PhotoDude.com

Tue. Sep 14, 2004

Professional Dispensation

The written words hardly do the incident justice (watch for the video on today’s news, and here’s a photo series), but here they are:

Eric Chavez singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning, leading the Oakland Athletics to a wild 7-6 win over the Rangers on Monday night in a game that was delayed in the ninth after Texas reliever Frank Francisco hurled a chair and hit two fans.

Texas reliever Doug Brocail was seen screaming at a male fan, and the pitcher had to be restrained by his teammates and bullpen coach Mark Connor. Others also had to be held back.

Francisco then tossed a chair at a fan in a lower box to the left of the Rangers’ bullpen along the right-field line. The chair hit one man in the head, then bounced and clobbered a woman in the side of the head on her left temple.

Security ran to the scene and a small section of fans was cleared from their seats. The incident caused a 19-minute delay. Dave Rinetti, vice president of stadium operations, stood in front of that section for the remainder of the game.

CNN/SI: “Pitcher throws chair in Rangers’ fracas with Oakland fans”

Now, if you or I threw a chair at a public sporting event and broke a woman’s nose, how long do you think we’d remain out of handcuffs? 30 seconds, tops? If we were there with our boss, how long do you think it would take for the boss to loudly crawl up our butt?

But Francisco didn’t get arrested. And what did his boss, Rangers manager Buck Showalter, have to say about the incident? “Tonight, it went over the line … It was a real break from the normal trash you hear from fans. We’ve had problems about every time we’ve come here.” Oh, the problem was the fans. What was that lady thinking putting her nose in front of a clearly thrown chair? I’m mean, c’mon, the guy’s a pitcher, what did you think he was going to use? His brain?

Perhaps I’ve misunderstood the incident. Let’s see what vice president of stadium operations David Rinetti has to say: “My understanding was that the fans sitting near the Rangers bullpen had a discussion for most of the night with the bullpen. Nothing was thrown from the stands, none of our fans went out on the field. Nobody was saying anything that a fan could be thrown out of the game for. About the time of [Alfonso] Soriano’s home run, something was said and [the Rangers relievers] went after the fans.”

It appears to me that Doug Brocail got into a heated exchange with some fan, and when it escalated in verbal tonality, Francisco went from verbal to physical. Now, I realize that baseball players are Special People. They don’t live by the same rules you and I do. But they weren’t always Special. Once, they were kids, and they surely learned the phrase, “sticks and folding chairs may break my nose, but names will never hurt me.”

It’s true when you grow up, too. Even if you make six or seven figures a year. Perhaps especially then. Because that kind of salary indicates you are a professional. You have certain bare minimum standards to meet, every second of every day of your professional career. One of those standards is “do not put the people who pay your salary in the hospital with a broken nose.” And ultimately, the people who buy tickets pay the bills.

Were the Oakland fans obnoxious, overbearing, and probably drunk? Highly likely. Is this the case with many fans in many stadiums around the US? Highly likely. Should a professional baseball player be expected to turn either a deaf ear or a withering wit on such verbal abuse?

Apparently not.

In Major League Baseball, you can act recklessly and cause injury to fans with no apparent repercussions whatsoever. Your own manager won’t even make mention of it after the game, he’ll chastise the fans. Because you’re Special.

Later today, Major League Baseball will hand down suspensions and fines to the ticketholders around the bullpen in Oakland. And issue a demand that their fragile and expensive athletes receive more tender care from those who dare to venture close to them.

Please, don’t say anything to hurt their feelings. Next time, they might be armed with worse than a folding chair.

Later, an update from Yahoo/AP:

Texas relief pitcher Frank Francisco was arrested Tuesday morning on a charge of aggravated battery after he threw a chair into the seats and hit two spectators when a melee broke out during a Rangers-Oakland Athletics (news) game [...] On Tuesday, Texas owner Tom Hicks issued an apology “for the conduct of some members of our club.”

“Their behavior, especially the injury to a fan, was unacceptable. Even in a difficult or abusive environment, players should never be provoked into such actions,” Hicks said, adding that he had been in contact with the commissioner’s office. He did not say whether Francisco or any other player would be punished.

But I’m not sure we’re done yet: “The teams meet again Tuesday night in Oakland.”