Dark_Angel
07-26-2004, 03:06 AM
:hmm:
Suspensions Are Coming
By TYLER KEPNER
BOSTON - Before he had received any videotapes of Saturday's brawl between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, before he had seen the umpires' report, before he had talked with anyone involved, Bob Watson knew one thing.
"There will be some suspensions," said Watson, baseball's disciplinarian, in a telephone interview. "You can best believe that."
Watson said he was traveling and would not be able to make a ruling until Wednesday or Thursday, after he had talked to Bruce Froemming, the plate umpire on Saturday, and Richie Garcia, the umpires' supervisor who was at Fenway Park.
But Watson stressed that his delay would not mean that he would spare the participants. "Please believe me," he said. "They will hear from me."
The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez sparred with Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek near home plate in the third inning Saturday, after Rodriguez had spewed expletives at Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo after being hit by a pitch. Rodriguez and Varitek were ejected, as were two reserves, the Yankees' Kenny Lofton and the Red Sox' Gabe Kapler.
Rodriguez avoided the news media before Sunday's game, saying only that he was not sore from the fight and that he had not watched footage of it, then ducking into an off-limits training room. Because he would not talk, Rodriguez could not answer charges from the Red Sox that he overreacted to Arroyo's pitch.
"Yesterday happened because we were competing and someone didn't understand," said Boston pitcher Curt Schilling, who was among the first to join the fray. "He wasn't trying to hit him there. That's ridiculous. There's no reason to hit him there. We're down, 3-0, and A-Rod didn't do anything. He did get a big hit the night before, but that was no reason why he'd throw at him. He overreacted in that situation, and it was stupid."
Red Sox Manager Terry Francona also blamed the Yankees for instigating the fight.
"I'm hoping we won't have anybody suspended," he said. "I have a feeling that after they watch the films, we'll fare better than they will. When you watch the video, you'll see that some of their guys were pretty aggressive."
Lofton said that he was surprised to be ejected and that he did not believe he should be suspended for his role. He mentioned Schilling and the three Red Sox players - Kapler, David Ortiz and Trot Nixon - who dragged Yankees pitcher Tanyon Sturtze away from the pile.
"I didn't do anything," Lofton said. "I was doing much less that anybody else did, from Schilling to Nixon to Ortiz and Kapler. I did 120 percent less than what they did, and I got thrown out. I was trying to get guys off A-Rod, and then when I saw Tanyon over there, I tried to get Nixon and Ortiz off him. To get thrown out for that, they need to watch the tape and that will change it all. I'm not worried about anything."
Saturday's game was the fourth in a row between these teams in which at least one player was hit by a pitch. The Yankees' Tom Gordon hit Boston's Nomar Garciaparra with a 94-mile-an-hour fastball in the seventh inning Friday, when he was trying to protect a one-run lead.
A day later, violence erupted, as it did in the 1970's between these teams and as it has the last two seasons.
"When I was with the Red Sox, I don't remember us being in an all-out brawl with the Yankees," said Gordon, who pitched for Boston from 1996 to 1999. "That was pretty much the first one I've been involved in. It was a pretty rough one, but it's something that happens when it's heated and you're playing hard and you want to win.
"It's part of the game, but you just don't want it to get blown too far out of control where someone really gets hurt."
The Yankees fared better than the Red Sox in that aspect. Varitek did not start Sunday because of a sore right wrist, which he shoved in Rodriguez's face with during the fight.
The Yankees' biggest casualty was Sturtze, who left the game after three innings with a bruised right pinkie, which was immobilized before Sunday's game.
Sturtze could get another start if Kevin Brown is not ready to come back the next time through the rotation, and he said he expected to throw again in a couple of days. But without use of the pinkie, Manager Joe Torre said, Sturtze could not use his changeup.
Sturtze said he did not believe he deserved punishment for fighting. "I was just pulling someone off the pile, and I ended up in a corner with a bunch of guys," he said. "I would think not, but you never know."
The Yankees and the Red Sox know this much: Major League Baseball took notice of their brawl, and they will be punished for it.
