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Pushed to shove

When Pedro Martinez went headhunting with a high fastball at light-hitting Yankee Karim Garcia, New York bench coach Don Zimmer shouted out a warning to the Red Sox ace. But the full meltdown came after Roger Clemens beaned Manny Ramirez in apparent retaliation. The benches cleared, and the 72-year-old Mr. Zimmer sprinted at the Red Sox pitcher. Mr. Martinez, a trim and fit 32-year-old, sidestepped the aged bench coach's headfirst lunge and threw him into the turf. Maybe if Pedro Martinez had known Don Zimmer's history, he would have predicted the response by the Yankees bench coach.

In 1953 Don Zimmer was a promising young prospect in the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league system. He was called Popeye because of his bulky forearms and short stature. But his career took a drastic turn when a fastball crushed his skull and sent him into a coma. The future was grim for the 22-year-old ball player. A priest delivered his last rites and his wife and parents waited at his bedside. Doctors drilled holes in his head to relieve pressure and secured his skull with a steel plate and four screws.