Jonny Gomes Did It for the Children

When we talk about yesterday's Yankees-Rays fight in the future, everybody is going to remember that Shelley Duncan started it. But while it was his slide into Akinori Iwamura that caused tempers to flare, Iwamura was actually arguing with the umpire when Jonny Gomes poured gasoline and lit a match by flying in from right field to tackle Duncan.

Why did Gomes react like he did? Why, he did it for the children, of course:

"I just think Duncan tried to inflict some pain on Aki," Gomes said. "I was taught all the way from T-ball to have a teammate's back. It's a baseball field. There's fans and kids watching. I had to let him know that's not going to fly."

Good for him for putting his foot down and fighting the good fight (literally). If he'd done nothing, the fans would have left the park shaking their heads in shame that their favorite team is a bunch of pansies, and the kids would be all confused about what sportsmanship and fair play is really all about. Duncan is just lucky that Gomes didn't hit him with a garbage can.

On a side note: the Rays know they traded Elijah Dukes, right? Did they mean for their team photos to look for mugshots or is that just a nice bonus?

(Disclaimer: Despite my holier-than-thou tone, I actually don't mind Gomes' decision to get involved -- it's his lame justification that ticks me off.)