Lets fight!
I'm a huge MLB fan, and the recent spats involved in baseball are nothing new. The Orioles & Red Sox began a recent spat with Manny Machado sliding into base and into Dustin Pedroia. The spat continued as racist abuse was thrown at Orioles' outfielder Adam Jones.
As we all know, these kind of feuds are nothing new in baseball, and have occurred since the sport started in the late 19th century. Over recent years they've received more attention, and perhaps a little more than in previous years. So why is everyone taking them so seriously now?
The early days
The early history of the sport in the 30s and 40s always had consequences if actual fighting broke out but most of the players were never ejected, they were just fined a weeks wages instead.
In the early days a lots of the teams would travel together on the same trains and buses, and often brawls would break out on there too - though last time I took the Amtrak in the US from Pittsburgh-Chicago it was two Pirates fans going at each other!
Of course in the early days only a few thousand of a crowd would see these brawls during the game, but nowadays there are cameras everywhere and millions are watching ever stat on the pitch.
Social media also plays its part too, and I like to monitor Twitter during a game just to see what I've missed on MLB.tv.
Animal instinct will always play a part in this game. These guys have big egos, so if someone chooses to come along and dent it, it can only lead to a tit for tit response, an eye for an eye if you wish. Integrity also plays a big part in these players lives, so if they see an injustice on the pitch they will take action ... and so the future continues on, just like the past.
P.S. And before you ask I'm a Washington Nationals fan!