Baseball player arrested after fighting with fans during game

clk

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I dunno if this belongs in this forum or the sports forum. It probably belongs in both. Anyways, here's the story
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=sportsNews&storyID=6234488

A Texas Rangers relief pitcher was arrested and charged with assault after flinging a chair into the stands and injuring a woman during a baseball game in Oakland, California, officials said on Tuesday.

"There was a heckler who happens to be the husband of the victim. He was heckling at the Rangers bullpen and they took exception," Dunbar said. The heckler "ducked and it hit his wife next to him."

The woman was taken to a local hospital and treated for a cut to her nose.

Video of the incident showed several Texas players confronting fans, with the woman emerging with a bloody nose and blood spilling onto her Athletics sweatshirt.
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I wonder what that guy was saying that could have made the Rangers that mad? I seriously doubt it was normal heckling. If the fan crossed the line, then he deserved to get his ass kicked...too bad his wife was the one that got injured. Perhaps she should have tried to calm down her husband, though. I'm willing to bet that the heckler's wife will file a 6 or 7 digit lawsuit and probably win.
 
clk said:
I'm willing to bet that the heckler's wife will file a 6 or 7 digit lawsuit and probably win.
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If that happens, it could be interesting, since she would probably sue not only the player, but his employer, and the venue. In ball parks that I've visited, every spectator's ticket includes a warning that equipment might be hit or thrown into the stands, and may cause injury, and a spectator is presumed to assume the risk of such a thing. But it should be easy to establish that the spectator assumes the risk of injury by an accidental, rather than an intentional, action by a player.
 
Re: Re: Baseball player arrested after fighting with fans during game

Brown said:
If that happens, it could be interesting, since she would probably sue not only the player, but his employer, and the venue. In ball parks that I've visited, every spectator's ticket includes a warning that equipment might be hit or thrown into the stands, and may cause injury, and a spectator is presumed to assume the risk of such a thing. But it should be easy to establish that the spectator assumes the risk of injury by an accidental, rather than an intentional, action by a player.
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Didn't someone get killed one time at a hockey game when the puck left the rink and hit the person in the head? Whatever happened there? Did the dead person's family sue the NHL? I did a brief Google search to see if I could find any information on this, but I was unsuccessful.

edit to add:
It was a little girl that got killed by the puck. Her family did file a lawsuit, and they later settled the case with the NHL. However, the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Source: http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2003_12_01_sports-law_archive.html
 
clk said:
...too bad his wife was the one that got injured.
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WRONG!

She deserved it for marrying him. Also since you can't force someone to testify against their spouse in court, I think it's only right that justice should be done to the other person as well, in cases where one of them has done something wrong. This is one such case.
 
Re: Re: Baseball player arrested after fighting with fans during game

American said:
WRONG!

She deserved it for marrying him. Also since you can't force someone to testify against their spouse in court, I think it's only right that justice should be done to the other person as well, in cases where one of them has done something wrong. This is one such case.
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Seriously, though, why does that guy in your avatar naked? And why is he wearing a superhero mask?
 
As a rule, waivers don't cover malicious acts.

I'd like to see this woman get a criminal conviction against the ballplayer, sending a message that 'stars' can't hurt ordinary people with impunity, AND I'd like to see her attorney get a legal opinion that by encouraging bench clearing brawls and allowing screaming matches, the league/team is responsible civilly.
 
Anyone know what the taunting was about? None of the news sources say, and the opinions of people who were there seem to vary as to it's severity.
 
clk said:
I wonder what that guy was saying that could have made the Rangers that mad? I seriously doubt it was normal heckling. If the fan crossed the line, then he deserved to get his ass kicked...
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Really? Heckling ballplayers is a time-honored tradition. Also, there's that first amendment "freedom of speech" thing. Taking it is part of the player's job. The way that I see it, whatever the fan says, the player should just ignore him, or perhaps respond with words of his own.

I'm not saying that the fan's actions were particularly wise, but in no way did he "deserve to get his ass kicked".
 
Re: Re: Baseball player arrested after fighting with fans during game

Neutron Jack said:
Really? Heckling ballplayers is a time-honored tradition. Also, there's that first amendment "freedom of speech" thing. Taking it is part of the player's job. The way that I see it, whatever the fan says, the player should just ignore him, or perhaps respond with words of his own.

