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We've all been there. We've all been to the point where we're so frustrated with a co-worker that it takes just about everything — logic, restraint, simple fear of losing a paycheck — to not lash out and put that nag in his place. Maybe some of you are right there now, just about ready to go cubicle crazy on someone, but are trying to settle down by reading the calming influence that is the Stew. Not a bad idea.

Except for today, that is. In the wake of Houston's Shawn Chacon going all Latrell Sprewell on general manager Ed Wade, (who were teammates, in a sense) I've compiled baseball's top 10 teammate fights that either immediately came to mind or through an Internet search. (Read: I may have missed some.) While many of us would instantly lose our jobs and face possible criminal charges for attacking a co-worker, fights between teammates are far more permissible.

"Boys will boys," they explain.

"It's the competition and heat of battle," they add.

Whatever it is, it often gets out of hand. And since we live in the day of 24/7 cameras and media members that don't hide fights as agreeably as they might have used to, there have lately been plenty of fights to choose from. Follow the jump for our ranking, which is sprinkled with a few oldies-but-goodies, too.

Plus, if you remember a fight that didn't make the list, leave it in the comments below. (For a view of the 10 best teammate fights across all sports, click here.)

10. Mitch Meluskey vs. Matt Mieske, Astros — June 11, 2000

Don't remember either of these guys playing in the Major Leagues? Don't worry ... neither do I. But according to the proverbial "witnesses", Meluskey was late for his turn in the batting cage when he jumped the line in front of Mieske, who didn't take kindly to the shortcut. The altercation escalated with Meluskey punching Mieske in front of several hundred fans in San Diego. "It's something I feel bad about," Meluskey said after the game. "There's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to sit down and talk to him about it. It's between teammates." Isn't it always?

9. Manny Ramirez vs. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox June 5, 2008

Coming just a few innings after the Coco Crisp-James Shield throwdown, Ramirez's swipe at Youkilis in the dugout didn't get as much attention as it normally would have. Ramirez says the incident is behind both of them, but the root of the fight still remains unclear. Theories range from a disagreement over dugout eating habits to Ramirez being upset over Youkilis' habit of throwing helmets and bats after bad plate appearances. They sure look like good buds in that photo to the right, though.

8. Ned Yost vs. Johnny Estrada, Brewers Aug. 2, 2007

With his team's boat losing water in the NL Central race, Brewers manager Ned Yost got into a disagreement in the tunnel with catcher Johnny Estrada and had to be separated by a few members of the Crew. The incident happened during a 12-3 loss to the Mets, the team's 10th in 14 games, and while many believed Yost "staged" the fight to mimic Lou Piniella's on-field tirade earlier in the year, it didn't have a similar effect in spurring on his team. The Brewers would go onto  miss the playoffs, though the stunt did not cost Yost his job.

7. Matt Garza vs. Dioner Navarro, Rays — June 8, 2008

Pitchers and catchers are the two on-field players that communicate the most, so it only stands to reason there's going to be a fair share of tussles between the two. Three battery fights make this list, starting with the recent Garza-Navarro tussle, which started with a heated argument on the mound, and then came to a head in the dugout. 

6. John Buck vs. Runelvys Hernandez, Royals — Sept 12, 2006

Hernandez insisted this fight, which happened just after he struck out a batter and during a Kansas City win, did not take place. "Nothing happened,” Hernandez said. “Everything’s cool." Only problem with that argument? The fistfight with Buck, also his catcher, took place in full view of television cameras. “It’s September and there was some sort of misunderstanding,” Royals manager Buddy Bell said at the time.

5. Elmer Flick vs. Nap Lajoie, Phillies — May 31, 1900

The only fight on our list that involves two Hall of Famers, Flick and Lajoie's scrap is a point of contention among baseball historians. While some insist that it came of the fact that neither liked the other, there's a differing viewpoint that it started as an argument over clothes. As The Baseball Page puts it, "Lajoie took offense to a remark Flick made concerning Lajoie's appearance. Flick was a snappy dresser and Lajoie, though he was a superstar, was often jabbed at by teammates for his sloppy attire.*" Lajoie broke his hand with his shot to Flick's jaw, causing him to miss five weeks and the Phillies to drop out of first place, missing out on the pennant.

