Frankie Francisco penalty?

[Chrome]

For those unfamiliar with the situation:

Francisco arrested after Rangers brawl with fans

A's official disputes racial slur allegation

By T.R. Sullivan

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

OAKLAND - Rangers reliever Frankie Francisco was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after throwing a chair into the stands during a brawl with fans on Monday night.

The chair struck two fans, including an unidentified woman. According to an Oakland Athletics official, she was taken to a local hospital and treated for a facial laceration and broken nose.

One source said a fan's racial slur ignited the melee in the ninth inning of the Rangers game against the Oakland Athletics.

Francisco and teammate Doug Brocail are expected to be suspended by Major League Baseball for their involvement in the incident.

The finger pointing is under way.

David Rinetti, the Athletics vice president of stadium operations, laid the blame with players.

"A fan was heckling the players, but he was not using profanity and not using racial slurs. The security didn't feel that the heckling was to the extent that is should be stopped," Rinetti said. "The information I received was the fans actions did not constitute an ejection and should not have warranted the players reaction."

Rangers general manager John Hart said the incident is unfortunate and does not represent what the Rangers stand for.

"No 1, I know Frankie Francisco. This is a great kid. ... He's a nice humble young man," Hart said. "He's going to learn a painful lesson. He's going to get whacked."

Hart went on to blast the security at Network Associates Coliseum.

"The security there traditionally has been extremely lax. From what I understand, the fans were verbally assaulting our players and nothing was done. Those were the dynamics," Hart said. "There's going to be pointing of fingers at all parties. But it started with lax security and ended with bad judgment from Frankie."

[Rooster_Ties]

Seems to me there needs to be a serious penulty here. Not "banned for life" - but something like banned for an entire season, meaning he can't play again until a full year from now. (FYI, I voted (above) to ban him for the rest of the season.)

It's not that the penulty needs to be overly harsh, so as to prevent future players from considering doing the same thing. I mean, frankly, something like this is never 'planned' by anyone (or anyone in their right mind). That's why I didn't say "banned for life".

But it is still pretty serious stuff. Players are supposed to take heat from the fans, and let it roll off them like water off a duck. Sure, it doesn't always work that way -- but to actually go so far as to throw a chair at a fan -- and at a fan who hasn't come out on the field, but is still in a legitimate "fan" section of the stadium.... That's pretty much 'out of control' in my book. I don't car what a fan says, you don't go throwing chairs at fan.

So I'd say to ban him for 90 days, which is the rest of this season, plus however much time is needed at the start of next season, to make a full 90-day suspention.

Edited September 15, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[Man with the Golden Arm]

The only decent alternative to "banning for life" would be for a nice little Rangers visit back in time to lovely Cleveland Municipal Stadium for -

TEN CENT BEER NITE!!!

Hangover looms from beer melee

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Billy Martin began the night blowing kisses to Indians fans. A few hours later, armed with a bat, he was running from them.

Beer and blood flowed 25 years ago today when Cleveland fans, many drunk on 10-cent beer, turned a seemingly harmless promotion into a night of violence that left players, fans and umpires bloodied.

Memories of "10-cent Beer Night" at Cleveland Stadium still shake Jim Fregosi.

"There were a lot of punches thrown," said the Toronto manager, who was playing first base for Martin's Texas Rangers that night. "A lot of people got hurt. Players got hit with chairs over their heads. It was nasty."

Fans fought with fans; with police; with the Rangers and the Indians, many of whom ran onto the field to protect their Texas counterparts. Umpire Nestor Chylak and Indians reliever Tom Hilgendorf were both struck in the head with chairs.

"It was like we were in a battle zone," said umpire Joe Brinkman.

A crowd of 25,134 showed up that warm Tuesday night enticed by the chance to drink as many beers as they could handle for 10 cents a piece. By the end of the night, it was estimated that over 60,000 cups were quaffed.

Trouble had been brewing between the teams after Rangers second baseman Lenny Randle intentionally ran over Cleveland pitcher Milt Wilcox a week earlier. Rangers fans doused the Indians with beer afterward.

So when Texas arrived in Cleveland, Indians fans were ready and the cheap beer was additional fuel. When Martin delivered his lineup card before the game, he was booed. Never one to back down, he responded by tipping his cap and blowing kisses.

Current Indians manager Mike Hargrove, a rookie with the Rangers in 1974, said nothing prepared him for the violence he would later witness.

"I remember a father and son going out to center field and mooning everybody," said Hargrove. "Streakers were running across the field and I remember one woman coming out and running over to kiss an umpire."

By the sixth inning with the Rangers leading 5-1, the crowd had gotten drunker, rowdier and bolder.

Groups of fans began running onto the field. Initially, they dashed out between innings, then between outs and finally between pitches. Some stopped to shake hands with players before being escorted off the field by a badly outnumbered security force.

As the Indians rallied to within 5-3 in the sixth, fireworks and other projectiles were being launched toward the Texas dugout.

"I remember getting spit on a lot and having a lot of hot dogs thrown at me," said Hargrove, who has a photograph of the infamous night hanging in his Jacobs Field office. "Somebody threw a gallon jug of Thunderbird wine at me."

Sensing things were getting worse in the seventh, the Rangers pitchers vacated their bullpen and headed to the relative safety of the dugout.

Then came the ninth, and mayhem.

Cleveland scored two runs to tie it 5-5. More fans poured on the field in celebration and one threw a punch at Texas right fielder Jeff Burroughs.

Burroughs punched back, and in an instant, he was surrounded by a dozen fans.

"That's when Billy grabbed a bat," said photographer Ron Kuntz. "I'll always remember this, he grabbed a bat and said, 'Let's get 'em boys.'

