Before I go on, I need to engage in a little bit of disclosure. I've never hid my loathing of The Yankees, or any other team (such as Notre Dame) that attempts to characterize itself as "America's team" and/or buy their way to championships and titles. But I digress..
This reminds me of an incident in my fraternity house years back, one that plays itself out again and again every drunken weekend. One of my fraternity brothers attempts to show off by punching out a window pane. He succeeds in doing so, and also in turning his fist into a bloody mess. Another frat brother comes up and says "You stupid dummy, this is how you do it." He proceeds to punch another pane out, only to turn his fist into a bloody mess. Both spent the rest of the night in the emergency room with serious damage to their hands.Bad news, times two
Brown breaks hand after Orioles knock off struggling Yankees
Posted: Friday September 3, 2004 10:21PM; Updated: Saturday September 4, 2004 12:28AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Kevin Brown's frustrating season finally reached a boiling point, and now his hot temper could cost the New York Yankees at the most important time.
Brown broke his non-pitching hand when he punched a wall in the clubhouse Friday night during a 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles that cut New York's lead in the AL East to just 2 1/2 games over Boston.
"Stupidity," Brown said, choosing his words carefully.
"I reacted to frustration I'd swallowed all year. ... There are no excuses. I let it boil over and I did something stupid. I owe my teammates an apology for letting my emotions take over like that."
Already short on starting pitching, the Yankees were unsure how long the 39-year-old right-hander might be out.
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Boxing is a sport, ladies and gentlemen, where the participants wrap their hands up and then cover them with protective gloves. Even in the UFC, the strikers protect their hands. This doesn't happen in the street.
Mind you, years of sport training have made my hand find noses like a heat seeking missile finds a jet engine. Old habits die hard. Fortunately I am learning both good Uechi weapons and where/how to use them.
Talk about stupidity... Talk about having financial insult added to injury...***
Acquired from Los Angeles last offseason, the oft-injured Brown missed seven weeks in June and July with a strained lower back and intestinal parasite. He tweaked his knee while covering first base on an awkward play in the fifth inning Friday, then was hit on the right forearm by Miguel Tejada's RBI single in the sixth.
Steamed by it all, he walked around the clubhouse in the middle of the sixth and punched a wall, breaking two bones in his left hand.
That was the end of his night.
"You just can't do this, there's no doubt about it. You've got to keep your emotions in check," general manager Brian Cashman said. "It's a major issue that we shouldn't be dealing with. It's a problem."
Cashman and Yankees manger Joe Torre were visibly annoyed. Cashman said Brown could be disciplined or fined. Torre said he spoke to Brown and expressed his disappointment.
"Certainly uncalled for and unnecessary," Torre said. "There's more to this game than one person. We rely on him a great deal. It's not something that's helping the team, obviously."
After the game, the Yankees began reviewing Brown's contract to determine whether a self-inflicted injury could void the guarantee language, one baseball official said on the condition of anonymity. No determination had been made, the official said.
Brown is earning $15 million this season and is due $15 million next year, the final season of his $105 million, seven-year deal.
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Meanwhile, the red hot Red Sox have gone from about 12 games behind to just 2.5 behind "The Evil Empire." And the Red Sox clearly have the momentum in The American League.***
He is not the first player to hurt himself in anger. Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen broke his right wrist punching a garbage can while on a minor league rehab assignment with the Mets in 1997. St. Louis reliever Mike Matthews dislocated a bone in his pitching hand in 2000 when he punched the dugout bench in frustration.
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If my Bosox make it to the World Series this year, I'll have at least two reasons to think the right thing happened.
- Bill
Original article can be found at SI.com
) I've also hit things but not with a closed fist. I have cried in anger, shouted in anger, thrown things in anger, drunken away my anger, curled up in a ball on my bed in anger, paced in anger...
But then we all save our worst moments for home and in private I guess. I believe this is one good reason why spouses don't have to testify against you in court. 
I still haven't replaced it, though it's been almost a decade. It serves as a reminder (and it still works, though it's not as pretty).
