AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Steady rain cancels Game 3, could cool hostile feelings

The participants in Saturday's conflicts were rewarded with fines by Major League Baseball.
BOSTON (AP) -- Rain fell on the field at Fenway Park, not a beloved 72-year-old coach.
Hostilities between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox took a weather-induced break Sunday, with a daylong downpour delaying Game 4 of the AL championship series at night.
Baseball officials hoped the moisture in the air would help dampen the tempers. The series resumes tonight, with Mike Mussina trying to put the Yankees ahead 3-1 and Tim Wakefield attempting to even it up for the Red Sox with more of his fluttering knuckleballs.
Commissioner Bud Selig just wanted to make sure the players were focused on hitting baseballs, not each other.
Commissioner disappointed
"I am very disappointed in the behavior of some of the participants in [Saturday] night's game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees," he said in a statement. "I have instructed the umpires and told the clubs that any further misconduct by either team will not be tolerated and will be dealt with severely."
Bob Watson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline, issued four fines to the central combatants in New York's 4-3 win, penalizing Boston's Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez, and New York's Karim Garcia and coach Don Zimmer. While Watson didn't identify the amounts, Martinez was fined $50,000, Ramirez $25,000, Garcia $10,000 and Zimmer $5,000, according to a source.
Martinez began the boorishness when he threw a pitch near Garcia's head that nicked his shoulder. Garcia then made a hard slide at second baseman Todd Walker, and Ramirez took offense to a pitch by Roger Clemens, walking toward the mound, bat in hand. The benches cleared and Zimmer lunged at Martinez, who grabbed the former Boston manager by the head and pushed him to the ground.
"I'm embarrassed at what happened," Zimmer said, fighting back tears as he apologized Sunday. "I'm embarrassed for the Yankees, the Red Sox, the fans, the umpires and my family."
Zimmer, in his 54th professional season, left the ballpark on a stretcher after the game and was taken to the hospital with a strained left groin. "I was hurting," the coach said.
Boston owner John Henry was pleased with Zimmer's contrite comments. "I wouldn't mind seeing the same thing coming from our side," Henry said.
Rain helps pitching staff
The Red Sox hoped the rainout would give them an advantage. In the pitching switches, New York's David Wells was pushed back to Game 5, and Boston's John Burkett probably will be dropped to a sixth game Wednesday in New York, if it's needed. Derek Lowe likely will oppose Wells Tuesday at Fenway, where Lowe was 11-2 this year -- he was just 6-5 on the road.
"I'm real happy about this day off," Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon said. "It's a day of rest and it gives us some options with our pitching rotation. It helps us out."
Instead of looking ahead, though, much of the focus was on Game 3 -- and who was to blame.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner declined comment. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Martinez should have been arrested for throwing Zimmer to the ground.
"If that happened in New York we would have arrested the perpetrator," Bloomberg said. "Nobody should throw a 70-year-old man to the ground, period. ... You just cannot assault people, even if it's on a baseball field."
Bullpen fight
There was also the ninth-inning fight in the Yankees' bullpen involving reliever Jeff Nelson, Garcia and Paul Williams, a grounds crew worker who was rooting for the Red Sox.
Yankees president Randy Levine demanded an apology from the Red Sox for "an atmosphere of lawlessness." Boston refused, and Henry, called Levine's remarks "irresponsible."