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ctipton Offline
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Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Updated: October 8, 2011, 10:55 PM ET
Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter

Associated Press

MILWAUKEE -- In a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse filled with oversized personalities, the first shot at the rival St. Louis Cardinals going into Game 1 of the NL championship series came from a surprising source: Starting pitcher Zack Greinke, whose bout with social anxiety disorder typically makes him one of the least likely players to pop off.

Speaking to reporters at Miller Park on Saturday, Greinke said some of his Brewers teammates don't like Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter when he shouts at batters from the mound.

"They think his presence, his attitude out there sometimes is like a phony attitude," Greinke said. "And then he yells at people. He just stares people down and stuff. And most pitchers just don't do that. And when guys do, I guess some hitters get mad. Some hitters do it to pitchers. But when you do that some people will get mad.

"There's other pitchers in the league that do it, but, I don't know," Greinke said, "a lot of guys on our team don't like Carpenter."

The NL Central champion Brewers send Greinke to the mound for the series opener against the wild-card Cardinals and lefty Jaime Garcia on Sunday. With a World Series trip on the line in a rematch of the 1982 Series, an already-simmering rivalry could reach a new level of intensity.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa vigorously defended Carpenter, saying he was "very disappointed" with Greinke. La Russa said any team in the league, including the Brewers, would be happy to have Carpenter on their staff.

"That's a bad comment to make unless you know Chris Carpenter," La Russa said. "Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don't like what's happening on the other side, we don't make a -- it's not our business, unless somebody crosses the line. So I think the Brewers should take care of their players."

While it was surprising to hear Greinke talk openly about his teammates' disdain for Carpenter on the eve of one of the biggest weeks in Brewers history, the sentiment itself isn't shocking.

Milwaukee's rabble-rousing center fielder, Nyjer Morgan, got in a heated confrontation with Carpenter late in the regular season.



They think his presence, his attitude out there sometimes is like a phony attitude. And then he yells at people. He just stares people down and stuff. And most pitchers just don't do that.

-- Zack Greinke on Chris Carpenter

Not just foes on the field and in the division, the Cardinals and Brewers are a study in contrasting approaches to the game. The Cardinals aren't prone to over-the-top celebrations, and don't particularly like it when the Brewers do so.

"Sometimes, that exuberance can spill over into a realm that I don't feel is appropriate," Lance Berkman said of the Brewers. "But I'm not the czar of baseball, either. So that's all I can say about it."

Brewers players make their "beast mode" celebration gesture after any significant play, talking big and -- so far, at least -- backing it up. Milwaukee finished six games ahead of the second-place Cardinals this year.

"They're more of an old-school (team) and we're kind of a new school," Corey Hart said. "We're exciting and high energy. To be honest about it, that's why we probably clash a little bit because of the differences. But I feel we both respect each other. They respect us and we respect them. You can't let the differences get in the way of the fact that both teams are pretty good."

Carpenter spoke to reporters before Greinke made his comments, and downplayed any suggestion that the two teams don't like each other.

"I don't think that's a fact," Carpenter said. "I think we have great respect for them. I hope they have the same for us."

But there have been several flashpoints between the Brewers and Cardinals throughout the season, and Carpenter was squarely in the middle of perhaps the most intense moment.

In a Sept. 7 game at St. Louis, Morgan struck out and he and Carpenter swore at each other. Albert Pujols got in the middle as the benches emptied.

No punches were thrown, but Morgan later posted messages on his Twitter account saying he hoped "those crying birds" would enjoy watching the Brewers in the playoffs. He referred to Pujols as "Alberta."

Asked if he regretted the Twitter insults, Morgan acknowledged that he -- and his self-created alter ego, "Tony Plush" -- probably should have kept his comments to himself.

"Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have said it," Morgan said. "But it is what it is."

Morgan said he didn't think any "foolishness" would spill over into the NLCS with so much on the line -- and figured the story lines between the two teams would simply drum up more interest in the series.

"Honestly, it's good for baseball," Morgan said. "Going out there, all the stuff that's going on, people are going to view the game a little bit more. Thanks to Plush, the TV ratings are going to go up a little higher."

Pujols didn't want to revisit the dustup.

"Can you guys talk about the game, about the series, and not bring up stuff that happened two months ago?" he said. "Come on."

But that wasn't the only flare-up between the Brewers and Cardinals this season.

During an early August series in Milwaukee, the Cardinals complained about electronic signs in Miller Park, saying they were distracting to players. Pujols and Ryan Braun both were hit by pitches. La Russa also complained about heckling, saying one fan yelled that he hoped the manager got shingles again.

