Memorial Tournament Means Chance To Brawl For High School Baseball Teams In Chicago [UPDATED]

The Chicago Sun-Times says what you see in the video above we've been asked to take down because of a copyright claim is what ensued with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning last Friday, when St. Laurence and St. Rita played one another in a tournament named for another player from the Chicago Catholic League who had died three years ago from heart complications.

The fun begins when St. Laurence's Zach Lewis hit a popup that was caught by Rick Faron, whom Lewis proceeds to run right through as Lewis reaches the bag. But there's more to it than that, according to the Sun-Times:

Earlier in the game, St. Rita pitcher Scott Thomas hit Lewis with a pitch—a curveball to the knee in the fifth inning. Lewis used his hand to brush his knee twice, as though waving off a mosquito, on his way to first base. Thomas was visibly angered by the motion and said something to Lewis.

A few batters earlier, St. Laurence's Mike Kornacker had homered off Thomas.

The father of the player for whom the tournament is named was understandably upset:

It's a game. It has nothing to do with literally beating the (crap) out of each other.

He's probably right, though I suppose that depends on one's interpretation of Unwritten Rule No. 26.

Update: The video is copyrighted, and its owner demanded we take it down. Here are some photos of what went down instead:

[ Chicago Sun-Times]