Report: Red Sox teammates applauded when David Price blew up at Dennis Eckersley

Some new details about the Red Sox ace's ongoing feud with the Boston media have emerged

Earlier this month, word got out that Red Sox lefty David Price got into it with Hall of Famer and NESN broadcaster Dennis Ecklersley on the team plane. Price reportedly did not like something Eckersley said on the air about another player.

Now, courtesy of Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, details of the Price-Ecklersley encounter have emerged. From Shaughnessy:

For Price, the tipping point came when he learned Eckersley said "Yuck" when Eduardo Rodriguez's poor stats were flashed on the NESN screen after a rehab start in Pawtucket June 29.

On the day of the episode, Price was standing near the middle of the team aircraft, surrounded by fellow players, waiting for Eckersley. When Eckersley approached, on his way to the back of the plane (Sox broadcasters traditionally sit in the rear of the aircraft), a grandstanding Price stood in front of Eckersley and shouted, "Here he is — the greatest pitcher who ever lived! This game is easy for him!"

When a stunned Eckersley tried to speak, Price shot back with, "Get the [expletive] out of here!"

Many players applauded.  

So, for all intents and purposes, Price schoolyard bullied Eckersley, right? Shaughnessy says Price and several other Red Sox players stood around waiting for Eckersley, then got in his face. Hmmm. Rodriguez, by the way, allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits in three innings in the rehab start in question. If that doesn't garner a "Yuck," I don't know what does.

Here's more from Shaughnessy:

Eckersley made his way to the back of the plane as players in the middle of the plane started their card games. In the middle of the short flight, Eckersley got up and walked toward the front where Sox boss Dave Dombrowski was seated. When Eckersley passed through the card-playing section in the middle, Price went at him again, shouting, "Get the [expletive] out of here!"

When Price was asked about it the next day, he said only, "Some people just don't understand how hard this game is."

Saying "Some people just don't understand how hard this game is," about Dennis Ecklersley -- Dennis Eckersley! -- might not have been Price's finest moment.

It's not terribly uncommon for players to take issue with something said or written about them by the media. And oftentimes when they do bring it up, they'll do it politely. "Hey, I don't agree with what you wrote." That sort of thing. Episodes like the Price-Eckersley beef are few and far between.

Eckersley is more blunt and outspoken than most broadcasts. He'll call a spade a spade, and it's not the first time he's rubbed a player the wrong way. The fact he's a Hall of Famer and one of the most accomplished pitchers in history doesn't seem to carry much weight with Price.