Brawlers Get The Time-Out Chair
By Joe Davis
Pay-Rod and Jason Varitek were each suspended for four games and fined $2,000 on Thursday for the bench clearing brawl in Fenway last week.
Tanyon "I Hurt My Baby Finger" Sturtze, Gabe Kapler and Trot Nixon were each slapped with a three-game suspension and fined $1,000.
Kenny Lofton, Curt Schilling and David Ortiz were fined $500 each.
Pay-Rod, Varitek, Kapler, Nixon, and baby Sturtze plan to appeal.
"I thought it was too much, four games," Rodriguez said before Thursday night's game against Baltimore. "I was surprised it was that harsh. I've seen some harsher actions over the last month and it's five games."
Pay-Rod was obviously alluding to David Ortiz's punishment when he said that. Ortiz was suspended for 5 games earlier this month when he threw bats at umpires in Anaheim. Hey Pay-Rod, don't you have other people to think about then David Ortiz. Jeter maybe?
"I think my time is going to come in front of Bob Watson," he said referring to his appeal, "Hopefully, it'll be one or two games."
Translation: Georgie Porgie will take care of it. (The New York Yankees have connections with Bob Watson. Watson was formerly the Yankees General Manager.)
When Pay-Rod was hit with the pitch, he glared at pitcher Bronson Arroyo, and had a few choice words for him as well. Jason Varitek got in his way and Rodriguez said Varitek's language was "strong and ugly," before Varitek attacked Pay-Rod.
Rodriguez said he thought the person who throws the first blow should receive a more severe penalty.
"I was on my way to first base and I got punched in the mouth by a glove," he said, ever the innocent victim.
Translation: "Good thing Varitek got in my way, I would have pommeled Arroyo. Even though my language was bad, meany Varitek said things even worse! Man, that glove hurt."
Even Sturtze had something to chip in. "I think three games is too much for me," Sturtze said. "I was just trying to get a guy off the pile and I ended up on an island over by the dugout.'' And with a sore pinky finger, too.
