This time, Ponson was eating dinner with his girlfriend when a man approached and essentially challenged him to a fight, according to the pitcher and his agent. Ponson said the man eventually began to push the pitcher in the chest.

``It kept going on and on; he was nagging me forever,'' Ponson said. ``It was the worst I'd ever heard. Then he touched me, and I had to draw a line. ... You clearly could see the guy was intoxicated. It was one of those things, you can't do nothing about it.''

Praver said Ponson attempted to ignore the man, but the verbal abuse escalated to a physical confrontation.

``It was one of those things, people are going to find out who I am, try to push my buttons. ... I held back as much as I could,'' Ponson said.