Major League Baseball
Grapefruit League notebook: It just wasn't Garcia's day with Cops and bops

By Seattle Times news services

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Karim Garcia's day began with a visit from police. Then it turned downright bizarre, all because of a homer and a Hummer.

Garcia hit a fly ball that conked a fan in the head. Moments later, a foul liner shattered the window of his SUV.

"I've got to stay away from Karim," Mets teammate Roger Cedeno said. "He's not having good luck."

Accused of roughing up a local pizza deliveryman last week, Garcia and Shane Spencer gave statements to police yesterday at the Mets' spring-training complex. No charges have been filed. Once Garcia finished, he went to a back field for batting practice — and wound up in the middle of two mishaps.

Garcia sent a drive over the right-field fence and knew it meant trouble.

"As soon as I hit it, I could tell there were people standing out there. I couldn't see where it went," he said.

The ball struck a man, described as being in his 60s, right on the top of the head. The man somehow remained on his feet, and was treated by paramedics. He walked away with an ice pack on his head.

"I was glad to hear that he was OK," Garcia said.

Soon after that, it was Jose Reyes' turn to hit. Garcia was standing off to the side of the batting cage when Reyes hit a liner that curved toward the players' parking lot.
 
"I was like, 'Ha ha, he hit a car!' " Garcia said. "And then I found out it was mine and it wasn't so funny."

The shot broke the window on the right rear side.

Garcia had one more hit later in the day, and it was a good one — an RBI single in his only at-bat of a 9-3 loss to Florida.

Notes

• Yankees RF Gary Sheffield got a thumbs-up from a hand specialist and will resume playing later this week instead of having surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament.

• At Tampa, Fla., 3B Alex Rodriguez hit his first home run in a Yankees uniform — a two-run shot in a 10-6 loss to Atlanta — but also botched a popup near the mound that allowed the Braves' Rafael Furcal to reach on an infield single.

• Yankees C Jorge Posada will be limited to being the designated hitter for a few days because of a sore shoulder.

• In Fort Meyers, Fla., Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling gave up a run each in 5-2/3 innings for Boston in its 3-2 loss to Cincinnati.

"The results don't count," Martinez said. "Right now, just the fact that I feel fine, feel healthy, feel strong, that's good enough."

• Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne pitched a perfect inning in his spring debut for Los Angeles in a 7-3 loss to Montreal in Viera, Fla.

• Brandon Inge, moved to third base after the acquisition of Pudge Rodriguez, made three impressive plays in Detroit's 7-7 tie with Toronto in Lakeland, Fla.

• Philadelphia RHP Kevin Millwood, who bruised his left shoulder during a fielding drill yesterday, won't make his scheduled start against Atlanta tonight.

• Commissioner Bud Selig and players' union head Donald Fehr have been called to Capitol Hill to answer questions today about baseball's drug policy.

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