The Reds and Brewers squared off in one of the longest pregame standoffs yet

It's a showdown that comes seemingly out of nowhere and is a battle that requires intense physical strength and mental fortitude: Naturally, I'm talking about the national anthem standoff. It's the baseball version of a wrestling cage match. Scott Van Slyke and Joe Kellyhave gone toe-to-toe, Sean O'Sullivan and Boone Logan faced off and catchers gear even got involved when Aaron Harang and Aaron Barrettwent against each other.
At the conclusion of the anthem before Cincinnati's 6-4 victory over the Brewers on Tuesday, the Reds' Hernan Iribarren and the Brewers' Manny Piña kept their hats over their hearts, staring straight ahead. 

With such a battle underway, their teammates knew they'd need assistance. Keyvius Sampson brought Iribarren water and Brent Suter used a roller to massage Pina's back and arms. He was even brought gum. Though we can't say for certain that someone gave a Mickey Goldmill speech, we have to assume someone did. 
Even when Dan Straily had finished his warmup tosses and the umpires had yelled for play to resume, these two held fast in their position. Finally, Pina, perhaps his legs sore and his brain tired, gave way and retreated to the dugout, making Iribarren the victor.
It was a first for Reds manager Bryan Price. "I've never seen that before," the skipper said. "Some guys said that it's pretty common in Minor League Baseball. I'm really pleased that we came home with the victory."
Of course, this standoff had some personal pride on the line, too. As Iribarren explained after the game, he and Pina go way back. "It's funny because, you know, I know him. We're from Barquisimeto [Venezuela], the same town. I was like, 'Oh, he has to move before me.' So this is something that we're going to make fun of when we go back home."
<o:p>This was also the first time he'd ever been involved in the pregame standoff. "I'd never done it," the Reds infielder said. "I've seen some on TV and as soon as the anthem was over, I stood out for a second and then I saw to the other side and it happened to be a friend from my hometown and he just stood there and looked at me [and] moved his shoulder like, 'Well, if we stand, we stand.' I was like, 'OK, I'm going to stay.' And I got the guys behind me telling me, 'Don't move, don't move, don't move, if you're going to stay there, you've got to win.' So, I just kind of stood there."
The starter, Straily, found it amusing, even if the umpires were almost out of patience. "That was funny. We were trying to start the game and it was starting to get a little awkward for the umpires, I don't want to eject somebody for this. But it was getting close to that point. I was just glad that the battle was won right there. I would have thrown pitches with them standing on the field, that's fine."<o:p>
While this is one of the longest standoffs you'll see, unfortunately for the two battlers, they failed to reach the level of these ABL teams -- who made it into the third inning.