And it's on.
In this corner, it's Reds manager Dusty Baker and in the other corner, Indians starter Derek Lowe.
After Wednesday's game, Lowe complained about a Mat Latos pitch that came in too high on him and blamed it on Baker.
Said Lowe (from MLB.com):
"Dusty will deny it. It has everything to do with him. You can go ask him. He’ll deny it like he has no idea. They’ve been trying to do this [stuff] for years. I’d always come up with men on base. To say it didn’t come from Dusty, Mat Latos was with the San Diego Padres the last four years. He has no idea what’s going on. Again, you can ask him and he’ll say he doesn’t know [anything] about it like he always does. This goes back to my last year with the Dodgers. He made up some [bogus] story. A lot of people got involved. People almost got fired over it. You can go ask him right now and he’ll say he has no idea what you’re talking about. But just watch the game. Mat Latos has nothing to do with anything that has gone on. How would he know? Why in the [world] would you throw a 96 mph fastball, first pitch, inside to a pitcher? Ask him.”Since Lowe's accusations came after the media had spoken to Baker on Wednesday, Thursday morning the Reds manager responded. From the Cincinnati Enquirer:
"He had some words for me. I really didn’t want to make a public thing or a public spectacle. He’s the one who brought it up. He had some choice words for me. I really don’t care if he respects me. It doesn’t matter.Lowe also said that he had "zero respect" for Baker, and also said (from MLB.com):
"No. 1, you’ve got to ask him why he hit Joey Votto in the back two years ago. Yesterday, he took exception to a ball inside that didn’t hit him, then hit Brandon Phillips after that.
"I’m not denying nothing. I didn’t order anyone to hit him. I told (Mat Latos) to buzz him and make him uncomfortable. That’s what happened. Nobody hit him. Then he hit our guy.
"What he was talking about was something that he said and did a few years. You got to ask him what that was. You got a lot people involved in the situation that didn’t need to be involved in the situation. It didn’t come from there.
"Go ask him since he made it public. Understand what I’m saying. I’ll let it rest at that since he’s such a big man running his mouth talking about himself."
"They’ve been trying to do this [stuff] for years, but I always came up with men on base. It’s the first time it came up with no one on base. That’s why I was pointing at him, because I knew why it happened. He shook his finger like he had nothing to do with it. I guess Mat Latos just figured he’d hit me to lead off the fifth inning on his own.”Baker said his finger shake wasn't meant to say he didn't understand -- it's Lowe who didn't understand. Again, from the Enquirer:
“Man, I don’t care,” Baker said. "A lot of people don’t respect me. He don’t respect himself. The word was whatever he did and said probably there was a good chance he was drinking at the ballpark and he don’t remember what he said or what he did. OK.Thursday afternoon's game should be interesting. The two teams meet again next week, with Lowe on track to start Monday's series-opener in Cleveland. It's too bad there's that pesky DH or we might really see some fireworks.
“When he said I shook my finger at him to say I didn’t have nothing to do with it. It wasn’t to say I didn’t have anything to do with it. It was to say: Don’t mess with me or my team. That’s what that means. He better learn sign language. OK.
“I’m done with it.”
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