Brawl in pictures

I can't condone Shelley Duncan going in spikes high. Duncan claimed he was playing hard and that there was no malicious intent. However, he supposedly was out by at least five feet and still went in hard. He wasn't trying to break up a double play here. Everyone knows there was intent to make a statement.

Duncan was trying to stand up for his fallen teammate, but he went about it the wrong way. While I like that the team is showing heart, you don't try to intentionally injure someone.

Akinori Iwamura has a cut on his thigh from Duncan's spikes. Jonny Gomes returned the favor by running in from right field to tackle Duncan.

Quotes from Bryan Hoch:

Jorge Posada:"If [Phillips] wanted to hit [Longoria], he would have hit him. You don't throw at somebody with runners on first and third."

Gomes: "I just think [Duncan] tried to inflict pain on Aki. That just comes second nature. 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 [Duncan] know that's not going to fly."

Duncan: "I made a hard slide into [Iwamura's] glove. When I'm out there playing, I like to play hard. In my head, I wasn't thinking about a message. They see me playing hard every day."

I don't think we've heard the last from this. The Yankees play the Rays twice more in the spring, and 18 times during the regular season.

Gomes' explanation is a little shady too. It's a baseball field and there are kids watching, so you tackle him?

(AP Photos/Gene J. Puskar)