Saturday, September 18, 2004
Frank Francisco sat out the first of his 16-game suspension for throwing a chair.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Frank Francisco, one of three Texas Rangers relievers suspended for their part in a bullpen brawl with fans in Oakland earlier this week, began serving his season-ending ban on Saturday.
Francisco was suspended by the commissioner's office Friday for the rest of the season -- 16 games -- for throwing a chair that struck a woman and broke her nose during Monday's game.
The right-hander appealed the suspension and pitched one inning in the Rangers' 9-5 loss to the Anaheim Angels on Friday night, allowing a solo home run by Vladimir Guerrero.
"This was Frankie's desire, after looking at all the options that presented themselves," general manager John Hart said. "Frankie wanted to do what was in the bests interests of the club, and for himself. I think that MLB and the union worked to try to make this as feasible as can be."
Stepping aside
Francisco's suspension is still under appeal, but the rookie decided to waive his right to continue playing while he's awaiting the appeal hearing that will take place next Friday before Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer. Because he pitched Friday night, his suspension would carry over to opening day of next season if upheld.
"Frankie's not admitting anything -- he still has the opportunity for the appeal -- but if it doesn't go favorably, he will have been able to serve 'X' number of days and reduce the amount of time that would carry over," Hart said.
The suspension is among the harshest assessed by the commissioner's office for on-field conduct in recent decades, trailing only the 30-day suspension given Cincinnati manager Pete Rose in 1988 for pushing umpire Dave Pallone.
Pitcher Doug Brocail was suspended for seven games, and reliever Carlos Almanzar and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo were each suspended for five games -- and all were fined. Brocail and Almanzar also appealed, and are eligible to pitch.
Jennifer Bueno, whose nose was broken, said Wednesday she plans to seek compensation for her injuries once prosecutors and baseball officials complete their investigation. Hart said the club will fully cooperate with prosecutors, if and when they are contacted.
"Frankie Francisco is an outstanding young man and a great kid," Hart said. "I think that the quicker that all of this can put behind us and him, the better it's going to be. And this is a part of it. But from a competitive standpoint, it's a challenge."
Francisco, 25, was the AL rookie of the month for August, when he was 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA.
One side of the story
Doug Brocail was branded as the instigator of the melee. After receiving a seven-game suspension, Brocail briefly tried to tell his side of the story.
He said he had asked heckler Craig Bueno to quiet down several times before things got out of control in the ninth inning.
"I regret that a chair was thrown, that a woman was hurt," said Brocail, suspended once before while with Detroit for a wild fight with the Chicago White Sox. "There was no intention for that to happen. I regret that I didn't walk up to the security guy myself and press the issue more with him."
Reliever Carlos Almanzar, suspended five games for his part in the fight, and hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, also suspended five games, declined to comment. All are appealing their suspensions and are available until a hearing is held next week.
Bueno said Brocail was never the subject of his heckling during the game. For their part, Rangers players didn't issue blame. They simply tried to stay focused on a playoff race that is escaping their grasp.
Season-ending injury
On the same day they found out about the suspensions, they also found out second baseman Alfonso Soriano is done for the year because of potential tear in his hamstring.
By the end of next week, the Rangers could be without three of their top relievers. They could also be eliminated from the race by then, too.
"We'll find out what this is going to do to us," Mark Teixeira said. "We've just got to keep battling. [Soriano] went down. We're losing some pitchers. We've dealt with injuries before, but we haven't dealt with suspensions."
Said Michael Young: "I'm not going to say this isn't a big blow, but we've got some other guys around who have been in this role. We've relied on the bullpen all year. We've got some depth down there."
It will be tested. So will the Rangers' character.
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