Fick: Asshole or hero?

In the eigth inning of yesterday's game, Robert Fick hit a little roller up towards third base. The Cubs pitcher, Kyle Farnsworth, slipped while picking up the ball but fired it to first base.

Just after the ball was caught by first baseman Eric Karros, Fick "chopped" hard down at Karros' arm trying to knock the ball out his glove. Instead of hitting the ball or the glove, he smacked Karros' arm and hand, hurting him.

Obviously, I'm a Cubs fan so I'm quite biased. But I saw Fick become a serious asshole in that play. I've never seen such a lack of class and sportsmanship as I saw Fick display.

To top it all off, his attitude after the game was horrible. Here is part of an article talking about the play, as well as several quotes from Eric Karros and Robert Fick.

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"Interesting running technique," said Karros, who sprained his forearm in what he called "a first baseman's worst nightmare."

"That's a polite way to put it. I'm going to just leave it at that. … When you look at the tape, he was pretty close to clotheslining me too."

Fick's perspective was profanity-laced and unequivocal.

"It's an elimination game, and you gotta do what you gotta do," Fick told reporters in the Braves' clubhouse.

"I'm not saying I did it on purpose, but it's [bleeping] baseball."

Neither manager had seen a replay when he spoke to reporters.

"I think he tried to grab the ball out of Eric's glove, which is a little bit of a violation of the rules," Cox said.

"I know there wasn't an attempt to hit Eric, but that's a good way to hurt somebody, probably. I think he just got caught up in the moment."

Dusty Baker said Fick's basepath boorishness agitated his team.

"It wasn't a very clean play," the Cubs manager said. "That was poor judgment."

Fick's response?

"I don't [care] what Dusty says," Fick said. "If he wants to call it a cheap [bleeping] play, he can call it whatever he wants."

Asked whether he feared retaliation Sunday from Cubs starter Kerry Wood in Atlanta, Fick shrugged and referred to his teammate Gary Sheffield, who did not play Saturday after Cubs starter Mark Prior hit him on the right hand Friday night.

Sheffield's hand is sore and swollen, but X-rays were negative.

"If [Wood] wants to [bleeping] hit me, I'll be on first base tomorrow," Fick said. "We didn't [bleeping] hit anybody after they [bleeping] broke Sheff's hand. We didn't buzz Sammy (Sosa). We didn't buzz Moises (Alou), and they're [bleeping] hitting the ball over the field.

"We have to play without Sheff. … Did Prior hit Sheff on purpose? Who knows? It's baseball. If you hit one, usually some guy gets hit. But that's not Braves baseball. I know that's not Bobby's style and [pitching coach Leo Mazzone]'s style."

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What a jerk.

 

i didn't see this play so i can't really comment on it. if it happened like described above, then it sounds like it was uncalled for. lets not forget how karros flails around over at first when trying to field a one-hop throw. giles thigh bruise for example, and i think he caught furcal or someone else in one of the earlier games too with that elbow. someone should throw a forearm shiver when he gets in the basepath. he looks like a fish outta water when fielding a hopper.

 

But it is something the Braves have missed. Somebody has got to develop a hard edge. It has been missing for a long time. And Karros has injured a few guys at first. It's like gettting thrown at, you gotta go back after them.

 

I agree, Karros is not the smoothest fielding first baseman. However, this throw wasn't in the dirt nor did it pull him into the basepath. It was a clean throw that he caught stretching out towards third base.

Fick threw his arm up there in order to knock it down. You read his qoute - he never denied it.

I understand that you have to back him up - he's on your team. But when a player actually does something that is uncalled for, at least you should recognize it.

I admire Fick's willingness to do anything to get his team a win. I respect that of anyone. However, you stay within the boundaries of good sportsmanship. He didn't display it on the field, and reading his quotes after the game, he didn't display off the field either.

 

If the rules don't have anything to keep you from doing this, then I don't really see the beef about it. You have to play hard and that's what it sounds like to me that was done, but then again I didn't see the play. But if the Braves don't win that game they are going home right?

 

MLB fined him 25K and Cox fined him as well

 

Fick fined for actions, comments
By Matthew Leach and Mark Bowman / MLB.com

ATLANTA -- Major League Baseball fined Braves first baseman Robert Fick $25,000 on Sunday for his "actions during and comments after" Atlanta's 6-4 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday night.
Fick was also fined an undisclosed amount by the Braves.

Pinch hitting for pitcher Jaret Wright to lead off the eighth inning of Game 4 of the National League Division Series, Fick attempted to bunt for a base hit. Cubs pitcher Kyle Farnsworth fielded the ball and threw to Eric Karros, and the throw beat Fick to the bag.

Fick, however, threw up his left arm and struck Karros on the arm. The ball came loose and the glove came off Karros' hand, but Fick was ruled out because of his interference with Karros.

"I was running down the line and really didn't know where the ball was," Fick said on Sunday evening. "I wasn't trying to hurt Eric. I like Eric and I plan on apologizing to him."

Karros was sore on Saturday, and still felt some pain on Sunday. But he remained in the game and hit a home run in his next at-bat. He was back in the Chicago lineup for Sunday's deciding Game 5, playing first base against lefty Mike Hampton. Fick, 0-for-11 in the series, was replaced in Atlanta's lineup by Julio Franco for a second straight day.

"I'm not even going to engage with him at all," Karros said Sunday. "That play speaks for itself. My concern is out on the field, and I'm looking forward to tonight's game."

Fick's comments and actions didn't sit well with the Cubs.

"I'm not happy," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said at his pregame news conference on Sunday. "Whatever [MLB] did, I think it's appropriate. I had MLB take some action against me a couple times this year. They're doing their job. That's what they're there for, to police the game and make sure things are played and run properly."

Fick was obviously upset with the stiff penalty levied by Major League Baseball and believes the significance may have to do with separate fights he was involved in during the 2000 and '01 seasons.

"I guess this is what happens when you get in trouble for two brawls you didn't even start," Fick said.

While Braves general manager John Scuerholz stated he doesn't discuss team business matters, manager Bobby Cox confirmed that the team, too, had indeed fined Fick.

"I fined him and told him it was the wrong thing to do," Cox said. "He got caught up in the moment. He kept waiting for the ball to be thrown. He didn't know what was happening. All of the sudden [Karros'] arm went up and he instinctively reacted. He wasn't trying to hurt Eric and I'm glad he didn't."

During Sunday's Game 5 matchup against Kerry Wood, Cox opted to utilize the right-handed-hitting Julio Franco at first base instead of Fick, who hit .195 (28-for-128) in the final two months of the regular season and has gone hitless in 11 at-bats against the Cubs during this series.

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Maybe the reason he did was those that 0-11 batting average during the series.

 

Asshole

That was just as bogus as Kent Hrbek 12 years ago on Ron Gant in the 1991 WS.

I am 30 year braves fan and I didn't like that play at all. However, that wasn't the reason for the defeat, at this level, extra outs come back to bite you in the _ss.

It's time to blow up this team and start over. Let Maddox, Sheffield, Castilla, Fick, Lopez, Hernadez, King, and everyone else walk, play the kids, save some money, and go play.

 

asshole.

pic proves it

 

I saw it for the first time last night. The pic doesn't even do it justice. More should be done to him than what was. Just imagine if Karros was injured really bad.