A Fire in His Eyes, and His Team

The skirmish, in which both benches and bullpens emptied, seemed to incite the Nationals. Right fielder Jose Guillen, the tempestuous slugger who was suspended by the Angels and later traded to the Nationals in part because of a run-in with Scioscia last September, had to be restrained by at least two Nationals employees and pulled to the dugout. Guillen reiterated Wednesday that he felt Scioscia hadn't shown Robinson proper respect.

"Last year, when I got suspended, Mike was talking about respect," Guillen said. "To me, he showed no class yesterday. I don't know what he's talking about -- respect. He can go look in the mirror."

In the hours after the incident, Robinson said he had "lost a lot of respect for Mike tonight, as a person and as a manager," and indicated that he wouldn't accept any sort of apology. He didn't waver from that stance Wednesday.

"As far as forgiveness and stuff, I don't feel like it right now," Robinson said. "I'm not that type of person. You step on my toe, it hurts for a while, and I'm not going to forgive you for stepping on my toe until maybe it stops hurting. Then, I might think about it."

Robinson insisted again that he believes Donnelly also had sandpaper in his hand, which would have been used to illegally scuff the ball in order to alter its flight.

"I'd bet the ranch on it," Robinson said.

"Absolutely ridiculous," Scioscia countered.

Robinson's impassioned reaction shows that, even as he has aged, he still holds the traits for which he was known as a player.

"Frank's not going to let anybody intimidate him," said Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, who played for Robinson in San Francisco. "I think I have seen him mellow some. I think he was a little more fiery when I played for him. But the toughness is never going to go away. The core is never going to change."

Guiding the Nationals is Robinson's fourth managing job, following stints in Cleveland, San Francisco and Baltimore, and he has never won a championship of any kind. He took over the Nationals in 2002, when the team was the Montreal Expos, and doesn't have a reputation as a master strategist. In a poll of more than 450 major league players taken by Sports Illustrated magazine during that spring training, Robinson tied Texas's Buck Showalter for the title of worst manager in baseball, drawing 12 percent of the vote. Occasionally, he makes moves other managers wouldn't, such as bunting early in games, and has an admitted disdain for statistics, which guide the decision-making processes used by most managers.

Yet he has clearly connected with these Nationals, and shown a willingness to fight for them. On May 30, he successfully argued that a home run be taken away from the Atlanta Braves, and the Nationals won. Tuesday night, Guillen responded to the squabble by hitting a game-tying, two-run home run in the eighth inning, sparking the Nationals to a 6-3 victory.

"The support that Frank got from the players immediately was shown," Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden said. "If you just studied the eyes of the players after that incident, this place changed. This will be a game that will be very memorable come October."

Wednesday morning, Robinson -- who makes his offseason home in Los Angeles -- went back to the eye doctor. He had corrective laser surgery on his eyes last November, and his right eye needed tweaking on Monday. The final checkup, Barbara Robinson said, was flawless.

"The doctor couldn't believe how quickly he healed," she said. "They're amazed at him."

And, she said, he is amazed by his team. When asked about the Nationals' run to first place, Robinson deflects praise. It is the players, he says. But Barbara Robinson, watching from the stands Tuesday night, could see that twinkle in her husband's eyes, gleaming through his dark sunglasses.

"He loves this team," she said. "I thought he loved the team in Montreal, but this team is unbelievable. I don't know what it is, and I don't know how long it's going to last. But I can tell you: He loves every second. It's like he's died and gone to heaven already."