Houston Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon has been suspended indefinitely following a physical altercation with Astros GM Ed Wade.

You can read the story yourself, but check out this quote from Houston owner Drayton McLane:

"If you shoved a policeman down or any other public servant, can you imagine shoving a principal in a school? It was in full view of several players. Players pulled Chacon and restrained him. There’s absolutely no way. You can’t defy authority. Even if he disagreed with what they wanted him to do, he should have had the courage to sit down and talk to him."

Really, Drayton? You're equating Ed Wade with a policeman? Someone who puts his or her life on the line for public service? Or a principal? Someone who has devoted his or her life to the betterment of children? You're saying the general manager of a baseball team falls in the same category?

Drayton, it sounds like you have a general manager who sucks at handling players, and decided he wanted to play the big man and curse out another grown man in front of everyone else.

I'm not backing Chacon here. He should have gone into the manager's office to discuss whatever needed to be discussed. But Wade just as easily could have turned his back, gone upstairs and cut Chacon loose -- he had already been insubordinate. Instead, Wade pressed the issue and he got dumped on his ass.

One more thing. I hate it when people say you can't defy authority. Bullshit. You can do whatever the hell you like if you a) believe in your own position enough and b) are willing to accept the consequences.

Sounds to me like Chacon is just fine with the outcome.