TDA Bullpen - Our Writers' Blog

Thursday, September 16, 2004

MLB AND ITS FANS NEED TO CLEAN UP THEIR ACTS

By Diane M. Grassi

Major League Baseball as well as its fans took a collective literal blow on Monday, September 13th at Oakland Coliseum at a game between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers. A melee unfolded between players and fans when what appeared to be hostile fans in close proximity to the Texas Rangers' bullpen were purposely antagonizing the pitchers as they sat in the bullpen.

But most reports and opinions about this unsettling display which sports fans and non-sports fans alike witnessed on their evening's news have failed to address the big picture. As fans of pro-sports we have not escaped viewing on-field, on-court or on-ice brawls between players, between players and umpires or referees and unfortunately but less often between a player and a specific heckler in the stands.

Yes, we have had instances such as in 1991 when Cleveland Indians outfielder Albert Belle threw a ball at a fan in the stands and hit him. But more frequently players get involved with fans when they appear to be acting in self-defense such as when Chicago Cubs pitcher Randy Myers knocked out a charging fan in 1995. In 2000, Los Angeles Dodgers players took on Cubs' fans at Wrigley Field after a fan allegedly struck a Dodgers' catcher and stole his hat while he was in the bullpen.

We also have the case of the attack of Kansas City Royals' first base coach Tom Gamboa in a game at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field in 2002. A father and son ran onto the field unprovoked and caused permanent injury to Gamboa. Sadly, they both got off on probation. Umpire Laz Diaz was attacked by fans in 2003, while standing near right field. These are only some of the documented incidents which have occurred in MLB, and do not even begin to address all of the other professional sports leagues where various types of physical slugfests or mob scenes transpire.

More importantly, the event of September 13th reminds us of the need for accountability on the parts of spectators, Major League Baseball and its respective organizations and managements. Before it becomes necessary for us to legislate common decency and rules of behavior in public, people have to take a good look in the mirror. In this instance, MLB alone is not the problem, but rather the combination of the public's general lack of adhering to rules and appropriate behavior along with MLB's fear of offending its patrons.

However, fans don't reserve bad behavior for baseball games alone, but rather subscribe to unruly ways which just escalate when they get to the stadium, irked on my a mob and/or by over imbibing. Fans screaming and miming indecent gestures at ballplayers on a field or throwing things on the field can be analogous to someone acting out their road rage. It is unfortunately imbedded in our society as "acceptable" behavior.

Craig Bueno, the fan in the middle of antagonizing the bullpen players and husband of the injured fan, Jennifer Bueno, freely admitted that "Heckling is part of the game." (I am sure that Abner Doubleday would take issue with that.) Bueno reserves the right to act unruly but obviously forgot that other people could get hurt in the process, other than himself or his family. He cannot have it both ways. He wanted a reaction, he got one, but it was not the reaction he wanted and now he is crying foul.

On the other hand, there is no excuse for pitcher Frank Francisco's behavior in throwing a chair across the stands. He appeared to be having a full-blown temper tantrum and acted totally inappropriately for which he should be suspended and fined by MLB and face the authorities. His crime was lacking any forethought of possibly permanently maiming someone and showed an indifference to the safety of those around him including his teammates.

As concerns Major League Baseball, with all of the security issues we must now deal with in a post-9/11 world when going into any public building or space these days, why are the fans allowed such close proximity to the players in bullpens in many of these stadiums, especially given the amount of problems which have occurred over the past few years?

And if the owners of these teams cannot spare eliminating these seats near bullpens, why then is security in those areas virtually invisible? After all, the latest such bullpen brawl prior to September 13th took place during the Yankees-Red Sox playoffs of 2003 between Yankees players and a groundskeeper in the Fenway Park bullpen, mistaken for a fan given his tasteless behavior. The Oakland A's management after reviewing the videotape stated that the fans’ behavior "was not over the line according to baseball’s rules of conduct" but that posture does little to quell such behavior in the future, and is also an unsuitable response.

And finally why has the Commissioner of Major League Baseball only given lip service to its fans and its players over the past decade whenever these events happen? Players, owners, spectators and MLB all need to be on the same page about what to expect when going to the stadium. It needs to be clear about what will be tolerated by fans and players alike and a precedent needs to be set before something really tragic transpires. For starters, unruly fans should be escorted out, and baseball players need to be counseled on what to do before they find themselves in big trouble.

Provocation which leads to mayhem is unacceptable. Whether it be in the stadium, in the arena or on the freeway, we must all work on being decent human beings to each other again first, and not take our cues from out of control ballplayers or especially from unruly fans who seemingly get away with being so, only to later surface looking for a big payday.

posted by Diane M. Grassi 7:42 PM