Nationals Fight

I'm sure many people saw the fight a few days ago between Jonathan Papelbon and his teammate Bryce Harper. If you haven't seen the video, it is posted down below. It's not many times you see to players from the same team fighting, and both of them were suspended. My question is, who's fault is this, Bryce's, Jonathan's, or the coaches.

First, this was absolutely not Bryce Harper's fault. Many blame it on him because he was calling Jonathan to "come at him", so he was literally asking for it. But you'd think by now that Jonathan is old enough and experienced enough to deal with these situations professionally, and it's never okay to hurt someone like that, so it seems unfair to put the burden on Bryce Harper's shoulders.




Would it be fair to put the blame on Jonathan Papelbon? I think no doubt. For starters, he freaking choked the guy. I mean, are you kidding me? A fight's one thing, but choking is a whole other level, a level that should never be crossed. Now, I know Jon's been known to be quite the hothead, and Bryce is no doubt a hothead himself, so the fact that they don't get along makes sense. But still, Jon should've known what to do that would be professional. I'm not saying it was right of Bryce Harper to taunt, but Jon should've taken better action then choking a guy helping your team win. Jonathan has been way under par, and has blown more than a couple saves ultimately leading to them lower in the division. Meanwhile, Bryce Harper is my pick for the MVP, and has really been about as good as you can possibly be. The fact that Jonathan Papelbon would have the audacity to question Bryce Harper's effort that lead to the fight is totally unnecessary.


Finally, how much of the fight was on the Nationals manager, Matt Williams? I think partially. He was in the area where the fight took place, and should've at least SAID something. I can't put too much of it on him though. What I do think he needs to do is release John. Your team still has a chance to be in the playoffs. You need to realize that not only is he ruining the Nat's chemistry, but has also seriously underperformed. You can't trade him since it's too late in the year, so your options are limited. Hopefully you can see my logic. Sure, it's not the prime idea, but I think you need to get this guy off your team or wait until next year for a playoff berth. Because right now, Bryce and John cannot be in the same dugout.