When the phrase "legal battle" is used, it's not usually meant to be literal. It nearly was, however, earlier this month during Alex Rodriguez's suspension appeal. According to the New York Daily News, Rodriguez attorney Joe Tacopina nearly came to blows with Julio Ayala, one of the attorneys for Anthony Bosch, during a break in testimony.
When Bosch's testimony took up much of the hearing's first few days, Tacopina asked an MLB lawyer how much longer Bosch would be on the stand. The lawyer responded that Bosch's testimony may spill into another day, to which Tacopina's response was "Well, I guess we have all of October, and by then Mr. Bosch will be in jail."
Ayala countered with "If he is, he is not going alone," meaning Rodriguez.
Tacopina responded with what the Daily News calls a "derogatory statement" about Ayala and his "lying wife," Susy Ribero-Ayala, who is also representing Bosch. Tacopina "bull-rushed" Ayala, but the other lawyers in the room broke up the fight before punches were thrown.
Rodriguez and Bosch weren't in the room during the scuffle, and it's unknown whether or not arbitrator Fredric Horowitz saw the incident.
Tacopina apologized the next day, and neither party is commenting (publicly, at least) on the hearing room brawl. It's understandable that emotions are running high for this case, arguably the most important arbitration hearing in baseball's history. At the same time, lawyers having benches-clearing brawls in the arbitration room pushes this case even further into "circus" territory. The appeal starts up again tomorrow.
