Major League Baseball
Between the seams: A bad behavior blame game

By T.R. Sullivan
Knight Ridder Newspapers

D. ROSS CAMERON / AP Frank Francisco was charged with battery after hurling a ballboy's plastic chair into the crowd of Oakland Athletics fans Monday night.

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Craig Bueno, a fireman in the nearby suburb of Hayward, had been heckling Texas Rangers relievers for most of Monday night's game from his seat near the bullpen along the right-field line, according to witnesses.

Then, in the top of the ninth inning, Alfonso Soriano hit a home run to tie the score at 5-5.

Witnesses said that's when Bueno screamed at the Rangers bullpen, "So which one of you losers is going to blow this thing tonight?"

That's when pitcher Doug Brocail snapped and charged Bueno, setting off a highly charged melee that will have serious repercussions for the Rangers.

Brocail and three other Rangers are facing possible suspension. Frank Francisco is likely to get the most severe penalty for throwing a hard plastic chair into the stands that hit Bueno's wife, Jennifer, who ended up needing medical treatment.

"This kind of thing cannot be tolerated," said Sandy Alderson, vice president of baseball operations for major league baseball who was sent by commissioner Bud Selig to investigate both the incident and security at Network Associates Coliseum.

"There is absolutely no excuse or circumstance for a player to go into the stands," Alderson said. "Any time an object is thrown there are very serious consequences."

Francisco was taken into custody after Monday's game and charged with aggravated battery, a felony, then released early yesterday morning on $15,000 bail. He remained at the team's San Francisco hotel for most of the day, but was at last night's game, won by Texas 12-9, in uniform.

A felony conviction is unlikely, but it could present long-range problems for Francisco, who is from the Dominican Republic.

"No. 1, I know Frankie Francisco," Rangers general manager John Hart said. "We really do like this young man. He's a nice, humble young man. Along those lines, though, he's about to get a painful lesson. He's going to get whacked.

"What he did, it goes without saying if you know what the Rangers stand for, we don't condone it. It's not something that anybody wants to see happen. But we still like this kid."

Pitcher Carlos Almanzar and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo could also face suspension. Both were in the middle of the fracas and had to be physically restrained by teammates.

Rangers owner Tom Hicks issued an apology, saying: "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." The Rangers still had issues with security at the Coliseum.

"The security there has traditionally been extremely lax," Hart said. "From what I understand, there was relentless verbal assault on our players and no security. That place has a track record of doing a very poor job of security."

David Rinetti, the Athletics' vice president of stadium operations, took exception to that.

"Our security defused the situation immediately," Rinetti said. "Our security acted professionally."

The Rangers insist they asked for extra security during the game. Rinetti said he received no such request. Alderson said that dispute is being investigated.

One Rangers player said there was a security guard near the bullpen, but that did nothing to quiet Bueno or others.

"The security didn't feel the heckling was to the extent that it should be shopped," Rinetti said. "It did not constitute an ejection, and should not have warranted the players' reactions."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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