The Atlantic League suspended Bridgeport Bluefish pitcher Matt Beech for three games and Long Island Ducks first baseman Jared Price for two games Tuesday following their roles in an ugly brawl Aug. 14.
Both players also were fined undisclosed amounts.
After Beech hit former major-league All-Star Jose Offerman with a pitch in the third inning, Offerman charged the mound with his bat, leading to both benches clearing.
An investigation by the league led to the conclusion that Beech had thrown at Offerman to provoke the incident and that Price had come off the bench to tackle Beech, possibly causing the broken finger on the pitcher’s right hand.
Offerman was given an indefinite suspension pending the result of his legal proceedings, which are scheduled to begin Thursday in Bridgeport, Conn.
In related news, this story from the Associated Press says that Offerman and his lawyer are contending he did not hit either Beech or Bluefish catcher John Nathans with his bat.
"We dispute the fact that any contact was made with the bat," attorney Frank Riccio said. "It's as likely these two players got injured in the melee that followed the incident as opposed to the baseball bat incident."
It seems like the Ducks and Offerman are positioning an argument for his return to the Atlantic League, which would be a real shame.
In 2001, Bridgeport's Dee Jenkins was banished for life by the league for using his bat in a similar brawl. Jenkins' swings opened a bloody gash on then-Ducks manager Don McCormack's face.
If the Atlantic League is arguing that what Jenkins did is worse than what Offerman did just because of the end result, that is plain stupid.
Both players used bats as weapons. Just because one connected with a face on his swings and the other did not, does not mean Offerman should benefit from his swing and miss.
AS OF NOW, I FULLY EXPECT OFFERMAN TO BE ALLOWED BACK IN THE LEAGUE AND I DISAGREE WITH IT.
For analogy, it reminds me of the high school student who takes a test with a cheat sheet, gets caught and then says he never used it, so he should not be failed. Bad argument. You attempted to cheat, you got caught, you deserve punishment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
this is sad and could be a real blemish on the atlantic league. it's not like steriods, where you can just sweep it under the rug. Everyone saw this happen and if he is able to rejoin the league, a lot of people are going to stop watching
If it was any other team, Offerman would be gone. But because it's Boulton's team, anything he or any of those guys do will be swept under the rug.
The pitcher provoked the incident? Please. What a whitewash.
It's a shame the league's owner has to put such a blemish on what otherwise is a great thing.
Post a Comment