Dodgers and Diamondbacks embarrass the game in silly brawl

I have openly criticized youth and high school teams for engaging in dangerous team brawls on the field. The potential for injury is great and the behavior embarrasses the sport. Last week, I wrote about a brawl during a softball game where a parent was arrested for assault.

Many condemned the softball brawl as shameful and lauded police intervention. What about the pros, though? What happens when they have a senseless brawl? What happens when the umpire does his job correctly and the teams feel the need to fight anyway? Judge for yourself after watching the following clip of Tuesday night's Dodgers-Diamondbacks game (email subscribers click here).



This just has to stop. The pros must exhibit the same behavior we want on the youth level. Pro sports continues to be one of the few places where a person can commit assault without penalty of law. The umpire was correct in ejecting Ian Kennedy for beaning Zack Greinke and he did it immediately. What was there to fight about?

Maybe the L.A.P.D. officers on-hand could have come down and arrested Don Mattingly, Steve Sax, Matt Williams, Don Baylor, Mark McGwire, Skip Shumaker and others. Maybe if they had spent a night in jail cooling off, they would get the message.

Kids, parents and their coaches watch these guys and emulate everything from their swing to their right hook.  A parent gets arrested for biting, but pros can throw each other over the dugout rail without consequence.