Bullpen Base-Brawl Players Charged - NY Yankees

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/22/national/main579335.shtml

New York Yankees Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia were charged Thursday with assault and battery for fighting with a groundskeeper in the Fenway Park bullpen during a playoff game against the Red Sox.

A clerk magistrate also found probable cause to go forward with Nelson's cross-complaint against Paul Williams, 24, a middle school teacher and part-time groundskeeper from Derry, N.H.

Clerk Magistrate Michael Neighbors called the case against the two players "weak," but said there was enough evidence in the police incident report to allow the case to go forward, despite a lack of eyewitnesses.

The fight took place during a raucous Game 3 of the AL championship series on Oct. 11. Williams said he was attacked by Yankee reliever Nelson because he was cheering for the Red Sox in the Yankee bullpen.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. The evidence didn't look weak to me

especially given that Williams was in a neck brace and pretty banged up.

[jobycom]

2. A lot of people wind up in neck braces after

fighting with millionaires...

Having said that, I hope they are convicted of something. I'm tired of the whole dumb jock mentality that fighting is part of the sport. I'd like to see arrests for batters rushing the mound, personally. It's a bit hard these days to teach my kids to appreciate sports and still act maturely during conflicts.

Not calling for throwing these guys in the slammer, just for some form of acknowledgement that what they did was not acceptable. Personally, I think a plea bargain to a misdemeanor with some light community service combined with a large sum of hush money to the victim would be a good thing.