Posted on 10/07/2003 11:09:27 AM PDT by mhking
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Some of the Oakland Athletics were furious with Derek Lowe, accusing the Red Sox pitcher of making obscene gestures toward them after he struck out Terrence Long to finish Boston's 4-3 victory in the AL division series Monday night.
"It's a situation where if you did anything where you offended anyone, I'm sorry," Lowe said. "I was swinging my arms around. I don't know what I did. I did the same crazy thing I do every game."
The A's thought Lowe simulated a sexual act with his arms and made a gesture toward his crotch following the final out, sending Oakland shortstop Miguel Tejada into a rage in the clubhouse moments later.
"Derek Lowe is going to be paid back for that sign," Tejada screamed hysterically through the clubhouse, shouting expletives. "My kid is in the stands. He's going to pay."
Oakland general manager Billy Beane escorted the crying Tejada away.
Tejada was later told that Lowe apologized.
"I feel better now that I hear he apologizes," Tejada said after calming down. "He was jumping around and making a scene. They have families up there, we have families up there."
Tejada is one of the most emotional players on the A's, and this was probably his final game with them because he can become a free agent.
"He takes everything personally, wins and losses, and plays with his heart on his sleeve," first baseman Scott Hatteberg said of Tejada. "He plays with everything he's got."
Other A's players were offended.
"That's extremely unprofessional," center fielder Chris Singleton said. "That's a shame that's the type of person he is. He was the only one who showed less than professionalism."
Hatteberg spent seven seasons with the Red Sox and 11 in their organization. He and Lowe were teammates.
"To have that done is absolutely classless and unprofessional," Hatteberg said. "I'm disappointed having known him. I don't think it was aimed at (Tejada), it was aimed at us. I know we show emotion, but I can't think of anything we've done to show them up."
I saw the other fans laughing, not trying to diffuse the situation. I thought they were all being jerks. What was there to laugh about when there's a serious injury on the field. They need to go to hockey games.
Neither can I, Scotty... and thanks for laying down and losing three straight for us Sox fans. You truly couldn't have done less to show us up.
As for your teammates' whine about the Sox celebrating after having come back from the brink of elimination, please... get a life. I mean it. Get a freakin' life, n'kay?
Tell "Pendejo" Tejada he should do it for his kids.
:-)
By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Tuesday, October 7, 2003
Pitcher Tim Hudson got into a barroom brawl with an obnoxious Red Sox fan Friday night - an altercation that may have caused the muscle pull that sent the Oakland A's ace to the showers after just one inning Sunday.
According to witnesses, employees and the loser who started the fight, Hudson was swinging wildly at a fan named Lee while more than a half dozen guys tried to restrain him. The brief free-for-all broke out after Lee, a Roslindale homey who refused to reveal his last name, doused Hudson with a beer at Club Q, upstairs from Hennessy's near Quincy Market.
Better call the WAAAAAAH-mbulance...
There was a time when doing something like that would have earned a player some serious chin music the next time they came up to bat.
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