As you know by now, Cody Ross was back in the lineup last night. Which leads me to the unmistakable conclusion: he is tougher than I have ever been or ever will be.
Uggla had this to say:
"It's unbelievable," Uggla said of Ross' presence and home run. "He's just a tough guy. A normal guy doesn't play today, even though he got smoked in the face last night, he comes out here and puts us up 2-0 right off the bat. That's the kind of teammates you want. A guy who will go out there day-after-day, regardless if you're sore or hit in the face or whatever. You can't ask for more than that."
Danny, you are correct - you can't ask for more than that. I'm not sure, in good conscience, you can ask for that much.
Before the game there was no ill will between Villarreal and Ross.
Before the first pitch Thursday, Ross and Villarreal acknowledged each other from a distance while the Marlins were warming up. With Ross in left field, near the Braves' bullpen, Villarreal waved to Ross, and asked if he was all right. Villarreal pointed to his chest and hollered: "My bad. I'm sorry."
"That was really cool of him," Ross said.
For a guy who couldn't sleep last night due to the pain in his face, he sure played a great game.