"The Rangers started going after that guy and before you knew it, there were thousands of fans all over the field. I was scared. The only thing I can compare it to was when I was covering riots in Venezuela and there were guys with Uzis running around."

Once he knew all the players had escaped the field, Chylak gave the Rangers the 9-0 forfeit, one of only four forfeits in the last 25 years.

While wiping away blood, Chylak told the Lorain Journal, "We went as far as we could go, but you can't pull back uncontrollable beasts. The last time I saw animals like that was in the zoo."

Grieve, now a broadcaster for the Rangers, said when he heard the game had been forfeited he was relieved for his safety and that the two homers he hit were safely in the books.

"I was afraid they wouldn't count. Fortunately, they did. I didn't hit many so I needed those two," said Grieve, who hit 65 in a nine-year career.

Like Hargrove, Brinkman still has a picture.

"I remember holding on to a guy who had been kicked in the head. I'm holding him and blood is running down his face," Brinkman said. "I think there were about 10,000 people on the field at one time. It was scary."

[Jazzmoose]

Give him the chair.

[JSngry]

A lifetime contract with the Rangers should be punishment enough.

[Big Al]

Ban for life? Come on; it’s not like he’s Pete Rose or Darryl Strawberry or anyone like that.

Exile to Expos? Nah; NOBODY deserves that kind of punishment.

Suspended for the rest of the season? You bet. He may be a good kid and a good pitcher, but this is fuckin’ serious. God only knows how much he’s gonna have to shell out in damages for this. I’m just worried that it’s gonna cost the Rangers organization as well, in terms of potential litigation.

[Joe]

Not to justify FF's actions, but I think we have to relaize that serious cultural differences may be a factor in this sorry episode.

Great pic of slugger Jeff Burroughs up above, BTW.

[Rooster_Ties]

Give him the chair.

.....

[Big Al]

Give him the chair.

[catesta]

Suspended for the rest of the season? You bet. He may be a good kid and a good pitcher, but this is fuckin’ serious.

Seems about right.

I couldn't see banning the guy for life, but the rest of this season or all of next, sure.

[Matthew]

I said two weeks. What the heck, at Candlestick, Reggie Smith was always going up in the stands after people, and nothing happened to him. Candlestick was such a cool place anyway, anything could happen there. B-)

Edit: And not to mention Erik Karros, Mike Piazza, Derrel Thomas , and, I'm sure Tommy Lasorda wanted some action in the stand also.

Edited September 15, 2004 by Matthew

[Brad]

I think a week is enough but wouldn't be opposed to the remainder of the season. Getting suspended is the least of his problems what with one of the victims threatening civil litigation. You can't justify his actions but I've been in the stands and hear what people yell at the players. No one should be subjet to that kind of abuse. Just because you paid a ticket, that doesn't mean you have license to call a person every name in the book. What's tolerated at a ballgame wouldn't be tolerated in any way in a social setting.

Edited September 15, 2004 by Brad

[RDK]

The funniest thing, on the news last night, was footage of the woman's husband explaining how he and his wife were terrified by the towering ballplayers coming after them in the stands. This was, of course, intercut with video footage of the actual incident showing the very same husband egging the player on with "you want a piece of me" moves...

[Dan Gould]

I voted other and would like to see a one year suspension, to be served after his jail sentence.

[7/4]

[Jazzmoose]

Great pic of slugger Jeff Burroughs up above, BTW.

I agree, but when the hell was the Fonz a teammate???

[Noj]

This just in...Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Whoops, wrong topic.

[Johnny E]

I voted other and would like to see a one year suspension, to be served after his jail sentence.

I agree with Dan. This is unacceptable! This is baseball gad damn it, not hockey. Can't take the heckling? Give up you millions and go flip burgers at Jack in the Box, asshole.

[Brad]

A year's suspension? That's nuts. I doubt he'd even get that much jail time. Probably a few months.

Again, I repeat, why does behavior that would be unacceptable in other settings and might get you beat up be acceptable in a ballpark just because you've paid to see a game. I see references to the fact that players should take it because they're paid money. In that, I see inferences to the poor working stiff who gets paid to see millionaires. What does your degree of wealth have to do with it. Ladies and Gents, you don't check your manners and behavior when you buy a ticket. Somehow I don't see a $20 ticket or whatever it costs now giving you the freedom to do what you want at the ballpark.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I had this model as a kid!!!

Seem to have forgotten all about it till now. This board is great!!!

[Dan Gould]

A year's suspension? That's nuts. I doubt he'd even get that much jail time. Probably a few months.

Again, I repeat, why does behavior that would be unacceptable in other settings and might get you beat up be acceptable in a ballpark just because you've paid to see a game. I see references to the fact that players should take it because they're paid money. In that, I see inferences to the poor working stiff who gets paid to see millionaires. What does your degree of wealth have to do with it. Ladies and Gents, you don't check your manners and behavior when you buy a ticket. Somehow I don't see a $20 ticket or whatever it costs now giving you the freedom to do what you want at the ballpark.

Brad, this is the way I see it:

People can say whatever the hell they want. Players are free to give it back to them, as nasty as they want. But no one physically threatened the ball player. Whatever was said, there are no circumstances where assault, let alone a violent outburst which is likely to injure other people, is called for.

Sticks and stones. Any ballplayer should be able to take any amount of verbal abuse. There is no excuse, no circumstance, and no explanation for heaving a chair into the stands.

And no, this isn't hockey either. Hockey has a tradition of fighting and its not surprising that players have gone into stands and attacked fans.

This has never happened in major league baseball before and this clown needs to be made an example for any other high strung idiots who think that verbal abuse should be met with physical violence in the middle of the game.

[7/4]

off with his head!

[7/4]

we could at least trim his toes nails...

[7/4]

...but that doesn't seem like too much of a punishment.

[Ed S]

Haven't posted much here lately.....