Temper, Temper: Sports Tantrums of Winter

Winter is over.  It was a cold three months for much of the country.  But, as usual, the tempers in the sports world were as hot as ever. Last winter, the sports world treated us to a playoff hockey brawl, an NBA feud and a bizarre bowling celebration.  This year, we have another good mix of sports.  Without further ado, I present the Sports Tantrums of Winter.



1.  Tennis Tirade.  Whenever I am afraid I'll have a shortage of videos for this column, I can always count on tennis to supply some material.  The Australian Open got underway in January.  In one of the early rounds, Jerzy Janowicz comes unhinged after a call goes against him in the first set.

2.  I Beg to Differ.  The NFC Championship game between the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers was one of the all time great games.  And, in that game, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh gave us one of the great overreactions of all time.  In a key moment in the game, the referees failed to overturn a catch by the Falcons Harry Douglas.  Jim Harbaugh disagreed with that ruling.  Due to the NFL's draconian rules about publishing videos, there is no YouTube link available for this.  So, follow the link.  You won't regret it.  Harbaugh meltdown.

3.  Ugly Moment in the Beautiful Game.  On January 23, 2013, Chelsea took to the pitch at Swansea City in a Capitol One Cup match.  Chelsea was trailing by two goals late in the game when the ball went out of bounds.  Chelsea's Eden Hazard attempted to inbound the ball.  What happened next was truly bizarre.  It should be noted that the ball boy involved was the 17 year-old son of the director of Swansea City.  It should also be noted that said ball boy tweeted earlier in the day about his intentions to use his position to waste time.  Keep in mind, soccer is a sport with a running clock.  Hazard received a red card, which carries with it an automatic 3-game suspension, for his actions.

4.  Out Cold on the Ice.  Once the NHL lockout ended, I was pretty certain we would have a hockey fight in the Winter edition of Temper, Temper.  This fight between David Dziurzynski and Frazer McLaren takes place just 26 seconds into the game between the Senators and the Leafs in Toronto on March 6, 2013.  This is one of the cleanest knockouts you will ever see.

5. Basebrawl.  The World Baseball Classic is supposed to be an international celebration of the summer past time of baseball.  When Mexico and Canada squared off in pool play on March 9, 2013, they were not in a celebratory mood.  The whole thing gets started because the Mexicans felt the Canadians violated one of baseball's unwritten rules by bunting late in a lopsided game.  In retaliation, the Mexican pitcher hit the Canadian batter.  And then it was on.  This fight features haymakers and body slams and ends with a confrontation between the Canadian players and Mexican fans.  Good thing that the United States is situated between these two countries or else we might see the military version of chin music coming up in the next few weeks.

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