Quentin suspended eight games for brawl, but is it enough?
Padres slugger Carlos Quentin has gotten himself into big trouble after his involvement in the brawl Friday night between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Dodgers pitcher Zach Greinke plunked Quentin on the arm, and instead of heading to first base, Quentin charged the mound, dropping his shoulder and plowing into Greinke. A brawl ensued with the two players at the center. Quentin came out okay, but Greinke broke his collarbone and will be out for about eight weeks.
Quentin was fined $3,000 for his actions and will be suspended for eight games. As with any bench-clearing brawl though, the issues are not so black and white. After the game, Quentin continued to provoke Dodgers players when he was involved in a verbal confrontation in a hallway at the stadium.
Quentin and Greinke have some history between them that goes back to their days when Quentin played for the Chicago White Sox and Greinke pitched for the Kansas City Royals. Greinke hit Quentin with a pitch back in 2009, and the two almost fought but were stopped by an umpire.
Quentin said on Thursday night, Greinke provoked him after he was hit by a pitch.
“What I saw was an expletive [from Greinke] and then whatever was directed towards me,” Quentin said. “I didn’t go out there until I was provoked to go out there.”
Could it be that Quentin was indeed provoked to the fight and that his suspension may be a tad long? At eight games, Quentin will miss over a week of the season, those on Quentin’s side are saying that given Greinke’s alleged actions, eight games may be too harsh on the slugger.
But you can make a case saying how Quentin reacted is inexcusable and he physically hurt Greinke pretty badly. In that vein, many have made claims that Quentin’s suspension should be much longer than eight games. LA Dodgers manager Don Mattingly suggested that Quentin be suspended for as long as Greinke is on the DL.
That sentence could be well over two months, but it raises the question as to whether eight games is too short given the result of the brawl, especially since Quentin says he has no remorse for what he did.
Whose side are you on? Is Quentin’s suspension too short, too long or just right? Sound off in the comments below.