Suspensions Are Coming
By TYLER KEPNER
BOSTON - Before he had received any videotapes of Saturday's brawl between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, before he had seen the umpires' report, before he had talked with anyone involved, Bob Watson knew one thing.
"There will be some suspensions," said Watson, baseball's disciplinarian, in a telephone interview. "You can best believe that."
Watson said he was traveling and would not be able to make a ruling until Wednesday or Thursday, after he had talked to Bruce Froemming, the plate umpire on Saturday, and Richie Garcia, the umpires' supervisor who was at Fenway Park.
But Watson stressed that his delay would not mean that he would spare the participants. "Please believe me," he said. "They will hear from me."
The Yankees' Alex Rodriguez sparred with Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek near home plate in the third inning Saturday, after Rodriguez had spewed expletives at Boston pitcher Bronson Arroyo after being hit by a pitch. Rodriguez and Varitek were ejected, as were two reserves, the Yankees' Kenny Lofton and the Red Sox' Gabe Kapler.
Rodriguez avoided the news media before Sunday's game, saying only that he was not sore from the fight and that he had not watched footage of it, then ducking into an off-limits training room. Because he would not talk, Rodriguez could not answer charges from the Red Sox that he overreacted to Arroyo's pitch.
"Yesterday happened because we were competing and someone didn't understand," said Boston pitcher Curt Schilling, who was among the first to join the fray. "He wasn't trying to hit him there. That's ridiculous. There's no reason to hit him there. We're down, 3-0, and A-Rod didn't do anything. He did get a big hit the night before, but that was no reason why he'd throw at him. He overreacted in that situation, and it was stupid."
Red Sox Manager Terry Francona also blamed the Yankees for instigating the fight.
"I'm hoping we won't have anybody suspended," he said. "I have a feeling that after they watch the films, we'll fare better than they will. When you watch the video, you'll see that some of their guys were pretty aggressive."
Lofton said that he was surprised to be ejected and that he did not believe he should be suspended for his role. He mentioned Schilling and the three Red Sox players - Kapler, David Ortiz and Trot Nixon - who dragged Yankees pitcher Tanyon Sturtze away from the pile.
"I didn't do anything," Lofton said. "I was doing much less that anybody else did, from Schilling to Nixon to Ortiz and Kapler. I did 120 percent less than what they did, and I got thrown out. I was trying to get guys off A-Rod, and then when I saw Tanyon over there, I tried to get Nixon and Ortiz off him. To get thrown out for that, they need to watch the tape and that will change it all. I'm not worried about anything."
Saturday's game was the fourth in a row between these teams in which at least one player was hit by a pitch. The Yankees' Tom Gordon hit Boston's Nomar Garciaparra with a 94-mile-an-hour fastball in the seventh inning Friday, when he was trying to protect a one-run lead.
A day later, violence erupted, as it did in the 1970's between these teams and as it has the last two seasons.
"When I was with the Red Sox, I don't remember us being in an all-out brawl with the Yankees," said Gordon, who pitched for Boston from 1996 to 1999. "That was pretty much the first one I've been involved in. It was a pretty rough one, but it's something that happens when it's heated and you're playing hard and you want to win.
"It's part of the game, but you just don't want it to get blown too far out of control where someone really gets hurt."
The Yankees fared better than the Red Sox in that aspect. Varitek did not start Sunday because of a sore right wrist, which he shoved in Rodriguez's face with during the fight.
The Yankees' biggest casualty was Sturtze, who left the game after three innings with a bruised right pinkie, which was immobilized before Sunday's game.
Sturtze could get another start if Kevin Brown is not ready to come back the next time through the rotation, and he said he expected to throw again in a couple of days. But without use of the pinkie, Manager Joe Torre said, Sturtze could not use his changeup.
Sturtze said he did not believe he deserved punishment for fighting. "I was just pulling someone off the pile, and I ended up in a corner with a bunch of guys," he said. "I would think not, but you never know."
The Yankees and the Red Sox know this much: Major League Baseball took notice of their brawl, and they will be punished for it.