I'm not saying that the fan's actions were particularly wise, but in no way did he "deserve to get his ass kicked".
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I agree that the players should have ignored him, but that doesn't mean the guy didn't deserve to get his ass kicked.
If it was normal heckling, then I would agree with you. But I think this guy must have really crossed the line. Purchasing a ticket doesn't give you the right to hurl obscenities at the players, especially when there are other fans around who are trying to enjoy the game. I think this guy must have gone beyond obscene, judging by the severity of the incident. I don't see how the first amendment really applies...what he did was kind of like shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater. Of course, this is all speculation, I doubt we will ever know for sure what he said.
 
from Neutron Jack:
Really? Heckling ballplayers is a time-honored tradition.
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But it doesn't usually prompt a thread on the JREF forum. I've never seen it before. So I'm intrigued as to what sparked it off.

Given that the guy's instinct was to duck, rather than to cover his wife, I guess he's not a Texan himself. And Cantona kicking that spectator in the chest may have been uncivilised, but at least he went man-to-man.
 
Bush is a Texan, Bush and Kerry are going to debate together, Kerry needs to know what it takes to make a Texan throw furniture. It could swing the election.
 
Well, I don't know what was said, but apparently this guy has a better sense of it:

"Dave Rinetti, A's vice president of stadium operations, said Tuesday a review of the ninth-inning fracas the night before — which took place in the lower-box seats between the Texas dugout and bullpen — showed the fans' behavior wasn't over the line according to baseball's rules of conduct that are posted at every ballpark entrance.

"The incident became ugly when players approached the seating area," Rinetti said before the teams played the second game of the four-game series.

He noted the fans didn't yell racial slurs or swear at the Texas players. "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...20040914/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bba_rangers_fan_fight
 
July 4, 1994 I was at the Cubs/Rockies double-header at Wrigley Field. The first game had a long rain delay, the second went 15 innings. Midway through game 2 nearly everyone had gone home, and 2 friends and I were sitting in the first row, right behind the visitors on-deck circle. We had been taunting and drinking all day (I'm not a Cubs fan, so I was taunting both sides :D ), and then Rockies 3rd baseman Charlie Hayes stepped into the on-deck circle. Hayes had gotten hit by a pitch earlier that season, breaking his cheek bone. Thus, he wore a clear plastic shield on his face for protection. Of course, this was too much for us to resist.

"Hey Robocop!" we yelled. "Watch out for the high hard one!". "You better duck quicker this time!" and so forth. Suddenly, he turned around and stormed right up to us, except he went just to our right to a guy who wasn't even with us and hadn't been taunting. He had 3 bats in his hand, and he waved them angrily at the hapless man next to us and said, "You muthaf*&#^er! I'll meet you outside after the game and kick your god&%$ed mothe&%^$%in' a$$, you coc^&$#^er!", all the while waving those 3 bats in the mans face. He was too terrified to say anything, and we kind of just looked the other way.... it's amazing how big they look standing in front of you waving those bats around! Hayes finished 2 for 5 that game.

It was a great day at the old ballpark! :D

I have a story about Jay Buehner at old Comiskey Park too, I'll save that until after I eat dinner.
 
WildCat said:
July 4, 1994 I was at the Cubs/Rockies double-header at Wrigley Field. The first game had a long rain delay, the second went 15 innings. Midway through game 2 nearly everyone had gone home, and 2 friends and I were sitting in the first row, right behind the visitors on-deck circle. We had been taunting and drinking all day (I'm not a Cubs fan, so I was taunting both sides :D ), and then Rockies 3rd baseman Charlie Hayes stepped into the on-deck circle. Hayes had gotten hit by a pitch earlier that season, breaking his cheek bone. Thus, he wore a clear plastic shield on his face for protection. Of course, this was too much for us to resist.

"Hey Robocop!" we yelled. "Watch out for the high hard one!". "You better duck quicker this time!" and so forth. Suddenly, he turned around and stormed right up to us, except he went just to our right to a guy who wasn't even with us and hadn't been taunting. He had 3 bats in his hand, and he waved them angrily at the hapless man next to us and said, "You muthaf*&#^er! I'll meet you outside after the game and kick your god&%$ed mothe&%^$%in' a$$, you coc^&$#^er!", all the while waving those 3 bats in the mans face. He was too terrified to say anything, and we kind of just looked the other way.... it's amazing how big they look standing in front of you waving those bats around! Hayes finished 2 for 5 that game.

It was a great day at the old ballpark! :D

I have a story about Jay Buehner at old Comiskey Park too, I'll save that until after I eat dinner.
Click to expand...

Letting someone take the rap for your actions. What a gutless wonder.
 
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