Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
BOSTON - Boston police have decided to seek assault and battery charges against Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson and rightfielder Karim Garcia for a bullpen brawl with a Red Sox employee.
Police said they would file a summons today in Roxbury District Court requesting a hearing.
Prosecutors said they believe felony charges will not be brought.
"At this point, the evidence suggests only a misdemeanor charge could result," said David Procopio, spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney. He said the misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 months in prison and a $500 fine and has no minimum sentence.
He said a magistrate hearing probably would be scheduled for November.
Jeffrey Baskies, president of Lawyers Weekly USA, said that though probable cause is not always found during a magistrate hearing, he had little doubt the case against Garcia and Nelson would advance.
"In a case like this where the physical battery is witnessed and recorded for posterity, I think it will be hard for a judge not to assign probable cause and move forward," he said.
Garcia and Nelson, in Miami for Game 3 of the World Series, said they were unaware of the plan to seek charges.
"There's nothing to say. We'll see what happens and go from there," Garcia said.
Paul Williams, a part-time groundskeeper at Fenway, contends the Yankees attacked him for cheering for the Red Sox while he was working in New York's bullpen during the Oct. 11 game in the AL Championship Series. He was treated and released from a hospital after the fracas.
The Yankees have said Williams provoked them.
PUJOLS HONORED: Albert Pujols was honored as player of the year by the Sporting News after leading the majors in hitting. The Cardinals outfielder was selected by a panel of front office executives and advance scouts. Atlanta's Bobby Cox was named manager of the year in the National League and Kansas City's Tony Pena in the American League.
GIANTS: The team declined options on first baseman J.T. Snow and second baseman Eric Young, and reliever Felix Rodriguez exercised his player option.
RED SOX: CEO Larry Lucchino told the Boston Globe that the team would have no announcement regarding manager Grady Little's future until after the World Series: "We're going to take some time this week to review the season. (The front office) and I will talk. That's all that's appropriate to say now." According to ESPN.com, the decision has been delayed in part by commissioner Bud Selig's request that teams hold off on making major announcements until after the Series.