Our old second baseman and reluctant leadoff hitter, Marcus Giles, was always a bit fiery, but I never knew he was violent:

Former Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres second baseman Marcus Giles pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor battery charge for unlawfully using force on his wife in El Cajon last fall.

Giles, 31, was placed on three years probation by Judge Patricia Cookson and ordered to undergo a year of counseling.

Giles' attorney, James Matthew Brown, said his client has been in anger management counseling for the past four months.

And apparently it runs in the family:

Brian Giles, 39, retired from baseball this year after signing a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He is being sued by a former girlfriend for more than $10 million. She alleges that he beat and kicked her while she was pregnant with his child, causing her to have a miscarriage. He has filed a countersuit in the case.

As good as Marcus was for a few years in his mid-20s, he hit a brick wall at 30, and hasn't played in the Majors since he was 29. He was usually a jerk when I tried to interview him, including one time when he walked out on me in the middle of an interview because he didn't like where it was going. I guess I should just be glad he didn't assault me.