"They play hard," La Russa said Saturday, asked about the tension between the teams. "We play hard. We're both interested in the outcome and sometimes sparks fly."

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said he isn't concerned about his players letting their emotions get the best of them.

"We have a good team to play," Roenicke said. "We know that. We just have to make sure we're ready to do what we do best."

And Berkman, who spent most of his career in Houston, acknowledged that even he had a negative perception of the Cardinals before he played for them.

"I looked at the Cardinals as the Darth Vader of the NL Central, a foe to be vanquished," Berkman said. "They used to irritate me. Part of that is because when you're the team to beat, you're going to engender some of that animosity from the opposition."

http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2011/sto...-carpenter
 
10-08-2011 11:45 PM
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Post: #2
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
I can't imagine how Carpenter is going to explain this to his son.
 
10-08-2011 11:50 PM
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ctipton Offline
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
No shortage of drama in NLCS
Recent friction between Cardinals and Brewers could cause series to heat up fast


Updated: October 8, 2011, 9:58 PM ET

By Wayne Drehs

MILWAUKEE -- Perhaps the worst-kept secret among baseball fans in the Midwest is the bubbling cauldron of dislike between the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals. The bitter NL Central rivals split 18 head-to-head games this year and had a series of well-documented dustups -- or "drama" as Ryan Braun calls it.

But on the day before Game 1 of National League Championship Series, you expected everyone to be on their best behavior. You figured the coaches and players would downplay the animosity between these two teams, drop the word "respect" as much as "the" and insist that everything that happened in the past would stay in the past.

And you'd be wrong.

Welcome to the NLCS, where the two teams vying for a trip to the World Series throw not only baseballs at each other but also chewing tobacco. Where one player referred to the greatest hitter in the game as "she." Where managers have complained about cheating and mind games. And where the dislike doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

[Image: mlb_a_grenkie11_600.jpg]
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Zack Greinke lobbed a few shots at the Cardinals before Game 1, mostly at St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter.

"We don't like each other," said Brewers outfielder Corey Hart.

"There's a definite dislike," agreed Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman.

Although the TV networks might be a bit bummed about a final four without the Yankees, Red Sox or Phillies, this series won't be short on drama. The fun has already begun, thanks to Game 1 starter Zack Greinke firing the latest shot between the two teams. On the eve of the biggest start of his life, there was Greinke sitting at the front of a media interview room telling reporters that his teammates despise Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, fresh off his mastery of Philadelphia on Friday night.

"They think his presence, his attitude out there sometimes is like a phony attitude," the tell-it-like-it-is Greinke said. "And then he yells at people. He just stares people down and stuff. And most pitchers don't do that. When guys do, I guess some hitters get mad."

When Cardinals manager Tony La Russa later met the media, a reporter read Greinke's comments to the manager and asked him to respond.

"I'm very disappointed," La Russa said. "I just praised him a little bit ago. I always thought he was a high character, classy guy."

La Russa went on.

"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves," he said. "I think the Brewers should take care of their players and their comments and not be concerned about other players and comments. I'm disappointed. If you knew him, none of that stuff is true. He doesn't give bull----. He doesn't take it. That's the way it's supposed to be."

Of course, it was La Russa who offered his opinion on Milwaukee's Nyjer Morgan after a Sept. 7 dustup with Carpenter, saying "I hope he gets a clue. And he's probably going to get upset that I give advice, but if it's the truth, it's the truth. He can be the player he is without instigating."

The La Russa-led Cardinals have long been the class of the NL Central. Their on-field success has made them one of the most disliked teams in the league. Even Berkman, the longtime Houston Astro, admitted, "I looked at the Cardinals as the Darth Vader of the NL Central. A foe to be vanquished."

The emergence of the Brewers as a challenger to the Cardinals has stoked the rivalry between these two. At the heart of the issue is a clash of styles. The Brewers are new school. They play with a high level of exuberance and energy. They make their "beast mode" hand gesture every time a player reaches base. They have fun and play with swagger. It's a style a teenager would appreciate.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, are old school. There are no antics. No screaming and yelling. No hand gestures. If you hit one of their guys, they're going to hit one of your guys. They play the game with a style that grandparents like.

Put it together and you have oil and water.

"If a guy is making a flamingo dance at me after he strikes me out, that's akin to hitting a home run and backpedaling to first base," Berkman said. "Just act like you've done it before.

