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Thursday, June 1 | |||||
Boston skipper kept managing, despite ejection | |||||
BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox manager Jimy Williams admitted he
continued to make moves from his office even after he was ejected
from Wednesday night's game against Kansas City -- an apparent
violation of baseball rules.
Williams was thrown out by first-base umpire Jerry Crawford
during a lengthy argument about fan interference down the
right-field line. After the game, which Boston lost 9-7, Williams
said he had coaches come up the runway into his clubhouse office to
get instructions.
"There's a runway down there and the coaches can walk up
here," he said. "I wasn't down there at all. I'm up here, away
from the field."
Baseball Rule 4.07 is clear that a manager cannot be in the
dugout, bullpen or field -- or even the stands near the prohibited
areas. But it also says that he must "take no further part in that
game."
After Williams was ejected, bench coach Buddy Bailey took over
duties such as pitching changes. But Williams said it was his
decision to take Nomar Garciaparra and Carl Everett out after seven
innings of a 9-2 game to rest them.
The move came back to haunt the team when their spots came up in
the order after Boston cut the deficit to 9-7.
"I know I've made a lot of mistakes. I know I'm not perfect.
And maybe I made some after that in the game," he said, apparently
unaware that he was admitting to a rule violation.
The trouble began when Johnny Damon lined one into the corner
with two outs and runners on first and third. The ball came to a
quick stop as if a fan had touched it, but Crawford ruled that
there was no interference.
Rey Sanchez scored from first base; if it had been called a
ground-rule double, he would have had to go back to third. Williams
came out to argue with Crawford and plate umpire Mike Everett,
getting uncharacteristically animated before Crawford threw him
out.
"He definitely was angry. He had a right to be," Garciaparra
said. "We all were. We all saw the play. I was going over there
myself."
Williams grew even angrier, bumping chests and going
nose-to-nose with Crawford before leaving the field to a standing
ovation.
"Was he bumping me? Yeah. But if I bump him back I'm
suspended," Williams said. "Was he baiting me to bump him back?
Yeah."
Williams was ejected from Game 4 of last year's AL Championship
Series against the Yankees for arguing with umpire Tim Tschida, who
later admitted blowing the call. That ejection brought out a
hailstorm of garbage onto the field.
Williams' last ejection was April 30, when he was automatically
tossed after Pedro Martinez hit a batter in retaliation for an
earlier beanball. He has been thrown out of eight games since
coming to the Red Sox in 1997.
| ALSO SEE Manager's tirade fails to bring Red Sox a win |