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."
Yeah, they and MLB don't want this to become a reciprical or traditional event now do they....
IMHO. Sox dont win another game...they barely won at their home stadium...something the chumps at ESPN dont want to admit.
Just another reason I hope the Sox lose...and that is sad, because originally I was rooting for them. But after those two bogus calls against the Angels my enthusiasm waned.
The White Sox can't have a World Series without scandal anymore apparently.
I thought Illinois was part of the Midwest.
ping
"When you're a man and you hit a lady,..."
Then you're not a man!
Beat up old men.
Hit defenseless women
What Class?!
Signed,
Cardinals fan, who was a White Sox fan until this incident.
Too bad Biggio's brother-in-law didn't beat the snot out of that punk.
I live in Texas and I have seen many bad fans here. Too bad one bad fan gives the whole team a black eye.
A sad event! Fans need to GROW UP!
When I lived in Chicago, I thought fights at the ballpark were part of the event. But since I've been in St Louis for quite a few years, I've gone to dozens of games and the closest I've ever seen to a fight is when the Cubs are in town!
"You're not gonna see that happen at games in the Mid West."
Chicago's in the Midwest.
Closest that I've seen in St. Louis, was when the Red Sox were here for the WS last year...
Must be an American League thing.
Sorry, didn't see this:
"I meant St. Louis, KC or Houston as being in the Mid West.
I associate Chicago with New York and Ohio in the North East, where many people seem to be rude."
Houston? In my own experience, Houston is much more rude than even New York. And we *work* at rudeness. ;-)
That's what I meant about beating up an old man...the first base coach.
Poor security a huge issue at Sox park
While major-league security officials rack their brains for ways to keep drunken fans from running onto the field and attacking players, coaches and umpires, Seattle centerfielder Mike Cameron has a simple solution.
"Just put an advisory on the scoreboard that if you come on the field, you are going to get your butt kicked," Cameron said. "You look at every guy who has come on the field, he has gotten his butt kicked."
Cameron was only half-kidding.
Major League Baseball, and the Chicago White Sox in particular, are justifiably embarrassed and troubled about the attack on umpire Laz Diaz last Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular (nee Comiskey) Park.
Coincidentally, the incident occurred during a game against the Kansas City Royals, whose previous visit to the South Side was marred by a two-fan attack on first base coach Tom Gamboa.
The Royals were steamed about the incident, in part because the fan who grabbed Diaz around the legs was the fourth to run on the field during the game.
"The first time, it was no big deal," Kansas City manager Tony Pena said. "The second and third time, I said, 'Somebody has to stop this.' "
In order to prevent a repeat, the White Sox added security guards and ordered ushers to be vigilant in checking ticket stubs to make sure fans don't sneak near the field. But they didn't change a policy that allows vendors to sell beer in the stands through the top of the eighth inning and at concession stands through the end of the eighth.
Minnesota first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz believes that baseball should relocate the All-Star Game, which is scheduled for U.S. Cellular on July 15.
"I think they should take the All-Star Game away from there, honestly," Mientkiewicz told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "You can't be having first-base coaches and umpires getting attacked. That's ridiculous."
Baseball feels the same way about Mientkiewicz's suggestion.
"There is no relationship between this and the All-Star Game," said Sandy Alderson, baseball's executive vice president for baseball operations. "The All-Star Game will be played in Chicago, played in a safe environment for players, umpires and fans, and it will be a great event."
The Diaz attack was a hot topic in big-league clubhouses last week.
"It used to be that when somebody ran out onto the field it was the kissing bandit - that pretty woman that came up to you and gave you a kiss," Cleveland first base coach Jeff Datz said. "Not anymore. Now if somebody runs out on the field, he jumps on your back."
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