Things are getting heated in the National League Central, and it's not just in the standings, either.
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon went off on the St. Louis Cardinals, comparing their actions to those of fictional mobster Tony Soprano.
Maddon's tirade was sparked by Cardinals reliever Matt Belisle hitting Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo during Chicago's 8-3 victory Friday. Chicago believes Belisle did so intentionally as a response to Dan Haren hitting St. Louis slugger Matt Holliday in the head during the fifth inning.
Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com was there for Maddon's lecture after the game.
"I don't know who put out the hit," Maddon said. "I don't know if Tony Soprano is in the dugout. I didn't see him in there. We're not going to put up with that from them or anyone else."
Haren, who pitched for the Cardinals from 2003 to 2004, is familiar with the way the team reacts to these kinds of situations, as he told Rogers.
"They've been known for policing it that way," Haren said. "Sometimes it goes to a little bit of an extreme. Coming up with the Cardinals, that was just part of it: protecting the big guys."
Maddon, who grew up a Cardinals fan, according to Rogers, continued to take jabs at his former favorite team:
I'm really disappointed in what the Cardinals did right there. We did not hit their guy on purpose. That was an absolute mistake.
To become this vigilante group that wants to get their own pound of flesh, that's absolutely insane, ridiculous and wrong. We don't start stuff, but we will stop stuff.
This adds more fuel to the fire in the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry. With two more games remaining in their series, the Cubs are within six games of the Cardinals, with the Pittsburgh Pirates in between them. With all three teams contesting for the division title and the two wild-card positions, expect the emotions and ill will to continue rising.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.
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