Posted on 10/25/2005 8:42:45 AM PDT by Jalapeno
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen issued a public apology on behalf of his organization to Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, whose wife was slapped by a fan in the stands at U.S. Cellular Field.
"I feel like it's our fault, and I talked to (Biggio) about it, and he knows we're sorry," Guillen said. "He knows it was something we couldn't control. It wasn't like a fight. (The fan) hit the lady and left."
The incident occurred on Sunday night during Game 2 of the 101st World Series at Chicago's ballpark, where several members of the Astros' traveling party were harassed.
"He slapped her and ran," Biggio said of the fan who struck his wife, Patty. "She ran after him. My brother-in-law ended up putting him against the wall. That's pretty sorry."
Asked if Patty had been hurt, Biggio said his New Jersey-raised wife held her own.
"You don't slap a New Jersey girl and get away with it," he said. "That happens sometimes. It's terrible. It's over."
Added Guillen: "I wish she would have grabbed something and broken his head. If that happened to my family, it would have been a big problem. ... People should just go to the game and not bother people next to you, or you're not a White Sox fan or a baseball fan. Just enjoy the game. Drink if you want to drink; just respect the people next to you."
No criminal complaint was made against the fan, according to Chicago police. Chicago defended
Biggio, manager Phil Garner, general manager Tim Purpura, catcher Brad Ausmus and several of the Astros were adamant that a few cowardly acts weren't indicative of the White Sox or Chicago fan base.
"The word was that the guy had been gouging her a little bit, pulling her hair and just doing some stupid things, things that are just not necessary," Garner said. "Have your fun. This (World Series) is a great thing for them and a great thing for us. Cheer and be as loud as you want to be and whatever else, but don't do that.
"I can't imagine Patty Biggio ever saying anything that would incite anything, either. I just can't imagine that. Even if she had, there's no excuse."
Despite the incident, Garner said he heard the Astros' traveling party had mostly positive experiences with the fans.
Nonetheless, Guillen did not hide his disgust at the treatment Patty Biggio received.
"On behalf of the White Sox organization, I just don't think we could control that," Guillen said. "But I think the family is a big part of my life. I think especially the kids. And when that happened in the ballpark, you feel you need to be supportive.
"When you're a man and you hit a lady, no matter whose wife it is or whose sister it is, you respect them. But it's something that's tough to control. It happened so quick." More harassment
Although Patty Biggio was the only Astros wife who was slapped Sunday, she wasn't the only member of the traveling party who was harassed. Ausmus said his wife, Liz, endured some vulgar taunts and a few vulgar hand gestures throughout the night.
"Some of the treatment that the Astros families received at U.S. Cellular Field was a huge black eye for the city of Chicago," Ausmus said. "Now, I understand that's not indicative of all the people in the Chicago area, because I have friends and relatives there.
"I know the people of Chicago are overwhelmingly good people. But if I was from Chicago, I'd be embarrassed by the way the Astros' families were treated by the White Sox fans. My wife didn't get hit or anything, but people flipped her off and were screaming at her."
The attendance at U.S. Cellular Field was announced as 41,432 for Game 2, and the crowd was obviously overwhelmingly in support of the White Sox. With that in mind, Ausmus said there was little the Astros' family members could do in response. "You don't want to get caught in a situation where you're inflaming the masses," Ausmus said. "So I think as an Astros fan at a visiting park, you pretty much have to swallow it."
'Bring him to me'
Maybe so, but Guillen insinuated that he would have definitely defended anybody in the Astros' traveling party.
"I know the security in Chicago is doing a great job," Guillen said. "And when something happens so quick, you can't blame anybody. And the guy that did it, he should be brought to Biggio, and he's the one that can hopefully get him back.
"I told the police, 'Don't put him in jail. Bring him to me in the dugout.' But hopefully, that won't happen again."
Shortstop Adam Everett heard a little bit about the incident, but he knew more than enough to form his opinion.
"That's real weak," he said. "That's bad. I don't care where you're at, to hit a woman is not good."
Read it again...."outside the park"...what park of this do you not understand?
Man sues baseball player for breaking his hand as he slapped players wife....
My, you have an awful lot of anger. Are you a democrat, by chance?
ad hominem much. I pointed out what I didn't like about the Chisox. So that garners a smart jab at me? keep on topic.
Thanks for the information in your post #89.
I went to NY in 1997 and I never found a friendlier bunch of people. I grew up in Chicago and no one was EVER as nice as the people in NY.
Sure couldn't tell by the way they play. However, that would explain giving up a walk-off homer to an individual who didn't hit one homer all year. Someone get Ronnie Earle on the phone I smell another scandal in Texas! :)
Let's just remember that it's still a game.
BTWanyone planning to slap Biggio's wife? I'd imagine her security will deal with any attempted assault..."Texas Style".....
Since when is Kentucky (where Jefferson Davis was born) part of the Midwest?
LOL! Great picture!
When was it taken? The Sox player is Robin Ventura, he hasn't been with the Sox since 1998.
I didn't write the definition. Check out the link in post 89. It explains where the term comes from and why the states in the definition are included.
I was reacting to the map, which showed Kentucky colored as Midwestern. The definitions in #89 leave out Kentucky.
Correction that was in '93.
I noticed that too. The entire Wikipedia entry for midwest doesn't mention Kentucky. Although they do discuss Virginia's claims to the Northern Ordinance "Old Northwest" territory. One might presume that claim to include the current states of West Virginia and Kentucky.
Oh please, this is the ball park that invented the word assault!
Have I said anything that wasn't proven by replay? I think not.
The SOX are getting the calls, that happesn, but their play isnt anything that should give them warm fuzzies about rolling through the series.
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