Don't look now, but the purpose pitch just might be coming back in vogue.

Baseball traditionalists have long bemoaned the reluctance of today's major-league pitcher to take control of the inside part of home plate and pitch aggressively enough to strike some fear into the hearts of opposing hitters.

The criticism has some merit. Many of the dominating pitchers of the past were known for their ability to "dust off" hitters who had become too comfortable at the plate, or too productive. The practice seemed to have fallen out of favor in the free-agent era, but several recent incidents have brought it back into the headlines.

Of course, last weekend's Subway interleague series put the issue in front of a national television audience, as millions of viewers tuned in to see if the New York Mets would exact revenge on Roger Clemens for hitting superstar catcher Mike Piazza in the head with a fastball two years ago.

The pitch that Mets starter Shawn Estes threw behind Clemens' knees sparked a weekend of debate over whether Estes missed a chance to drill Clemens or threw the ball behind him on purpose. Largely absent from the debate, however, was any outrage at the notion that Estes was throwing at one of the icons of the sport.

The general consensus among baseball fans was that the intimidating Clemens finally was getting a taste of his own medicine.

Estes, by going through the exercise of retaliation, probably defused a situation that had been simmering between the two New York teams for too long. He was fined $750 by the commissioner's office and paid the fine without complaint. His teammates probably took up a collection.

Considering how sharp he was for the rest of the game, it's hard to imagine that he really intended to hit Clemens. Estes, torn between the need to stand up for his teammates and the possible infamy of breaking the kneecap of a near-certain Hall of Fame pitcher, may have come up with the perfect solution.

The same weekend on the other coast, the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers nearly brawled after left-handed reliever Dennis Cook hit Dodgers slugger Shawn Green in the back with a pitch.

Cook insisted it was accidental, but Green had hit four home runs and two doubles in the Freeway Series before an Angels pitcher hit him back. Stay tuned for the second series between the Southern California rivals to see if the controversy has legs.

There is some evidence that Major League Baseball disciplinarian Bob Watson is taking an old-school approach to the purpose pitch debate. He chose not to fine Clemens after the Yankees' right-hander predicted that he would "introduce" himself to the padding on Barry Bonds' right elbow, then hit Bonds in their first interleague meeting.

Now Bonds, who has been hit six times and buzzed inside on several other occasions, seems to be goading the pitchers on the Giants' staff to get more aggressive in response.

Bonds lurched toward the mound after Tampa Bay youngster Travis Harper nearly hit him in the knee with a pitch on Tuesday, causing both benches to empty. Afterward, he said he just got fed up with all the balls that have been thrown at him and might start taking matters into his own hands.

"If our pitchers aren't going to do it," he said, "I'll defend myself."

Maybe Giants pitchers will get a little more aggressive with opponents that throw close to Bonds, or maybe they -- like everybody else in the National League -- realize that he stands right over the plate and probably should consider himself lucky that he has been hit only six times.

Clearly, baseball has become a more polite game over the past few decades, but the television ratings and national interest generated by last weekend's showdown at Shea Stadium proved that a little mutual aggression can really spice up a ballgame.

Bob Gibson ought to consider a comeback.

Burkett's boycott

Talk about stupid player tricks. What was Red Sox pitcher John Burkett thinking when he went public with his intention to stiff the All-Star Game (if he's selected) as a protest against the management style of baseball commissioner Bud Selig.

No. 1: An All-Star boycott is a terrible idea because the Midseason Classic is the one baseball event that is truly for the fans, and a boycott -- whether individual or collective -- would be viewed as a huge show of disrespect toward the people who spend the money that funds baseball's salary spiral.

No. 2: If Burkett wants to make an individual stand against baseball ownership, he ought to withdraw from the union and go it alone. The Major League Baseball Players Association exists for the purpose of negotiating working conditions for all major-league players. Baseball's labor relationship is bad enough as it is without individual players complicating the situation.

Really, all Burkett accomplished with his statement was to assure that he won't be chosen for the American League pitching staff.

Boycott quickly revisited

Nevertheless, there have been rumors of a mass All-Star boycott for several months, obviously fueled by the stagnant labor negotiations and the fact that the game is going to be played in Selig's backyard.

It won't happen. Union officials know that such a move would reduce their leverage in collective bargaining, since the boycott would hurt the union's image and likely steel ownership's resolve to win this round of collective bargaining.

Take this to the bank. The players union can be stubborn and idealistic, but MLBPA director Donald Fehr is not stupid. Whatever the players do to advance their interests in the current labor negotiations will be done for strategic gain, not for the petty feeling of satisfaction that might come from spoiling Selig's All-Star party.

Tribe-u-lations

If the All-Star Game is played, it appears that the Cleveland Indians will fail to have a player voted into the starting lineup for the first time since 1994.

Balloting released Tuesday showed first baseman Jim Thome as the only Indians player in the top five at his position in the fan voting.

Ishii a likely All-Star

The Dodgers figure to have a starting pitcher on the National League squad for the third straight year. Kevin Brown made the NL staff in 2000 and Chan Ho Park made it in 2001. Kazuhisa Ishii (11-2) appears to be a lock to get there this year.

Ishii still has three starts to go before the All-Star break, but he already would be the winningest Dodgers pitcher to make the NL squad since 1991, when Ramon Martinez was 12-3.

Rumor mill

Pirates outfielder Brian Giles was amused at reports in Pittsburgh that he was soon to be traded back to the Indians.

Supposedly, he was headed for Cleveland until its management vetoed the deal for financial reasons, but Giles has a limited no-trade clause that does not allow him to be traded there.

"They're not one of the six teams on my list, so I don't know why anybody would think I was going there," Giles said.

Fernando II?

The San Diego Padres are excited about 20-year-old Mexican pitcher Oliver Perez, who struck out seven Seattle Mariners in five innings in his home debut last Sunday.

The young left-hander might conjure up images of Mexican star Fernando Valenzuela, who also made his debut at 20, if there was any physical comparison between the two.

Perez is a skinny kid who has great movement on a mid-90s fastball. Valenzuela was a portly pitcher who had amazing control and a wicked screwball.

Perez, who grew up in Culiacan, Mexico, probably has more in common with Orioles pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, who pitched for the Culiacan Tomato Growers before signing with the Orioles.

Compiled from interviews, wire services and reports from other newspapers.