“That’s what I really like about Johnny.”

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt has more detail on yesterday’s confrontation:

What actually happened was that infielder Tony Graffanino, then Estrada, came to the defense of a teammate who they thought had been unfairly singled out by Yost for poor play. In an interview with the Journal Sentinel later in the day, Yost confirmed that Graffanino and Estrada were defending a teammate.

“That’s what happened,” Yost said. “I was upset with the way we were playing, not just in that game but over the last 10 days. I was frustrated; everybody was frustrated. It was my frustration boiling over to the team.”

Then, referring to Graffanino and Estrada, Yost added, “To their credit, they said something about it.”

“Johnny is a competitor and a ‘gamer’ and plays to win,” Yost said. “He doesn’t care about anything else. He’s out there to win. That’s why I respect Johnny as a player. He’s not here to make friends. He’s here to win ball games. That’s what I really like about Johnny.”

Okay, so who was the player that Yost singled out? Haudricourt implies that it was likely either Carlos Villanueva–who gave up three runs in the top of the 7th–or J.J. Hardy, who made an error on a grounder earlier in the inning. Both Villanueva and Hardy have struggled of late (along with half the team). Did Yost just lose it? Is he trying to fire up the team, like Lou Pinella purportedly did? Could he have purposely blown up, so as to negate rumors that he is one of the most mild mannered managers in the Bigs? Anyway, if what was said is true, Estrada and Graffanino sticking up for their teammates is likely to increase the bond between the players, not divide them. Of course, all 25 of them now may have a common enemy…but, hey, it worked in the movie “Major League,” didn’t it?