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Chattanooga: Lookouts, Stars feud still boiling

By: David Paschall
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Tempers remained hot Sunday following Saturday night’s dugout-clearing brawl between the Chattanooga Lookouts and Huntsville Stars at AT&T Field.

“I think what Huntsville’s pitchers did was chicken, if you want to know the truth,” Lookouts manager Mike Goff said. “They did that earlier in the series, and they did it again last night when they smoked Tonys Gutierrez. We let it slide the first time, but I thought the whole thing was chicken on their part.”

Goff was ejected, as were four Lookouts players and four Stars players. The full-scale fracas, which occurred in the fifth inning and delayed Chattanooga’s eventual 13-3 win by 30 minutes, was the first in AT&T’s nine-year history and the first Frank Burke had experienced in 14 seasons as Lookouts owner.

Burke spoke with Southern League president Don Mincher late Saturday night and learned there will be numerous fines and several suspensions. The penalties could be announced later this week.

“That situation was allowed to get out of hand by everyone involved,” Burke said. “When a guy is throwing a baseball at you, he’s trying to hurt you, and he can screw up your entire career. That’s going to get out of hand if not controlled properly, and I hate the fact it went where it did.”

Saturday’s troubles began in the bottom of the fourth inning when Huntsville relief pitcher Patrick Ryan hit Gutierrez in the knee. Gutierrez had launched a grand slam off Stars starter Donovan Hand in the second to give the Lookouts an 8-2 lead, and Ryan had just allowed a solo shot to Danny Dorn before throwing at Gutierrez.

Ryan was up first against Lookouts starter Sam LeCure in the top of the fifth, and LeCure threw inside several times before allowing a walk. Michael Brantley was up next and, after dodging two inside pitches, lifted his bat at LeCure and walked toward the mound.

Lookouts catcher Craig Tatum pounced on Brantley, and the dugouts emptied.

“I thought the umpires handled it terribly,” Goff said. “There should have been a warning thrown out there. It was no choice from our side but to react, and that’s what we did.”

Huntsville manager Don Money called Tatum’s attack of Brantley a “cheap shot” and also took issue with Goff and LeCure.

“For a manager to be out there throwing punches — you’re not supposed to do that,” Money said. “The thing I disliked about the whole thing was the amount of pitches they threw at our players. That’s what I don’t agree with.

“If you have to do your business, go ahead and do it, but don’t go out there and take five, six or seven pitches to do it.”

Money was planning to talk with Mincher about Goff’s role in the fight. Goff was quick to join in the chaos but disputed any accounts of going on the offensive.

“There were five guys out there on Tatum, and I grabbed Brantley’s shirt and pulled his shirt off,” Goff said. “I got smoked a few times, but I wasn’t throwing any punches.”

When asked about Money’s comments, Goff said, “Let him run his mouth all he wants to. We’re going to play those guys again. I thought it was chicken what his pitchers did, and you can tell him I said that.”

The Lookouts and Stars are scheduled to meet again Aug. 12-16 at Huntsville’s Joe Davis Stadium and close out the regular season at AT&T Aug. 28-Sept. 1. Several Lookouts and Stars will be North Division teammates tonight when the league holds its annual all-star game in Zebulon, N.C.

Pitcher Ben Jukich, reliever Robert Manuel and third baseman Eric Eymann, none of whom were ejected Saturday night, are representing the Lookouts. The Stars will have three participants tonight who were ejected, Brantley, catcher Angel Salome and pitcher David Welch, as well as Ryan.

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