"When I first came into the big leagues, nobody cared what their walk-up song was. Until this year I had never picked a walk-up song. It's just stuff like that. Everybody resists change. I'm sure the guys from the '70s say the same thing about us. It's just … sometimes the demonstrations that happen on the field by them are rankling."

Milwaukee's Jerry Hairston Jr. said the expressiveness is the only way the Brewers know how to play.

"I know we can be exuberant, but we tried toning it down and we lost 3-4 games in a row," he said. "We can't play like that. We have to have fun. We have to play with a lot of energy. We really mean no disrespect to anybody. We just have to play that way to be loose and to win."

[Image: mlb_u_brew_cards_b1_600.jpg]
Jeff Curry/US Presswire
Nyjer Morgan and the Cardinals don't get along. After this Sept. 7 "exchange," he referred to Albert Pujols as "she" on Twitter.

So what are the chances that the bad blood might spill over during the series?

"If everybody behaves themselves and we just play baseball, we'll be fine," Berkman said.

Is that likely?

"As far as I'm concerned it is," he said. "I can only control me. I'm not doing anything to incite any ill will from the other side. I'll tell you that."

It won't take much. Tempers flew between the two teams in August when Milwaukee's Takashi Saito hit Albert Pujols in the wrist and St. Louis closer Jason Motte retaliated by plunking Braun. After the game, an agitated La Russa defended the move, saying the pitch that hit Pujols was "scary" because it struck the same wrist the first baseman fractured earlier in the season. He referred to Milwaukee fans as "idiots" after one yelled that he wished La Russa's shingles would return.

The 67-year-old manager battled the disease for two months earlier this season, missing six games.

"That's what all these idiots up there -- not idiots, fans -- are yelling," La Russa said at the time. "I don't want to even hear about Braun getting a little pop in the back when we almost lose [Pujols] in several ways."

La Russa also complained to Major League Baseball that the Brewers scoreboard lighting seemed brighter when Milwaukee was batting. He criticized Milwaukee for stealing signs and chirped that LaTroy Hawkins was quick-pitching.

The bad blood carried over to the last game the two teams played, when Morgan threw his chewing tobacco toward Carpenter after striking out. That prompted Pujols to walk in from first base and say a few choice words to Morgan.

Afterward, Morgan took his frustrations to Twitter, referring to Pujols as "Alberta" and "she" while making a crack about St. Louis' slim postseason chances.

"Where still n 1st and I hope those crying birds injoy watching tha Crew in tha Playoffs!!!" Morgan wrote. "Alberta couldn't see Plush if she had her gloves on!!! Wat was she thinking running afta Plush!!! She never been n tha ring!!!"

Now the Cardinals get the chance for the last laugh. On Saturday, Morgan refused to apologize for his tweets, going as far as to suggest the Cardinals should thank him for providing some needed inspiration.

"I'm glad I was able to fuel their fire," he said.

Hairston then did his best to save his teammate.

"He didn't say the Cardinals wouldn't be in the playoffs. He said they'd be watching us," he said. "Now they'll be watching us from across the dugout. They'll have a great view."

Braun saw all of this coming. When the Brewers left St. Louis on Sept. 7, the Cardinals were 7½ games behind Atlanta in the wild-card race with 19 games to play. They were all but finished. Yet the Brewers left fielder said he knew his team was going to St. Louis again before the year was over.

"They're a good team, and I knew they'd find a way in and we'd match up with them again," he said.

They did. And here they are. The battle is about to begin.

"Anytime you play a team with that sort of friction, it makes for excitement," Hart said. "With that extra intense little thing between us, trust me, this is going to be fun."

Wayne Drehs is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn.com. Follow Wayne on Twitter @espnWD.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2011/sto...ewers-nlcs
 
10-08-2011 11:51 PM
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Bearcatbdub Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
I hate Chris Carpenter, too. Can't say I really like the Brewers, either. Is there a way they could both lose?
 
10-09-2011 08:13 AM
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beck Offline
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Post: #5
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
I agree, they seem like two teams full of A holes. I was amazed at the amount of hotdogging the Brewers were doing during the game Friday night, posing for the camera, yelling, making agonizing expressions etc.

The Cardinals are darma queens and the Breweres seem like a bunch of jackasses.

Milwaukee's Jerry Hairston Jr. said the expressiveness is the only way the Brewers know how to play-yeah, unh hunh.

They have fun and play with swagger-act like you have been there before.