*Interesting sidenote: In 1900, "sloppy attire" most likely meant not wearing a wool vest on a 95 degree day.

4. Shawn Chacon vs. Ed Wade, Astros — June 25, 2008

This is obviously the most recent, but it will remain ranked so highly for two reasons.

1) You can fight all the teammates you want, but when you fight the general manager, the guy who controls the purse strings and future contracts, that's generally not a good idea. There's no way you're going to avoid suspension and it'd be surprising if anyone ever signs Chacon again.

2) This surreal quote, from Chacon: "So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him. Words were exchanged.” Can you imagine coming home from work one day and your husband or wife asking how things went with your boss at work and then coming back with the same explanation? 

"Words were exchanged, honey."

3. Michael Barrett vs. Carlos Zambrano, Cubs — June 1, 2007

Most baseball fights are broken up quickly by teammates and coaches. The scrape between temper-driven batterymates Barrett and Zambrano (video), though, continued onto the clubhouse, where Zambrano landed a punch(es) that left Barrett with a Scott Farkus-style shiner and a hospital visit that required six stitches. While both players went in front of the media the next morning and claimed all was calm, the issue was never fully resolved. Barrett was traded to San Diego less than three weeks later, while the Cubs wen onto win the NL Central.

2. Barry Bonds vs. Jeff Kent, Giants — June 25, 2002

Hey, what's with June 25? ... The most surprising thing about this fight/shoving match, which took place in front of TV cameras? The fact that Kent said that he and Bonds had fought about "a half-dozen" times before "You expect the competitive adrenaline to be flowing on a good team," Kent said. "Athletes operate on the edge and things like that happen. It's not good and it's not bad. It just happens." Kent was right ... the Giants won the National League that year, though their World Series performance was disappointing to them as the fact that neither landed any good punches was to the rest of us. 

1. Reggie Jackson vs. Billy Martin, Yankees — July 17, 1977

Can't beat the intriguing Bronx is Burning action. With a national audience watching the Yankees play the Red Sox, the tension between Mr. October and The Proudest Yankee finally went the physical route. Upset over Jackson's lack of hustle during a Jim Rice single that turned into a double, Martin pulled Jackson from the game during the next pitching change. The two went nose-to-nose and Martin then tried to get at Jackson on two separate occasions. According to the New York Daily News, Jackson is reported to have said. “You’re an S.O.B. You’re nothing but an old bleep-bleeper … you’re too old. Do you want to fight?”

Said Martin: “I only ask one thing of my players. Hustle. If they hustle for me, they can play for me. I told them in spring training. I had a meeting. I told them you play only one way, to win. You play hard and give your 100% best. If you don’t hustle, I don’t accept it. If a player shows up the club, I show up the player.”

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245 Comments

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  1. First L
    1. Posted by First L Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:01 pm EDT

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    i agree with number 1 obviously but werent there any fights at all during the 20th century? This list is weak n not thought out too well.
  2. lhendrix184
    2. Posted by lhendrix184 Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:50 pm EDT

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    The only reason Barry Bonds got in a fight was because of roid rage!
  3. Saro G
    3. Posted by Saro G Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

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    I still crack up when I see Barrett point to the scoreboard from the dugout, because he just opened Zambrano's Box and got a world of hurt.
  4. Chenbot
    4. Posted by Chenbot Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:56 pm EDT

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    Didn't Youk get mad at Manny because he didn't come out and defend Crisp fast enough?
  5. J Lippa
    5. Posted by J Lippa Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:53 pm EDT

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    Dude John Gibbon/Ted Lilly. Lilly popped him in the face in the tunnel and Gibby came back to the dug out with a bloody lip. How do you miss that one. You have these obscure ones and you miss that. As well you can even throw in the Gibbons & Shea Hillenbrand beef.
  6. Beau S
    6. Posted by Beau S Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:53 pm EDT

