Pitcher Francisco arrested; career could be in jeopardy
Rangers face suspensions for Oakland fight
11:37 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 15, 2004
By EVAN GRANT / The Dallas Morning News
OAKLAND, Calif. – Suddenly, the pennant race and the playoffs seem like such a minor concern.
The Texas Rangers, particularly relief pitcher Frank Francisco, are facing far bigger problems after a melee that broke out in the ninth inning Monday night between the team and boisterous Oakland A's fans.
Police mugshot of Frank Francisco. Mr. Francisco, who threw a plastic chair into the stands that reportedly broke the nose and lacerated the face of a Livermore, Calif., woman, faces felony aggravated battery charges that could cost him his baseball career and, if he is convicted, up to four years in prison.
Mr. Francisco and several other players are expected to receive some of the most severe suspensions ever handed down by Major League Baseball. The injured woman, 42-year-old Jennifer Bueno, has retained an attorney, who said he plans to file lawsuits on her behalf. Her husband, Craig, was among those heckling Rangers players.
Mrs. Bueno was not available for comment Tuesday but is expected to hold a news conference today.
Mr. Bueno told San Francisco's KGO-TV that the incident involved "normal heckling" and no profanity was used.
"It's was just normal stuff, fan stuff," Bueno said. "No profanity – normal heckling, like 'Who's gonna take the loss?' and 'Who's going win?' Things like that. What's really terrible about this is that the fellow who tossed the chair and injured my wife wasn't even in the game. As I understand, he came from the dugout. Another player then came off the bench couldn't even hear us."
Mr. Francisco, 25, was arrested after Monday night's game and released about four hours later on $15,000 bail. He was expected to be at Tuesday's game but was to arrive after the first pitch and remain in the clubhouse unless needed.
AP
Craig Bueno was among the fans heckling the Rangers on Monday. His wife, Jennifer, was injured by the chair thrown by Frank Francisco. Oakland police said they would proceed with a criminal investigation before turning it over to the Alameda County District attorney's office, which would decide whether to file formal charges.
If convicted, Mr. Francisco, a native of the Dominican Republic in the United States on a work visa, could face deportation and not be allowed to re-enter the United States.
"We know and love this young man," Rangers general manager John Hart said Tuesday. "He's kind. He's humble. All that said, he's probably just suffered a very painful lesson. This is going to be very painful."
Mr. Francisco was not the only Ranger involved in the fracas, and TV replays seemed to indicate he was one of the last to arrive. Veteran reliever Doug Brocail seemed to lead the charge toward the stands, followed by Carlos Almanzar among others. Rangers officials said they expected multiple suspensions as a result of the fight.
Sandy Alderson, Major League Baseball's vice president of baseball operations, and security chief Kevin Hallinan flew to Oakland on Tuesday to investigate the incident and review security at Network Associates Coliseum, which has witnessed several incidents involving fans in recent years.
Mr. Alderson said he expected suspensions, if warranted, to be handed out by Friday. Players have the right to appeal, but Mr. Alderson said the appeal process would probably be accelerated so that players would serve their punishments before the season ends.
The most likely suspension range would be seven to 10 games. In 1991, Albert Belle was suspended seven games for throwing a ball into the stands, and in 2000, Chad Kreuter of the Los Angeles Dodgers was suspended eight games for an incident with fans at Wrigley Field.
"Monday night's assault on an innocent Oakland A's fan by an out-of-control Texas Rangers bullpen is unacceptable and wrong," said Mrs. Bueno's attorney, J. Gary Gwilliam. "It appears that the entire Texas Rangers bullpen was totally out of control in an attempt to go into the stands and attack the fans before the chair was thrown. ...
"The Texas Rangers bear responsibility for this outrageous and unacceptable behavior by these so-called professional baseball players."
Rangers owner Tom Hicks and Commissioner Bud Selig agreed that regardless of what started the fight – and as of Tuesday night, there was still no clear-cut answer to that – heaving the chair crossed a line.
"On behalf of the Texas Rangers," Mr. Hicks said in a statement, "I want to apologize for the conduct of some members of our club last night in Oakland. Their behavior, especially the injury to a fan, was unacceptable. Even in a difficult or abusive environment, players should never be provoked into such actions. I have been in contact with the commissioner's office to determine the next appropriate steps."
Said Mr. Selig: "There is no excuse whatsoever for any attack of our fans by any of our players under any circumstances."
The Rangers maintained they had asked for extra security in the bullpen area because of heckling by fans earlier in the game. The A's and Oakland Police Department officials said they were not made aware of any such requests. Mr. Alderson said he was aware of the Rangers' claim but had not confirmed the request.
Mr. Hart said Oakland is infamous for incidents between fans and players. Last year, then-Rangers outfielder Carl Everett was struck by a cellphone thrown from the stands. Later in the season, a firecracker thrown from the upper deck injured a child in the lower deck. .
"This could have been prevented," Mr. Hart said. "The verbal assault was going on from the start of the game on."
Oakland officials disputed that. David Rinetti, the A's vice president of stadium operations, said he checked with security officers around the bullpen and that none reported any behavior that violates the MLB code of conduct for fans, which prohibits profanity and racial slurs.
"Our staff acted professionally and diffused it quickly," Mr. Rinetti said.
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