Category: Selfishness
Subject: Selfishness
Rogers Suspended for 20 Games by MLB
Even with Kenny Rogers on the mound, the Texas Rangers faced the daunting task of catching the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.
Now they might be without their ace left-hander for a quarter of their remaining games.
Rogers was suspended Friday for 20 games and fined $50,000 by Major League Baseball for throwing an angry fit that sent a television cameraman to the hospital and prompted a police investigation…
…In a statement, commissioner Bud Selig said: “Mr. Rogers’ behavior was unprofessional, unwarranted and completely unacceptable. Major League Baseball is a social institution and all of us in the game have an important responsibility to act with reason and good judgment.”
The suspension was among the most severe imposed by the commissioner’s office for on-field conduct in decades. Only the 30-day penalty given Cincinnati manager Pete Rose in 1988 for pushing umpire Dave Pallone was longer.
Jim Cour
AP Sportswriter
Analysis:
The story has become old, as again and again professional athletes and entertainers engage in self-destructive and impulsive behavior. Rogers deserves the 20 game ban, (though it will be appealed, and while under appeal, he may be allowed to pitch in the upcoming all-star game). In fact, it could be argued that he deserves to be fired, forfeiting his present contract.