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    while it was brief, my favorite is torii hunter (already out for the season), trying to punch justin morneau in 2005. he missed and nailed nick punto instead. too funny
  7. robert w
    7. Posted by robert w Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:57 pm EDT

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    On the Reggie Billie Martin fight you got the date wrong. It was in June 1977, not July 1978. How could you get that wrong?? I happened to see it on TV. It was against Boston in Reggie's first year with the Yankees. Not the second year of his tenure.
  8. Jon Weisman
    8. Posted by Jon Weisman Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:19 pm EDT

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    Lenny Randle of the Rangers fought with manager Frank Lucchesi in 1977. See #10 on this list.
    http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/basebrawl.html
  9. Dirty D
    9. Posted by Dirty D Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:41 pm EDT

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    What about Lou Pinella and Rob Dibble?
  10. joe mama
    10. Posted by joe mama Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:10 pm EDT

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    i hope chacon enjoys selling pre-owned yugos. how big of a moron can someone be?
  11. saucyflossy
    11. Posted by saucyflossy Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:06 pm EDT

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    agreed on missing the Gibbons/Lilly. i thought that'd be in the top 3...
  12. erici
    12. Posted by erici Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:03 pm EDT

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    what about...WHO CARES honestly athletes can't fight unless they fighting athletes ...move on
  13. Anthony
    13. Posted by Anthony Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:00 pm EDT

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    Flick and Lajoie?
    If you wanted to include the Phillies, you should have gone with the 1964 battle between Frank Thomas and Richie Allen. The two got into it over a racial issue and Thomas wound up with a broken thumb, the Phils acquired Vic Power to fill in at first base and subsequently went on to cough up a 6.5 game lead with 10 to play in the most memorable collapse until the Mets meltdown last year.
  14. DSF
    14. Posted by DSF Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:34 pm EDT

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    Agree with DD, Pinella and Dibble is classic. I'm waiting for Pinella vs. Zambrano if/when the Cubs start losing alot of games.
  15. Sean C
    15. Posted by Sean C Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:08 pm EDT

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    What about Vince Coleman and the Busch Stadium tarp (teammates, kinda).....guess who won that one??
  16. Gerson D
    16. Posted by Gerson D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:46 pm EDT

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    I noticed that almost sll of these occured in June. Also, didnt Zambrano go like 9-1 after that fight
  17. Ken
    17. Posted by Ken Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:47 pm EDT

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    yayareaproductions, not sure you really know what a punk is, but you certainly fit the descripiton of a catfish. All mouth and no brains.
  18. jconley101
    18. Posted by jconley101 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    wade is a moron anyhow. Good idea going out every year and spending a bunch of money to be well out of the top 3 for the NL Central. Was he the same guy who traded prospects for beltran and randy johnson, only to not sign either one of them at the end of the year?
  19. GMan G
    19. Posted by GMan G Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:31 pm EDT

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    the fight between manny and youkilis was wicked funny
  20. chad j
    20. Posted by chad j Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:26 pm EDT

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    Best fight ever, Carlos Perez vs the Water Cooler
  21. Carl A
    21. Posted by Carl A Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:27 pm EDT

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    How about Cliff Johnson vs Goose Gossage in the showers during the 1979 season? Goosage broke his hand and missed about 6 weeks, costing the Yankees the pennant and Johnson was quickly traded for something like a postage stamp.
  22. tom
    22. Posted by tom Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:15 pm EDT

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    Dude;
    What about Jim Rice picking up little old Joe Morgan by the neck?
  23. conspirosux
    23. Posted by conspirosux Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:00 pm EDT

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    strawberry and keith hernandez!?
  24. MICHAEL ohio
    24. Posted by MICHAEL ohio Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:32 pm EDT

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    spotted the obvious one too, dibble and pinella should have made the cut.
  25. tonyarob
    25. Posted by tonyarob Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:57 pm EDT

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    Don Sutton and Steve Garvey. In August of 1978, Garvey took offense to a comment made by teammate Don Sutton and the two men ended up wrestling their way across the visitors' clubhouse in Shea Stadium. The fight cemented a bitter feud between the two men and it damaged Garvey's reputation in the league.

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