Atlanta Braves Suspend Pitching Coach Over Anti-Gay Slurs Directed At Fans

[Bluebear]

The Atlanta Braves have suspended their pitching coach after he heckled fans at a San Francisco game by shouting, “Are you a homo couple or a threesome?" and then simulating anal sex with a baseball bat.

The Braves have placed pitching coach Roger McDowell on administrative leave while they continue to investigate allegations that he directed anti-gay slurs toward fans at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. The Braves announced that minor league pitching coordinator Dave Wallace would fill in during McDowell’s absence. Braves general manager Frank Wren is scheduled to meet with the media at 4:10 p.m. The last Brave to miss game action for inflammatory remarks was former closer John Rocker after his 1999 tirade in Sports Illustrated. Rocker was originally fined $20,000 by Major League Baseball and suspended for a month, but his sanctions were reduced to a $500 fine and a two-week suspension by an arbitrator. McDowell issued an apology on Wednesday, saying “I am deeply sorry that I responded to the heckling fans in San Francisco on Saturday. I apologize to everyone for my actions.”

Celebrity attorney Gloria Allred yesterday held a press conference with one of the witnesses, who was attending the game with his young daughters. When the witness complained to McDowell about his language, the coach allegedly waved the bat at him asking, "How much are your teeth worth?"

UPDATE: GLAAD says the Braves need to do more.

“It remains to be seen whether the Atlanta Braves will take real disciplinary action and send a clear message that there is no place for anti-gay remarks or violent threats in baseball,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “The Braves and Major League Baseball should follow the NBA and WWE by speaking out in support of gay and lesbian baseball fans and players around the country, and by taking steps to make the sport a safe place for everyone.”

http://www.joemygod.blogspot.com/

[JVS]

1. "then simulating anal sex with a baseball bat."

How does one do this?

[rpannier]

2. If this part is true he should be suspended for quite a while

picked up a bat, walked up to Quinn and asked him, "How much are your teeth worth?"

Legally, that is called assault

[jmowreader]

10. That's legally a criminal threat

California Penal Code, Section 422, states "any person who willfully threatens to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement, made verbally, in writing, or by means of an electronic communication device, is to be taken as a threat, even if there is no intent of actually carrying out, which, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made, is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened, a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby causes that person reasonably to be in sustained fear for his or her own safety or for his or her immediate family's safety, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison."

Okay, let me see here...the guy picked up a baseball bat and asked him how much his teeth were worth. I would interpret that as him saying he's going to knock the other party's teeth down his throat with the baseball bat in his hand. Case closed. One year, Aspen Penal Colony, take him away.

[AsahinaKimi]

3. The NBA Smacked Kobe Bryant with a huge fine..

Maybe the Braves should also..

[Drale]

4. The Braves are just falling apart at the seems

McDowell with this issue, Lowe with a DUI.

[richmwill]

5. So, what's the message...

You can heckle any player or coach you want to, and if they yell back at you then you can get them placed on leave/fired?

[Bluebear]

7. You're DEFENDING this homophobia? Go away.

[rpannier]

11. The message is

picking up a bat, walking up to someone and asking him, "How much are your teeth worth?" is unacceptable, especially as it is a crime.

[Bluebear]

12. The coach only "yelled back"!

:cry:

Honestly, what some people will excuse!

[ThomCat]

14. You really don't get it.

Yelling back is one thing.

Being a bigot, using homophobic language is something else entirely.

And threatening violence with a baseball bat is something else again.

How can you possibly thing that being a bigot or threatening violence are appropriate ways to respond to hecklers?

[spanone]

6. classy guy......not

:thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

[MineralMan]

8. They should have just fired his sorry ass.

My opinion.

[Cobalt Violet]

9. Pretty ironic for a team who's name is a racial slur. n/t

[Jello Biafra]

13. Why is it always the Braves.....

Now this, years before John Rocker. Wasn't McDowell on the 86 Mets team with Hernandez and Strawberry, you know the ones who would snort the foul lines before the games?