointment behind him.
The striker netted twice in a 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace on Wednesday, moving him to 264 goals for Spurs and within two of the club s all-time record goalscorer Jimmy Greaves.
Kane says his penalty miss still haunts him, but he hopes those bad memories can spur him on to success in the future.
<…
Russia s sports minister has attacked politicians demands to block athletes from the country competing at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Oleg Matytsin said it was absolutely unacceptable for governments to attempt to influence the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
His reaction on Saturday followed Lithuanian sports minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene announcing there was a unanimous view from a group of around 35 countries that athletes from Russia and Belarus should be banned from the Paris 2024 Games.
The stance comes amid the invasion of Ukraine, with ministers from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Australia, reportedly opposing Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to take part, even under a neutral flag…
Pep Guardiola thinks it is crazy for Manchester City to think about catching Liverpool – although his declaration that the Premier League title race was over following his side s 4-1 victory at Burnley was laced with sarcasm.
City headed to Turf Moor on a run of one win in five matches across all competitions, but last season s domestic treble winners looked something like their old selves as a fine Gabriel Jesus double set up a commanding triumph.
Rodri s blistering strike from outside the area was the pick of the bunch and substitute Riyad Mahrez also got in on the act before Robbie Brady netted a late consolation for the hosts.
The result brought City back to within eight points of Premier League leaders Liverpool before Jurgen Klopp s men entertain Everton …
Alessandro Florenzi has talked up Milan s plans to retain the Serie A title, with the club seeking a 20th league crown that would see them add a second star to their badge.
The San Siro side have had a single gold star on their crest since 1979, following their 10th Scudetti win, and last season s triumph took their overall tally to 19 – with only Juventus winning more.
Milan have won just two league titles since the turn of the millennia, however, and have not successfully retained the league since three consecutive title-winning seasons from 1991-92 to 1993-94.
Florenzi, who joined on loan from Roma last year before making his switch permanent in June, is keen for that to change as he outlined the club s plans to retain the title in the forthcoming campa…
Competition: Premier League
Market: West Ham to beat Bournemouth
Odds:
The Premier League is back for even more incredibly exciting action as the league continues to simmer away nicely. Every side in the division will be desperate to pick up all three points from their game this weekend, and with this in mind, West Ham host Bournemouth on Saturday.
West Ham have been in very good form of late and they are putting some serious ground between themselves and the relegation zone. After 23 matches they have won six, drawn seven and lost 10 times, while they have scored 29 times, conceding 41 goals along the way. In their last five games they have won twice, drawn twice and lost once, which has seen them onto 25 points for the season so far. Consider…
Arjen Robben is in no hurry to sign a new contract at Bayern Munich despite only having one year left on his current deal.
Robben s 2015-16 campaign was blighted by injury problems, meaning he was only able to make 21 appearances in all competitions for the Bundesliga champions.
Despite his lack of action, club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed the 32-year-old will be offered fresh terms.
However, the Netherlands international is focused on returning stronger than ever before ahead of next season.
The most important thing is to be fit for the start [of pre-season training] in the mid of July, he is quoted as saying by Kicker.
I am doing fine and I guess I have good chances to make the first-team training.
I don t thin…
Brazil international striker Leandro Damiao has thanked Tottenham Hotspur for showing a recurring interest in him, but insists that he is happy to stay at Internacional, .
Damiao, who made his international debut for Brazil against Scotland at the Emirates Stadium in March 2011, has been linked with several of Europe s top clubs over the past two seasons, with Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur the most notable interested parties.
Spurs have had a number of bids for the 23-year-old Brazilian rejected by Internacional in recent months.
Once again, the north London club were unable to successfully negotiate a deal for their target front-man in January.
Following Spurs 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Sunday, Spurs manager An…
FIFA has committed to using biological profiling at both the 2014 World Cup and this year s Confederations Cup to combat doping in football.
FIFA has committed to using biological profiling at both the 2014 World Cup and this year s Confederations Cup to combat doping in football.
President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) John Fahey claimed earlier this week that the game was not doing enough to test for the blood-boosting agent EPO, after it was revealed that only one in four players would be given a blood test during World Cup qualifiers.
After meeting with FIFA president Sepp Blatter earlier this week to discuss the problem, Fahey revealed the commitment made by the sport s governing body, and praised their willingness to take action against the problem.
He t…
Barcelona and Real Madrid face a new threat of disruption at the season s first Clasico after pro-Catalan independence activists targeted the Camp Nou for protests.
The Tsunami Democratic protest group, which is run by anonymous leaders and mobilises followers by means including social media, has called on its supporters to head to four meeting points close to Barcelona s stadium at 4pm local time on December 18.
That is four hours before kick-off in the biggest match of the LaLiga season so far, which was moved from October 26 to its December date following civil unrest in Catalonia.
Tsunami Democratic says more than 18,000 supporters have already committed to joining its protest, including many who have tickets to the Clasico and members known as socios of h…
Everton have the signing of Jonas Lossl on a free transfer from Huddersfield Town. The goalkeeper will officially move to Goodison Park on July 1st and is set to serve as a worthy backup option for England international Jordan Pickford.
The 30-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Terriers at the end of which the club got relegated to the Championship. He made 31 appearances in the Premier League in 2018/19. Before signing for Huddersfield, he played for FC Midtjylland and Mainz 05. He moved to the John Smith Stadium initially on loan from the Bundesliga side, and the deal was made permanent last summer.
The arrival of Lossl to Merseyside will likely spell the end of the road for Everton s current backup shot-stopper, 36-year-old Marten Stekelenburg, who still …