Ubaldo Jimenez could be facing a possible suspension today after the #2 pitcher in Cleveland drilled Troy Tulowitzki in the elbow during the first inning of the Indians and Rockies spring training game Sunday.
What began as explanations as to why Jimenez was not offered a new contract and how it lead to his trade, has now turned into a feud. The Rockies have said that Jimenez was not offered a contract after the 2010 season due to a drop off in performance, lack of focus in the offseason and general complaining. Jimenez contests those claims and believes he was due a fresh contract after his one All-Star game appearance, especially after Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez both inked new deals after the 2010 season.
Tulowtizki went to bat, figuratively, for the team by saying that Jimenez needed to suck it up and move on from the trade. Those type of comments are what led to the benches clearing on Sunday after Jimenez fired a fastball inside, striking Tulo and prompting a lot of jawing as the dugouts emptied. Jimenez said it got nasty when Tulo called him a bad name similar to “chicken,” a word that starts with the letter “p” comes to mind.
Jimenez can be sure that no matter what he said in his presser afterwards (“I didn’t mean to hit him” or “I was going inside and it got away”) that having Bud Selig in the stands will result in some sort of punishment being doled out, and rightfully so. You don’t come into spring training with a fresh media feud, walk the first batter, bring up Tulo and then drill the team superstar and say “my command was off.” The hell it was, he is lucky that fists didn’t fly and the x-ray on the elbow was negative.
Rockies manager Jim Tracy launched into a tirade about it, saying “It’s the most gutless act I have seen in 35 years of professional baseball. I have lost all respect for him. To do something like that and walk down off the mound, and if there’s any suggestion whatsoever that the ball got away, I don’t want to hear any of that shit. He intentionally threw at him. He should be suspended. I am going to be very disappointed if he doesn’t get suspended. He deserves to be.” Denver Post Rockies beat reporter said via Twitter that the presser had the most four letter words that he had heard Tracy use in his three-plus years in Denver.
X-rays on Tulo’s elbow were negative, but you can be positive that Ubaldo is a pussy, like the back-to-back Gold Glove winner said. Don’t get mad bro just cuz Troy calls ’em likes he sees ’em. Selig better come down on Jimenez because the evidence clearly has “I have a chip on my shoulder and I needed to get my revenge” written all over it.
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