The Mesa-vizquel Beanball War

Asked if he ever went to the plate expecting to be hit, Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel replied, "Only if Mesa 's on the mound." Jose Mesa (left) and Vizquel played in Cleveland from 1994 to '98, and Mesa carries a grudge against Vizquel for his 2002 book, Omar! in which he criticized Mesa's 1997 World Series performance. "If I face him 10 times, I'll hit him 10 times," Mesa said in 2003. Mesa did plunk Vizquel in their next three meetings, most recently in April '06 when the reliever was with the Rockies. After drawing a four-game ban, Mesa declared the feud over. Even if he has second thoughts, Mesa is in Detroit now, and the teams don't meet in interleague play.