Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Everett was suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball Thursday for bumping and butting an umpire last weekend.
Frank Robinson, baseball's vice president of on-field operations, waited five days before punishing Everett for "arguing, using foul language and making contact with an umpire on two occasions." He also was fined an undisclosed sum.
The suspension was immediately appealed, allowing Everett to play Thursday at Baltimore. Everett slammed a two-run homer in his first time at-bat in an 11-7 victory.
There was speculation that the penalty would be more severe, considering Everett gave baseball one of its ugliest moments of the season. He bumped and head-butted home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa in the second inning of Boston's 6-4 triumph over the New York Mets on Saturday.
"They tried to make me out to be a monster," Everett said.
Earlier this month, Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox was suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount for bumping an umpire in a July 4 game against the Montreal Expos. But his antics were not as excessive as Everett's.
Known for crowding the plate while batting, the switch-hitting Everett twice was warned by Kulpa to get his right foot inside the batter's box while batting from the right side.
When Kulpa dragged his foot across the line of the batter's box, Everett became enraged and argued vehemently.
Kulpa responded by ejecting Everett, who protested nose-to-nose with the umpire, making contact with the brim of his helmet.
Everett then slammed his helmet to the ground and threw his face forward into the face of Kulpa, who was jarred backward by the blow.
Three members of the Red Sox were needed to restrain Everett, who was so out of control he attempted to push his teammates away from him to get back at Kulpa.
"We are his teammates and we back him and support him but there are some times you have to be responsible for your own actions," teammate Darren Lewis said.
Teammate Jose Offerman held his arm around Everett as he escorted him into the dugout, and was pushed away by Everett, who knocked over a water cooler and exchanged words with Red Sox pitcher Bret Saberhagen before finally storming into the locker room – (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
