Yeah, I can see how she'd make you want to hit her.... /s
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."
There is no such thing as "barely won" in baseball. They won and they beat the best the Astro's have in the way of a closer. I'm not an Astro's fan nor am I a CWS fan but from my perspective what you are saying sounds like sour grapes.
Yeah, I can see how she'd make you want to hit her.... /s
The story is wrong; the pitcher involved--Doug Brocail--had told Mr. Bueno to back off, as did some of the other Rangers. But, he was liquored up, and wouldn't.
This is why I don't like MLB. Too violent.
Excuse me? New York is by far the rudest city in the US, since it's rude even in the nice areas and for many, many, may other reasons.
Thank goodness there are no drunken fans in Houston....
I'm an Astros fan, and, when you can't win one game with your top two starters, and leave twelve men on base over two games, you're cooked.
Why didn't other CWS fans stop this guy and jack him up?
They should not only press charges against the low-life they should throw the book at him. Seems like an open and shut case of assault.
The Black Sox scandal of 1919 was more chivalrous than this.
Regards, Ivan
(Who still wants the White Sox to win as the team is not to blame, just an idiot fan)
I understand, a win, is a win, until the time it isn't.
The Sox barely won (because they didnt win it with their play. If you thinks so, that's your right.)...bad call by umps changed the perpective of the game and even then it took a "lucky" home run to win it. The chisox have had to rely on that all too often in post season play.
Say what you will, sour grapes, or whatever...
At the end of the day, "the game", as you alude, will be decided on the field...Astros sweep the next four, but the Chisox are not "comfortably" ahead by two games IMHO. ESPN needs to keep their Northeastern biased to themselves for the next week.
LOL! I just heard the ESPN radio guy (Cow Herd?) discussing that listeners said that fans are nicest the farther you get from the East Coast, except for Raiders fans.
Beers cost $6 apiece at MinuteMaid Park, so you can't get drunk unless you're rich.
The article left out one thing that Guillen said--"Bring him to me in the clubhouse, and we'll kick his butt." I bet they would.
Interesting.
I'm from New York and I certainly always viewed Chicago as being part of the Mid-west. (In part because the people aren't nearly as rude as NY.)
No one living in Texas considers themselves part of the Midwest. Gulf Coast, West, South, but not Midwest.
Here's hoping Craig hits one out of the park each of the next 4 games that it takes to beat Chicago!
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