Column as I see 'em

Author: JEFF PATTERSON

Last week, Gary Sheffield over threw his cut-off man, but, man, his face was almost cut-off in the process. Acting like a real idiot, a Red Sox fan took a swipe at the New York right-fielder; while another man, who was sitting several seats closer to the visitor's bullpen, intentionally dumped his $4 beer on the former Brewer. Sheffield was in the process of fielding Jason Varitek's eighth inning line-drive and getting the ball back into the infield. This baseball rolled around in the corner long enough for the catcher, once he had safely reached third base, to catch his breath. Fittingly, V-Tek would also end-up catching the final out, a foul-pop that concluded a sweet-smelling 8-5 victory.

Although the idiot's action was stupid: if you're going to pick a fight with a New York Yankee player, try 5'9'' veteran Rey Sanchez; it was even sillier to even think about going for the baseball. Many would argue that the arrested swiper was focused on Sheffield's eyeball instead of the baseball, but fans in front of him took their stabs at trying to grab it. Fenway's right field corner is challenging. Last year, Juan Gonzalez misplayed the bounce and Pokey Reese, did the Hokey-Pokey on his way to an inside the park HR. Let the opposing players make mistakes out there. Don't help them out.

If any of the baseball's stitches had been touched, Varitek would have been held to a ground-rule double and David Ortiz would not have been allowed to score Boston's eighth run. Gary Sheffield was due to lead off the top of the ninth; Hideki Matsui and A-Rod were to follow. Insurance runs were about as valuable as Allstate stock. The fan's actions obviously enraged Batspeedman, who proceeded to cook a double during his ninth inning at bat.

Early this year, during a Pistons-Pacers game, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal and Ben Wallace were part of a brawl on the court as well as in the stands. Nine spectators had to be treated for injuries. In the baseball game it looked like Sheffield wanted to teach the fan a lesson, but a security guard came to the fan's rescue and the outraged outfielder backed off.

If fan-fighting keeps up, EA sports is going to have to include similar events in its video games in order to simulate the real thing.

The blasphemous bleacher blemishes that have transpired both at the Palace of Auburn Hills and at the Palace of bench coach Brad Mills, need to be bleached out. Otherwise, sluggers will be swinging for the electric fences: boundaries that would punish those who made any attempt to cross with a pain worse than that coming from a first-in-three-months floss. Your gums would bleed. But only a true Red Sox fan, one that would have made sure not to touch Varitek's triple, so Big Papi could score the insurance run, would bleed red.