Rare Beef

A cocky light heavyweight and a hard-hitting heavyweight almost had a go at each other last Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati 's Riverfront Stadium . When Cubs manager Jim Frey was arguing a call at second, the Reds' Dave Parker , the runner there, started kibbitzing. Frey told Parker to stuff it, Parker returned the compliment, and the beef continued after the third out was made.

The 6'5", 230-pound Parker was on the third-base line, and Frey , 5'7", 170, was at the edge of the Cubs' dugout. " Ruben Amaro and Ron Cey held me back," says Frey . "I would say I reacted kind of instinctively. But now that I've given it some more thought, I'm glad I didn't hurt a player in the prime of his career. I wouldn't want that on my conscience."