Were Paul O'Neill and Kevin Youkilis separated at birth??? And before I get the typical Buzz Killington type response from Leo or Dry (RIP) of "uh, no they have different birthdays in different years!", duh...I don't mean it in that sense. I'm referring to the type of player they are/were. Youk seems to be the Red Sox version of Paul O'Neill to me.

First, let me just say that I like and respect both as a player. They both hit for average, have high OBPs, decent/good SLG, and play above average D.

Paul O'Neill Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com

Kevin Youkilis Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com

They also share another trait in common; the love of arguing over just about every strike call they deem incorrect and displaying a fiery personality that isn't always appropriate.

I had a friend in high school that used to try to tell me that Paul O'Neill was just a fiery type guy. That he loved Paul O'Neill for that (not true love, but you know what I mean). Over time I saw it differently. It eventually came across as whiney to me. It seemed like every time he struck out he'd throw his bat down on the ground, turn his head in disgust, and yell something at the ump.

Three years after Paul retired Youk made his debut with the Red Sox. The same pattern of behavior seems to be occurring here. Youk seems to be arguing more and more lately...demonstrating that Paul O'Neill fire that my old friend used to try to sell me on.

I often wonder if I'm the only the person that picked up on that behavior and viewed it in that manner. I know most Yankees/Reds fans saw O'Neill as a fiery type guy and that most Red Sox fans feel that way about Youk. How do outsiders like myself feel? To me it tarnishes the perception of the player and makes me start to dislike them.

I think the straw that broke the camel's back for me in regard to Youk was his recent charge of the mound against Porcello. You know, when he through his helmet at Porcello. I get it, you're tired of getting drilled...but when is it OK to charge the mound and throw your frigging batting helmet at a guy? I know some will say, but he threw a ball at him! To me, that's part of the game. And if Youk wants to charge, then that's part of the game, too...but I draw the line at throwing a piece of equipment at a guy especially when he's backing away from you.

Now, I'm not saying I want a team of boring guys that have no passion (see the majority of the 2009 A's...especially pre-all-star break). I'm just saying that there needs to be a middle ground. I want guys that play like O'Neill and Youk on my team, but I don't want guys that behave like that. Granted, it's better than some of the crap going on in the NFL and NBA, but still.

Thoughts?