But the game is getting cleaner and healthier. "The goal remains to be competitive always", Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom said this week after Cora was ousted, leaving the Red Sox without a manager with less than a month before spring training.
Kassian went even further with his comments, stating that the next Battle of Alberta is sure to be a feisty one. Kassian called the hits "targeted" and was unhappy Tkachuk didn't respond with fists of his own. Had Tkachuk been willing on Saturday to go toe-to-toe with gloves off, the unpleasantness might have ended already, Kassian said. "But if you play big-boy hockey, you're going to have to answer the bell every once in a while".