Greinke, Quentin involved in clubhouse brawl

FLEETWOOD – Fleetwood Walkers slugger Carlos Quentin wrestled teammate Zack Greinke to the ground on Thursday night after Greinke hit on a 12 during a clubhouse game of Blackjack, leading to a fight that left Greinke shaken and with a broken card table.

Carlos Quentin

Zack Greinke

Sitting in the proverbial “third base” seat and holding a 9 and a 3 with the dealer, teammate John McDonald, showing a 6, Greinke shockingly asked for another card. McDonald then dealt Greinke a face card, presumably a Jack or a Queen, before McDonald turned up a 10 and drew a 5 for a maximum score of 21. Quentin immediately began arguing with Greinke before lunging at and tackling him to the floor.

In the ensuing fight, the players fell on top of Greinke’s card table, breaking it in the process. Initial reports suggest that it make take up to 8 weeks for the table to be repaired via the insertion of a supporting metal rod.

Broken card table

"I never take a bad hit on purpose," said Greinke, appearing shaken by the damage to his card table after the melee. "He always seems to think that I'm hitting poorly on purpose, but that's not the case. That's all I can really say about it."

Asked if there was bad blood between the two teammates, Greinke, who reportedly twice broke clubhouse card etiquette last season, said: "Now there probably is. I don't know if there was beforehand."

"That's just stupid is what it is," Fleetwood manager Rube Foster said. "He (Greinke) should not play again until he knows the rules. If he plays again before he learns proper table etiquette, something's wrong. He caused the whole thing. Nothing happens if he holds."

Greinke's lucky Blackjack hat

"I've hit many times," said Quentin, who has reportedly played more games of Blackjack since the start of 2009 than any other BRASSball player. "Some have been smart, some have not. But for the amount I have hit and my aggressive hitting style, I'm going to repeat: I have never taken a hit in that situation.”

Greinke resigned with Fleetwood as a free agent before the start of the 2012 BRASSball season, signing a $37.5 million, seven-year contract. He missed time during spring training after stubbing a toe on the dugout steps. Quentin has been slowed recently by a balky right knee since having offseason surgery.