Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 11:10 am
Posts: 42094
Location: Rock Ridge (splendid!)
pizza_Place: Charlie Fox's / Paisano's
|
jimmypasta wrote: Don Tiny wrote: rogers park bryan wrote: He's a real firecracker!  Wasn't that when he was on the Mets getting on the team bus after a game at Wrigley? Apparently not Wrigley, but everything else checks out. Why the hell did I think he did it during a game from the dugout? I'm old and dumb. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/26/sports/baseball-a-tossed-firecracker-a-cloud-on-coleman.htmlVince Coleman, the Mets' left fielder, threw a firecracker from a parked car at Dodger Stadium late Saturday afternoon, and the Los Angeles Fire Department is investigating whether the incident was connected to injuries reported by three fans who had attended the game.
Eric Davis, the Dodgers' left fielder, said Coleman was sitting in Davis's blue Cherokee Jeep after the Dodgers' 5-4 victory Saturday when he threw the firecracker.
A 33-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl were subsequently treated for injuries at local hospitals, according to Jim Wells, a spokesman for the arson division of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The department was investigating the incident today, Wells said. He declined to identify Coleman or anyone else as the subject of the investigation, but Davis said that both he and Coleman had been interviewed by authorities.
If the injuries were related to the firecracker blast, Wells said, authorities could file charges as early as Monday.
In describing the incident, Davis said that Coleman was 20-25 feet from a crowd of people when he threw the firecracker. He said the crowd was behind a chain-link fence and that Coleman did not throw the firecracker in anger or with intent to injure. Coleman declined to comment before today's game, in which he played and which the Mets won, 4-0.
Wells said the woman, Cindy Mayhew, of Covina, Calif., apparently aggravated an existing ear injury as a result of the firecracker blast. Her husband drove her to White Memorial Medical Center, and a hospital spokesman said she was admitted at 5:45 P.M. Saturday and released at 7:40 P.M.
"They sought their own medical attention, and we did not transport them," Wells said. "The fire department is conducting an investigation. There are no suspects I've been informed of at this time." The Injuries
"She had ringing in the ears, and she was dizzy," her husband, Steve, told television station KTTV in Los Angeles Saturday night. "In her worst situation, when her disorder acts up, she goes into a seizure."
The unidentified 1-year-old, according to Wells, suffered second-degree burns to her cheek, an injured right finger and a possible eye injury. The 11-year-old suffered a minor abrasion on his leg. He said both children were treated at local hospitals and released.
The incident is the latest problem to arise in Coleman's troubled three-year tenure with the Mets. He spent much of the 1991 and 1992 seasons on the disabled list, primarily with hamstring injuries. He directed a profane outburst at coach Mike Cubbage in 1991 that was widely publicized and damaged Bud Harrelson's authority as manager. Last year, Coleman engaged in an on-the-field altercation with then-Manager Jeff Torborg.
Following Saturday afternoon's game here, Coleman had walked to the Dodger Stadium player-parking lot behind left field with Davis and two Mets teammates, Bobby Bonilla and Anthony Young. They were about to take two cars to Davis's house for a barbecue, and according to Davis, there were fans behind the enclosed parking lot shouting for their autographs.
None of the players stopped to sign, according to Davis. He said Bonilla and Coleman climbed into his blue, tinted-window 1991 Cherokee Jeep, and that Coleman, in the front seat, threw a firecracker while the automobile was still parked.
"Yeah, I saw an incident," Davis said before today's game. "He threw a firecracker out of a car. He didn't throw it in front of a crowd of people. Those people are behind a gate, 20 feet away from my car."
Coleman, also approached before the game, used profane language in refusing comment. "Get from my locker," he said. When pressed, he said, "What did I say? You know better. Get from my locker."
Bonilla also refused comment. He took the nameplate from his locker, turned it around and wrote, "Don't Ask!!!!" on it.
Young, meanwhile, commented briefly. "I was in the first car," the Met pitcher said. Asked whether the players were being heckled as they walked, he said. "Yes. The whole thing is stupid."
Davis said about 30 persons were at the barbecue when he received a call from Dodger General Manager Fred Claire. He said Claire asked him about the reported injuries, and that Davis told him the players were unaware there had been any.
"I was very shocked," Davis said. Asked to describe Coleman's reaction, Davis said: "He thought it was a joke. We all did."
"There was no intent or anger, or anything like that," Davis said. He also said the heckling did not lead to Coleman's action. "Guys get heckled every day when you come to the ball park, and when you leave. This might be because we didn't sign autographs. Could be." Davis and Coleman Questioned
Asked what sort of firecracker Coleman lit, Davis said, "Don't know. I'm not an expert. They weren't mine. They weren't in my jeep. You take it from there.
"It was a firecracker. It's not like we're sitting in the car plotting, like to blow up a plane or anything. It wasn't a conspiracy. We was laughing about the firecracker. Every time you light a firecracker, you laugh. At least I do."
Both Davis and Coleman were questioned by lawyers and authorities before the game. The Mets also held a closed-door meeting, and, according to a player, Gerry Hunsicker, the team's vice president of baseball operations, told the players "not to mess with firecrackers." Several weeks ago, at a game at Shea Stadium, an unidentified Met player tossed a string of firecrackers behind a group of reporters who were interviewing Young.
"We've talked about it," said Dallas Green, the Mets' manager. "It's not very professional, and they know that. I don't think you'll see that again, or hear about that again."
_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George
|
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
