Water under the bridge? Cubs" Barrett wants feud with Astros" Oswalt to be a thing of the past By Tim Sassone Daily Herald Sports Writer Posted Friday, April 29, 2005 http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp?id=43058 Cubs catcher Michael Barrett needed a minute to ponder the question. Is his personal feud with Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt — which erupted on several occasions last season — settled, or is there a chance something could happen again this weekend when the Cubs play three games at Minute Maid Park? “I don’t know,” Barrett said. “Only time will tell. I don’t think there’s anything I can do now. What happened last year is last year, and it’s time to turn over a new leaf. It’s time to turn a new page in terms of the Oswalt-Barrett volcano and just play the game. “It’s one of those things as a player that you hate that it has happened, but you just have to deal with it and live with it and just not expect anything to happen (again).” It was Aug. 22 in Houston when Barrett took a pitch in the back from Oswalt immediately following a 3-run homer by Aramis Ramirez. Oswalt was ejected immediately, and after the game, Barrett said he was “a little disappointed in Roy. I think he’s a little bit better than that.” Five days later, Barrett went after Oswalt at Wrigley Field in one of the most intense series of the summer. It was in the same series that Astros outfielder Lance Berkman faked getting hit in the head by a pitch, infuriating the Cubs. “There were a lot of things that happened between the two teams that only brought the whole Oswalt thing to the surface,” Barrett said. “The bottom line is they had a good team last year and they’ve got a good team this year. We have to be focused on playing as a team and beating a team and not try to beat an individual as an individual. I’m not going to go out there and single-handedly beat Oswalt. You have to eliminate the personal things.” The Cubs will see Oswalt on Sunday when he opposes Mark Prior in just one of this weekend’s marquee pitching matchups. First, it’s Greg Maddux against Roger Clemens tonight in a battle of 300-game winners. “To me, it’s a historic event,” Barrett said. “The two active 300-game winners — probably the last two guys we might see in the history of baseball — going at it. It’s going to be fun being on the same field with those guys.” Clemens has 329 victories and Maddux 305. Maddux is 0-1 and Clemens 1-0. “I’m looking forward to it,” Maddux said. “How can you not?” There are some who believe last August’s series in Chicago, particularly Barrett going after Oswalt, riled the Astros and jumpstarted them on a hot streak that ended with them beating out the Cubs for the NL wild card. Barrett doesn’t buy that theory. “That was a potent lineup they had last year,” Barrett said. “When those guys were all swinging the bat, well, you saw what they were capable of doing.” Barrett said the Cubs don’t need any distractions in what he feels is a big series. “I don’t want anything that happened last year, and not just the Houston series, to be a distraction right now,” Barrett said. “We’ve got too many other things that we need to be focused on and worried about than what potentially might happen or what might not happen.” __________________
why do i get the feeling this is a much bigger deal for Barrett than it is for Oswalt?? the Barrett/Oswalt volcano??? i'm thinking if you said that to Roy his reaction would be, "eh...whatever."
I would throw one up and in on him to see how he reacts. My just be the fuse we need lit to get things started for us.
Wasn't there an interview with Barret in spring training where he was totally not over the Oswalt fiasco and he was actually cutting our team down saying the Cubs were much better than the Astros last year and again this year? He also said this year they have something to prove against the Astros. Now, he's totally over it all of a sudden? What a jackass! The fact is he made it personal and he was personally the one who kept the personal fiasco going.
