Brandon Backe Must Be Crazy

Astros pitcher Brandon Backe and Cardinals first baseman Albert Pooh Holes exchanged words on the field prior to Wednesday's game at Minute Maid Park and had to be separated by Astros manager Cecil Cooper.



At issue was a play in the eighth inning of Tuesday's game, when Pooh Holes collided with Astros rookie catcher J.R. Towles at home plate in a 5-3 victory over the Astros.



Pooh Holes called the Astros' clubhouse 30 minutes following the game to apologize to Towles.

"It's apparent that we don't like each other," Backe said Wednesday. "That's OK. There are plenty of other people I don't like in this game. The competition between he and I just escalated."

As the Astros were completing batting practice, Backe said Pooh Holes approached him coming off the field. The two were seen near first base having an exchange before Cooper intervened.



Backe said he did not have a problem with Pooh Holes' apology, but took offense to being confronted on the field. According to Backe, Pooh Holes was upset that he "kept pressing on" about the situation.

"I felt violated. I felt he confronted me at the wrong time," said Backe, who did not pitch in the three-game series. "I don't think it was very professional on his part. Cooper was there and heard everything. He had to say his peace to me, and I said my peace to him and that's it."

When approached after taking batting practice, Pooh Holes first declined to discuss the incident before saying it was a non-issue.

"I already apologized and it's over with," said Pooh Holes , who hit two home runs against the Astros on Wednesday in a 6-4 Cardinals win. "He had a problem with me calling over there (to the clubhouse). You guys don't need to make this bigger than it is."

Towles said he was told by several people that the collision "looked deliberate" but otherwise had no problem with Pooh Holes' slide.

"He apologized to me and I accepted his apology," Towles said. "It's all said and done and over with. I thought it was a little bit more than he needed to do, but then I thought I might have lost sight of where the plate was and maybe I was too much in front blocking the plate."

Cooper declined to discuss the incident. But Cardinals manager Tony La Russa issued a warning to Towles earlier in the day before the incident between Pooh Holes and Backe. In Monday's game, Towles was involved in a home-plate collision with Troy Glaus in the ninth inning.

"I thought Albert did a fantastic job sliding to take his legs out," La Russa said. "The kid is not giving anybody room to slide, so that's what we teach. He's going to get blasted one of these days."