Ubaldo Jimenez is known for being an intelligent guy, for being well-spoken. In the aftermath of Sunday's incident -- in which he hit former teammate Troy Tulowitzki in the elbow with a fastball before rushing off the mound and seemingly inviting the opportunity for more than just angry words -- Jimenez gave a perfectly worded answer in addressing the question of whether he had aimed his fastball at Tulowitzki.
Defense lawyers all over America would be proud of what he said in explaining his actions, as described in Paul Hoynes' story this morning:
- "It was the first inning and I didn't have good control of my fastball. You guys can see that. I walked the first guy. Tulo is one of the best hitters in the game and you have to try to go inside on him and that's what I tried to do."
- "I was surprised," said Jimenez, when asked about Tulowitzki moving toward him. "I've never had any problem with him. He was calling me things.
- "I'm a man. I try to relax all the time, but if someone calls me out, I've got to go. He was calling me names. He was calling me a chicken. Well, not chicken, but another really aggressive word that I can't say right now.
- "I don't look for trouble, but if you call me out, I'll be there."
In short, Jimenez's version is that he was an innocent bystander before Tulowitzki yelled at him.
The Colorado Rockies aren't buying it, of course; Jim Tracy was furious. The Rockies are expected to request a suspension, writes Troy Renck. It figures that Jimenez will face a suspension of at least five games, which is the minimum required to impact a starting pitcher who participates only once every five days. Commissioner Bud Selig was reportedly at Sunday's game.
