BY JEFFREY LUTZ, The Wichita Eagle-
The St. Paul Saints apparently don't take kindly to "Hakuna Matata" or attempted beanballs.
The hard feelings between St. Paul and the Wingnuts on Saturday started when the Saints took exception to the Disney music played during their batting practice. It boiled over when Wichita closer Byron Embry threw behind Saints right fielder Kevin Sullivan, starting a brawl that saw eight participants ejected.
The ninth-inning melee proved to be the main attraction, upstaging a brilliant pitching performance by Brad Davis in the Wingnuts' 5-2 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Wichita now sits a half-game behind the Saints in the American Association North Division.
The tension between the teams began to mount last weekend, when Wichita shortstop Kevin Hooper collided with Sullivan, then catching, during a play at the plate in St. Paul. Hooper and Sullivan got tangled up after the play, and the Wingnuts saw it as Sullivan laying on top of Hooper to prevent him from getting up.
Embry said he and Sullivan, former teammates with the Saints, are friends and he threw behind him to send a message.
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