FanHouse Charlie Reliford

How many outs in an inning?

Four, if you need them.

Had the Diamondbacks realized that, they would have allowed the Dodgers one fewer run Sunday. Instead, Los Angeles' Andre Ethier scored a run on a lineout without tagging up.

How's that? Well, follow closely:

Pudge Rodriguez thought that by dragging Gary Sheffield away from the fracas after throwing a bat piece in the general direction of umpire Greg Gibson, that he might have saved Sheff a suspension. Pudge was wrong. The hammer of justice has fallen, and Gary Sheffield has been served a three game suspension for the bat shard toss.

MLB cited Sheffield's "aggressive actions" toward home plate umpire Greg Gibson, in making its announcement. Umpire-in-chief Charlie Reliford said after Thursday's game that he believes Sheffield threw the stub of his broken bat toward Gibson after a fifth-inning groundout.

Sheffield said that is "not true," and suggested that he would expose a "conspiracy" within the game, if he is not cleared of wrongdoing.

"Once they see the tape, and they still suspend me, then we're going to talk about this conspiracy that's going on," Sheffield said. "If it ain't no conspiracy, then I shouldn't be suspended at all."

More drama from Gary Sheffield. Conspiracies? People out to get him? Second spitters? Outstanding! Now this is something I'm interested to hear about. I'm also wondering if Roger Clemens will be retroactively suspended for throwing a bat at Mike Piazza during Game 2 of the Subway Series in 2000. Could that play a part in Gary's conspiracy theory?

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