In the aftermath of the Carlos Silva and Aramis Ramirez fight, Chet West of the View From The Bleachers, who is running ESPN's Sweet Spot today, takes us on a trip down memory lane.
2002 – Jeff Kent vs. Barry BondsChet tries to say that teams who have some scuffles can go on to have success. I agree that this is true, but to me is in spite of and because of the fighting that is going on.
This one had been brewing for some time. Apparently David Bell was in the process of being verbally assaulted by Kent regarding a play that took place the previous inning. Bonds stepped up in defense of Bell, inserting himself between the two, and the shoving began. Kent, who was quoted a year before as saying Bonds was a selfish player, said this skirmish was nothing, and it basically happened all the time between the two of them. Sounds like great clubhouse chemistry, huh?
Result: 95 wins and finished second in the NL West. They faced the Angels in the World Series and lost 4-3.
The 2002 Giants were a talented team, but they were also a group of athletes working toward a common goal, different from a true team like the 2010 version of the Giants. There isn't anything wrong with the former, but I think the high profile fight wasn't something that sparked the team. At least that's how I remember it.
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