Hens not happy with Bisons' penalties

7/20/2005

International League president Randy Mobley yesterday handed out the penalties to the Buffalo players involved in Friday's fight between the Mud Hens and the Bisons.

And Mobley's ruling wasn't particularly pleasing to the Hens.

Mobley gave Buffalo's Ryan Garko a one-game suspension and fined him an undisclosed amount. Mobley fined, but did not suspend, pitcher Jose Diaz, whose pitch hit Toledo's Marcus Thames and ignited the fight.

Mobley also fined each player who left his position

$150, the standard fine for that infraction.

On Monday, Mobley suspended Thames for five games and fined him an undisclosed amount. Dewayne Wise was suspended for three games and fined, as were all the Mud Hens who left the dugout.

"I think we got the shaft on the deal," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said. "First of all, [Mobley] said he gave Thames two extra games for hitting a guy. To me, when you go out to the mound, you figure to do that. Normally you only get three games.

"With Wise, Wise did no more than Garko."

Thames, who served the fourth game of his suspension yesterday, declined to comment on the ruling, but Wise said he was shocked by his suspension and the lack of suspensions for the Buffalo players.

"I didn't think I did anything wrong," Wise said. "I just came in and tackled a guy to keep him from hitting Marcus. Two of their guys were holding Marcus and the pitcher was going to hit him. [When] I tackled him, he got right back up.

"One game? OK. Three games for helping a teammate out? That's too many games."

When he was told about the Buffalo suspensions, Wise said, "Really? Wow."

The fight began when Diaz threw a breaking pitch that hit Thames high on his body. Thames immediately ran to the mound and threw a right uppercut that connected with Diaz's chin.

Wise came from the coach's box and tackled Diaz as both benches emptied. Video of the contest shows Garko throwing punches at Thames while the Hens outfielder was on the ground.

"I thought [Diaz] was defending himself based on his actions on the field and that warranted only a fine, not a suspension," Mobley said.

After the game Diaz tried to get into the Mud Hens clubhouse, then waited outside the ballpark in an attempt to restart the fight. Sources indicate those actions warranted a fine between $400 to $500, an amount considered high by IL standards.

"[The actions of Diaz after the game] are part of the discussions I've had with his field manager [Marty Brown] and his general manager," Mobley said.

- John Wagner