While the brutality of the sport may never be on par with the NFL or NHL, the physical altercations and grievances that occur over the course of a 162 game season are always plentiful and at times… inevitable. We all know the drill. The rising tensions of the game, combine with variables such as showboating and a defining thirst for retaliation conspire to reach a boiling point. In most cases, this occurs at the batters expense by way of a hit by pitch or brushback pitch.

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At this point things can go one of two ways:

1. The situation is quickly diffused by the umpires and a few wise and intelligent peacemakers. Maybe the benches empty, but for the most part nothing more than a handful of scornful looks, a few shoves, and maybe a word or two about each others mothers are exchanged. Before long, order is restored and a sense of normalcy returns as the focus returns to baseball.

Or

2.  All hell breaks loose. The mound is charged, punches are thrown, players become indecipherable as the scrum grows, and the family atmosphere of a baseball game promptly dissipates into thin air. As something more akin to a Royal Rumble transpires on the field, attempts to separate and remove the most volatile of the combatants ensue as a rivalry is birthed or amplified.

Following last weeks Dodgers-Diamondbacks melee, I initiated a long exhaustive search into the the dark recesses of my memory bank for similar situations involving the Athletics. While I could vaguely recall a few select episodes from my youth, I realized that current incarnations of the A’s have often avoided such unfortunate game delays. Although there have been minor qualms such as last Thursday’s in-game accusation of Robinson Cano stealing signs by Derek Norris, and last seasons ruffling of Yankee feathers by the “Once Clap” dugout chant led by Jonny Gomes. These isolated events have not led to fisticuffs, and I couldn’t be more thankful.

As any Oakland supporter will tell you, a large key to the recent success has been spurred by the relative good health of the ball club. The last thing the Athletics need would be to lose a key player to injury in a pointless brawl, or to suspension in the days to follow. For now, I hope that the day never comes that Grant Balfour and company feel the need to storm the field in an exchange of blows with another team. For as entertaining as that may be, it will be no substitute to defeating a team the old fashioned way. By winning the game.

For those hungry for an A’s flashback and a good old fashion brawl; please feast your eyes on this relic from the archives. During a game between the A’s and Angels in May of 1995, things got a bit testy when the immortal Jim Corsi hit Tim Salmon with a pitch. Former Angel and current A’s hitting coach Chili Davis took offense and the situation quickly escalated to a full-scale brouhaha of impressive levels. Please make note of Tony La Russa giving the “crazy eyes” to Chuck Finley. Ahhh, the 90′s such simpler times.

Granted, the 2009-2011 editions of the Athletics weren’t exactly anything to write home about. The Yankees have continuously overwhelmed, and outplayed our East Bay heroes. It hasn’t been fair, really. While the A’s trotted out band-aids such as Adam Kennedy and Lenny DiNardo, the Yankees have composed a veritable All-Star team season after season. With that established, the 2013 version of the Bronx Bombers doesn’t quite hold the same fear factor at the present moment.

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I suppose the argument could be made that they’re still an All-Star team. With a middle of the line-up highlighted by Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, and Ichiro Suzuki; one would be impressed if the year were still 2006. However, the 2013 Yankees appear to be biding their time milking what they can out of the former stars and waiting for nearly 95 million dollars of their injured payroll (Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez) to return in the future. At a record of 18-12, manager Joe Girardi has impressively held his team together during the early portion of the season and it would not at all be surprising to see them playing in October, once again.

Until then, Girardi is playing cut and paste with his roster of marginal players and past-their-prime sluggers. Nevertheless, the Yankees are the Yankees. To avoid falling to the pratfalls of intimidation, and the history of classic failures from last season extra-inning home run bonanza, to the playoffs failures of 2000 and 2001 is huge even at the fledgeling stage of the 2013 season. As Frank Sinatra’s ”New York, New York” played on cue after the recording of the final out, as it does during every Yankee Stadium home game, it signified the A’s had made a successful escape from New York. With Sinatra’s ode to the greatest city on earth ringing hollow through the depressingly empty stadium, the A’s can finally relax and maybe even catch some much deserved sleep on the flight to Cleveland.

Believe it or not, there was time when I respected the Angels. More specifically, I admired their large collection of homegrown players such as Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds, and Gary DiSarcina amongst others. I was never a fan, but I was an enthusiast of  the composition of their team and rooted for them by default during the 2002 World Series.

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Still, there were many details about our neighbors to the south that annoyed me to no end. These issues, would only expand in the years to follow. At the very heart of my indignation lies the head of the Angels, Manager Mike Scioscia. Now, I really don’t recall much of his career as a player. I was much too young during his heyday, to recall much more than bits and pieces from his performance in the 1988 World Series. My perception of him was largely based off his cartoon guest spot on the softball episode of The Simpsons, and the infamous clip of Norm Charlton brutally colliding with him on a play at the plate.

As a manager, I simply abhor him. Since taking the helm of the good ship Anaheim in 2000, Scioscia has led his club to a 1,157-956 record and has twice been named AL Manager of the Year. With a winning record, and an impressive resume under his belt it’s hard to argue against his proven success. However, his very presence and egregious antics in the opposing dugout has drawn my ire on a number of occasions.  From his constant sniveling over balls and strikes, to his excessive challenges of close plays in the field; he has become simply intolerable.

But I digress. Much of my distaste for the ballclub comes from the long-lasting bitter taste left in my mouth, from watching the Angels celebrate a postseason berth on the Coliseum field during back-to-back seasons in ’04 and ’05. 2004 in particular was incredibly painful, as a late-inning bullpen collapse in game 161 essentially gifted them the Division title. It’s because of this game that I still have nightmares of Darin Erstad rocketing a game-tying double off of Ricardo Rincon, and subsequent Anderson RBI single off of Octavio Dotel that would prove to be the game winner.

The 2013 Angels are a high-profile, high-payroll team whom entered the season on a quest to return to postseason play. In their way, our are very own Oakland Athletics who shall resume the role of David in the battle against Goliath. The early season woes of the Angels, have A’s fans pointing fingers and laughing at the bullpen mishaps and offensive struggles of superstar addition Josh Hamilton. With so much of the season left to play, you’ll have to understand if I remain weary of the potential powerhouse that resides in our division. You see, I’ve always had my share of trouble with Angels.