Every night some batter complains because a pitcher threw a pitch too far inside for his comfort.

Last night, Barry Bonds was moved off the plate in the ninth inning of an 8-3 game the Giants were losing to the Devil Rays.

In Florida, Ryan Dempster was thrown out of the game after hitting Travis Fryman in a 3-0 game, he was leading in the seventh inning after two batters were hit in the sixth inning, one on each team.

This game has been around for 125 years. The game is simple.

The pitcher is supposed to get the batter out. The hitter is supposed to hit the ball.

Anything thrown by the pitcher is fair as far as I’m concerned.

Here’s why.The laws of baseball will settle all the disputes between batters and pitchers.

Barry Bonds challenged his pitchers to hit the opposing team with pitches in order to make the point that he should not be thrown at during an at bat.

Bonds is the most feared hitter in the game. He wears a protective plastic sleeve over his lead elbow at the plate.

He hangs over the plate. He earns over 18 million dollars per year hitting a baseball. He lives a very comfortable life.

Bonds makes life very uncomfortable for pitchers whose job it is to get him out.

If moving him off the plate by throwing at him or inside to him, helps the pitchers get him out more often, so be it.

But beware, Bonds’ teammates may do the same thing to the top hitters on the other team.

Once this scenario plays out five or six times, then it will cease to be fun for the players involved, (both hitters and pitchers) and the flow of baseball will let the game go on.

Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, and Tom Seaver would not allow a batter to take the toe holds that today’s batters take against the pitchers.

Baseball is a rough and tumble game, played by teams really trying to beat the other team through any means they can.

Hitters are too comfortable at the plate. If pitchers get carried away with throwing at the batters, then 1) they can be hit when they bat, or 2) if they don’t bat, their teammates will hit the dirt and things will quickly even out.

My advice, let the players play the game.

Hitters should stop all the whining.

Hell, they take every supplement available, either legally or illegally. They crowd the plate, they hit over 50 homers in a season like it’s no big deal.

Baseball is a microcosm of life. Nature has its built in balances, baseball is the same, let the players work it out.

They will.

Other news today:

How about Luis Castillo and his 32 game hitting streak?

Danys Baez tries to stop the slap hitting second baseman today in Florida. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t Castillo drive in about 10 runs a couple of years ago in about 600 at bats, threatening to erase feared slugger Enzo Hernandez ( who had about 8 RBI in 550 at bats) from the record books.

Good luck to Castillo, his streak is fabulous, but hey, back him off the plate before he erases Rogers Hornsby from the record books as having the longest hitting streak by a second baseman.

If the A’s had an alternative, then Cory Lidle’s start today against Pittsburgh would be considered a make or break appearance by the right hander.

They don’t have any other options on the horizon, so as long as they approach lefty Joe Beimel with a keen eye, and drive his pitch count into the 80’s by the fourth inning as they have done in virtually every interleague game they have played this year, they shouldn’t have any trouble winning their tenth game in eleven chances against the NL.

The Reds are falling by the wayside more every day and don’t seem intent on adding any pitching help, other than their recent acquisition of journeyman Bruce Chen.

Today its Freddy Garcia who is tuning up for Monday’s start against the A’s versus against little known, but effective Elmer Dessens. This game may be closer than it looks on paper since neither team is ripping the cover off the ball lately.

Don’t underestimate the strength of the Reds bullpen, at least not until manager Bob Boone wears them out in July.

Jaosn Schmidt should dominate Tampa Bay tonight. It will be interesting to see if Schmidt protects the clubhouse scourge Bonds by hitting the first Devil Ray he sees.

Ryan Rupe has had his moments this season on the mound. Tampa Bay is pretty loose, but Schmidt has been lights out for about three weeks now.

I know there is a long way to go, but I’m ready to write Houston off after the Brewers won the first two games of the series this week.

I saw Houston play the A’s and they are dead in the water, both physically and mentally.

Maybe baseball should have a committee, which includes a pitcher or two, deciding punishment for throwing at the batters, instead of a former hitter ( Bob Watson) being the sole arbiter of how the game is played?

Now, that would be fair.