we're talking about the same people then.  IMO, anyone who is ordered to attend these classes who does not recognize that they have a profound and serious problem prior to attending is going to be upset enough about the fact they're being forced to attend counciling for a problem they not only don't admit, but probably adimantly deny, that they will go into the experience thinking that it is a waste of their time.  

in my experience, i've found that with people who have profound behavorial problems, you'll be more likely to predict their behavior not by presuming they'll follow a common sense or logical path, but rather to make a list of the worst or least constructive outcomes possible and then assume that the outcome will be some sort of toxic combination of all of them.  

the optimist in all of us hopes that Delmon would go to anger management classes and say to himself "you know, i have a big problem here and if i don't do something about it, it's going to affect my development as a player, my reputation, and ultimately, my career.  i need to do something about it."

i just don't see that happening.  i think if he were ordered to attend these classes, he will not be receptive to it, and will get nothing more than a bigger chip on his shoulder.  

if Delmon is delt with by a light suspension and cliche  treatment like counciling, my Prospect Crystal Ball will be this:  the baseball Stephan Marbury.  all the talent in the world, but numbers and a career that mean nothing.

the game where the relief pitcher retired the next 27 batters? what was the guy's name, this is one of the coolest trivia tidbits in baseball history.

get into fistfights all the time. Just not the millionaires who play baseball, quite as much.

Granted, but still, if you can't see that hitting someone intentionally in the head with a full windup of the hockey stick is more serious than throwing a bat underhanded at someone regardless of the "context", then I don't really think we have common ground upon which to make an argument.

We're talking about a minor leaguer who has a major league contract and a signing bonus of $3.7 million, so it's not like you're going to leave him destitute. Clearly this kid needs to check his head, and a fine on that order might be the only thing that's going to get him to do that.

But beyond that, there are two things that make this incident different than that one, as far as I can tell:

1. Intent. Delmon Young threw a bat -- or flipped it, or whatever you want to say, but it was going fast -- at somebody with the clear intention of hitting the guy. Roger Clemens kind of tossed a bat in the general direction of somebody. Young's throw came in torso-high and could well have struck the ump in the face. Clemens' throw bounced along at about ankle height. Don't mistake me for a Yankee fan or a Roger Clemens apologist, but these two instances don't seem to be on the same level to me. Clemens' was weird; Young's was dangerous.
2. Target. Clemens tossed a bat at another player. Young tossed a bat at an umpire. This dichotomy might seem a little arbitrary, but it's a well-established, unspoken, rule of baseball that you can take a couple of whacks at a fellow player (not without consequences, but it happens), an assault on the ump is unacceptable, just short of going into the stands after a fan, which is one of the cardinal sins of baseball. There is some reason for this: Umpires, unlike ballplayers, are not profession athletes, so, while they may provoke ire, they are not as able to physically defend themselves through brute strength, at least in theory. Another is that umpires are the impartial arbiters of the game; by definition they don't have a side (or at least shouldn't, and, as far as I can tell, almost never do in the professional game), meaning they cannot have done anything purposeful to affront you.

Clearly, umpires are people and it isn't always the case that they keep their traps shut or whatever, but it's an accepted standard of American society: An attack on a figure of authority is treated as a much graver offense than an attack on a peer. It's this way with cops and teachers. It's the same with umpires.

I didn't finish my thought. It should be brilliant.

Ultimately, I hope that Delmon Young screws his head on and becomes a great baseball player -- with no caveats. It's in my interest as a baseball fan that there be great ballplayers, and great ones who don't violate the norms of society, cos that's how my sport attracts fans and stays vital into the future. In this respect, getting Delmon Young's attention now is a very good idea.

That said, I do have a soft spot in my heart for ballplayers with obvious personality disorders, because I think they're funny. I think Gary Sheffield, in New York, working for George Steinbrenner, is one of the best things to have happened in the last fifteen years or so. I have fond memories of the Jeff Kent-Barry Bonds feuds of 2002, because that clash of two of the biggest jerks in all of baseball was endlessly entertaining -- like reality TV for people who hate reality TV.

So maybe I am rooting for a bitter, paranoid Delmon Young, to add a little spice to baseball for the next twenty years.