"Where still n 1st and I hope those crying birds injoy watching tha Crew in tha Playoffs!!!" Morgan wrote. "Alberta couldn't see Plush if she had her gloves on!!! Wat was she thinking running afta Plush!!! She never been n tha ring!!!"

Nyjer Morgan's alter ego Tony Plush-what an inspiration. a hole
 
(This post was last modified: 10-09-2011 08:55 AM by beck.)
10-09-2011 08:55 AM
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Coopdaddy67 Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
It's a no-brainer for me, I want the Cardinals to go down in flames.
 
10-09-2011 12:30 PM
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Post: #7
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
(10-09-2011 08:13 AM)Bearcatbdub Wrote:  I hate Chris Carpenter, too. Can't say I really like the Brewers, either. Is there a way they could both lose?

No team takes on the personality of their manager/coach quite like the Cardinals. And by that i mean they are a bunch of insanely whiney *******.
 
10-09-2011 12:33 PM
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JackieTreehorn Offline
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Gotta admit that I haven't watched a single pitch of post season play so far and with these four finalists, don't plan on starting now.
 
10-09-2011 02:23 PM
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BearChatter v2.0 Offline
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Post: #9
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Cardinals compose the biggest group of a$$holes maybe ever assembled in mlb, outside of the Yankees yearly teams of course.
 
10-09-2011 03:19 PM
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Bearhawkeye Offline
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Post: #10
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Interesting to see these two in the NLCS after all the talk earlier in the season about how bad the NL Central was. Just shows again that anything can happen when you get to the playoffs. Put me in the "dislike the Cardinals more than I dislike the Brewers" camp. Go Brewers!
 
10-09-2011 04:55 PM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
On another site, I picked the Brewers to win the Central because of last offseason's moves. I just hope they take down the Cards in the playoffs.
 
10-09-2011 05:01 PM
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Post: #12
RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
(10-09-2011 02:23 PM)JackieTreehorn Wrote:  Gotta admit that I haven't watched a single pitch of post season play so far and with these four finalists, don't plan on starting now.

Same here.

Re: "Tony Plush," if you ever want to heckle him at a game or on Twitter, tell him his hat or his pants are too big for him. He goes apeshit every time.
 
10-09-2011 06:46 PM
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ctipton Offline
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder help Brewers bash Cardinals for NLCS Game 1 win

MILWAUKEE -- The barbs already were flying. Come Sunday, the Milwaukee Brewers bashed the St. Louis Cardinals with their bats.

Needing a rally in the NL championship series opener, Milwaukee turned to its power duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, then got a key hit from Yuniesky Betancourt to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-6.

Braun launched a two-run, 463-foot homer in the first inning and added a two-run double during a six-run burst in the fifth. Fielder hit a two-run homer and the typically light-hitting Betancourt added a two-run homer to cap the big comeback.

At least for one game, the bitter rivals avoided any on-field confrontations in their first postseason matchup since the 1982 World Series.

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=311009108
 
10-09-2011 06:53 PM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
1-0 Brewers. How is Carpenter going to explain that to his son?
 
10-09-2011 07:06 PM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Tonight's game isn't enjoyable. Get it together, Brew Crew.
 
10-10-2011 08:25 PM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Carpenter is a douche, I am waiting for the day he mouths off to the wrong guy and somebody knocks his teeth out on the field.
 
10-11-2011 07:49 PM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
(10-11-2011 07:49 PM)Kenyon#4 Wrote:  Carpenter is a ******, I am waiting for the day he mouths off to the wrong guy and somebody knocks his teeth out on the field.

It sucks that Cueto kicked LaRue instead of Carpenter that would have been amazing. But there is still time I suppose.
 
10-11-2011 10:38 PM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Let's hope the Brew Crew bashes Carpenter's pitching tonight. Would love to see him be the reason they lose.
 
10-12-2011 09:59 AM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Cardinals 4, Brewers 3

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols hit an RBI double during a four-run first inning and the St. Louis bullpen bailed out Chris Carpenter as the Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 Wednesday night for a 2-1 edge in the NL championship series.

In a matchup of aces, neither Carpenter nor 17-game Yovani Gallardo made it past the fifth. The one-run lead Carpenter handed over was just enough, as four relievers combined for four perfect innings.

Kyle Lohse, pitching on 12 days' rest, starts Game 4 Thursday for the wild-card Cardinals against Randy Wolf.

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=311012124
 
10-12-2011 10:36 PM
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RE: Zack Greinke calls out Chris Carpenter
Not enough Cardinals love on here. Sorry guys, Go Cardinals!
 
10-13-2011 07:09 AM
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