GiveHyzduashot
07-02-2003, 03:19 PM
Jason Kendall's appeal of his three-game suspension resulting from a brawl in Tampa Bay was postponed indefinitely yesterday because baseball officials could not make the trip to Pittsburgh. That means Kendall, who was hitting .500 in his previous five games, will be in uniform at least through the series with the Reds. He could have had the suspension trimmed to two games had he dropped his appeal but said again yesterday he wants to present his case. "I want to be heard. If they knock [the suspension] down, great. If they add 25 games, what can you do? I can't do anything about that. I'm definitely going to be heard. I think what I did was in the right," Kendall said. He insists he was trying to be a peacemaker and protect P Josh Fogg when Tampa Bay's Marlon Anderson elbowed him and didn't take first base after he was hit by a pitch. "The guy hits me in the face? [Heck] yeah, I'm going to hit him back. He got the same amount as I did? I think that's very, very weak," Kendall said. "I want to make my point. Whether or not it means anything, I don't know. But it means something to me. I could have very easily backed down and took my two games. I'm not like that."