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Robin Ventura lost a fight 22 years ago, but he won some respect

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer

It's the 22nd anniversary of Robin Ventura's brawl with Nolan Ryan, and, well, it's safe to say the current manager doesn't have a lot of fond memories of that day. While Ventura probably prefers not to re-live the fight, some good did come out of it.

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By brawling with Ryan, Ventura earned the respect of future White Sox icon Paul Konerko. CSNChicago.com' Chuck Garfien covered the story a few years ago, but it's worth sharing on the anniversary of the brawl.

Here's how it all went down: That summer, Konerko was playing for the U.S. Junior Olympic baseball team. The club traveled two hours to see the game between the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox. Konerko and his teammates even got to meet Ventura prior to the contest.

We all know what happened during the game.

Though Konerko was stunned, the brawl ultimately made him a fan of Ventura, according to Garfien. (Click that link and watch the video to hear Ventura awkwardly say "things went a little haywire." It's definitely worth your time)

That made me think nothing less of him, only more because anybody who's going to charge Nolan Ryan, you gotta have..."

Konerko paused for a few seconds, trying to find the right word he can use on family television. Then one popped in his head.

"You gotta have some guts, let's just put it that way."

That respect wound up being a big deal, as Ventura would manage Konerko over the last few years of his career.

So, there you have it. A young Paul Konerko was in the stands the night Robin Ventura attempted to take on Nolan Ryan. Ventura earned Konerko's respect, and wound up being his major-league manager for a few seasons. That's a fun coincidence.

[On last week's StewPod: Go behind the scenes of the trade deadline with an ex-GM.]

To his credit, Ventura does seem to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

It's also an example that even the most embarrassing situations can lead to good things. It took 20 or so years for Ventura to find the silver lining after taking a beating from Nolan Ryan.

How long will it take him to find a silver lining for the mental beating the White Sox have given him this season?

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik