This story has been making the rounds for the past day and a half, ever since Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder "tried" to get in the Dodgers clubhouse. He was upset at getting hit by a Guillermo Mota pitch. Hey, get in line. Mike Piazza has first dibs on that dating back to 2003. Anyhow, you get the sense from watching the video that Fielder was putting on a show.

The lone security guard standing in his way was one William Gomez.

Here's an excerpt from a Los Angeles Times story on their "confrontation".

At first, Gomez said he figured Fielder was just another opposing player trying to use the adjacent weight room. But he realized something was amiss when he heard Fielder argue with teammate Ryan Braun and say Mota's name.

"It seemed like he wanted to get in, but he really didn't want to get in," Gomez said. "If he really wanted to get in, he would have pushed me out of the way."

Sounds about right. What does this have to do with the Mariners? Absolutely nothing! It's an excuse to show a video.

But wait, I can stretch this into a Mariners post.

If you really mean business, you make like that cat did last night when it hopped into the Mariners bullpen.

When surrounded by seven or eight guys, you go for the toughest one and let the others know you mean business. No Fielder nonsense here, That cat went straight for John Wetteland, backing him into a corner, and the rest of the bullpen members let the feline do what it wanted after that.

Click here for a video link to that.

Fielder should take notes. That cat got to go anyplace it wanted last night. As the announcer noted, nobody wanted anything to do with little kitty. If you're going to talk the talk, you'd better walk the walk. Though it helps to have nine lives working for you.

This wasn't the first run in between the Mariners and a cat, as a reader, Benny G., below pointed out. The video is worth watching just to see Rick Rizzs from back in the Kingdome era.

This got me thinking about other moments involving animals and baseball. Especially some where the four-legged, or winged creatures didn't get out unscathed.

Seattle fans all know about how Randy Johnson, pitching for the D-Backs in March 2001, caused a dove to explode when it flew across the path of one of his fastballs during a spring training game.

In August 1983, Dave Winfield was actually arrested when he unintentionally killed a seagull by throwing a bat at it to shoo it away at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. Yes, the Toronto cops really do have nothing to do. Roger Clemens tried the same thing with Mike Piazza in Game 2 of the 2000 World Series, but the more-seasoned NYPD cops left him alone. Maybe Brian McNamee called in some favors for him.

In Dwight Gooden's autobiography, Heat, he mentions showing up at Kevin Mitchell's house in 1986 and finding his friend drunk and riled up. Then, to teach his girlfriend's cat a lesson, the volatile Mitchell is said to have picked it up and cut its head off. Nice. Even Michael Vick was appalled.

Yeah, I know. Some of you want me to talk about the Mariners and their fine play last night. About Jack Wilson legging out that bunt single to bring a run home. Or Wilson and Rob Johnson putting on a baserunning clinic that embarrassed the Royals in the seventh inning. Or of Michael Saunders hitting that triple and really coming on at the plate. Or Jack Hannahan being used as a late-game shortstop replacement to get him some middle infield playing experience while he waits for Adrian Beltre to get traded. Or of Miguel Batista throwing 29 pit...oh, wait. OK, forget that part.

I'll save you all some trouble. The Mariners really should sweep this series against an awful Royals squad that got upstaged by a kitty last night. Jason Vargas goes tonight against Bruce Chen, a guy I thought was out of baseball since I last saw him in a Blue Jays training camp about five or six years ago. No serious analysis needed here. This is a very bad Royals team. Probably the worst team in all of baseball at the moment. I do expect the Mariners to sweep, finish this road trip 4-3 and then head home to face some tougher competition in a surging Rays team. That's not a shot at the M's. They're doing what they have to do. And the Royals are doing what they've been known to do. If the Royals were birds, there would be eggs all over the field.

Anyhow, that's the plan for the Mariners right now. Sweep or weep. And sweep they should. Unless, of course, some black cat charges out pre-game and crosses their path.