51s GM: Incident ‘bad for us’

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2003 | 9:22 a.m.

Las Vegas 51s officials said Tuesday they reevaluated security procedures at Cashman Field this season after a July incident when visiting players left the field and jumped onto the bleacher railing after a fan apparently grabbed a player's glove and threw it back into the stands.

But according to general manager Don Logan, not much more could have been done to prevent a more extreme incident Monday, when the entire Portland team went into the stands to chase down a fan who had been allegedly taunting Portland players through the game.

"It's bad for us, it's bad for baseball, and it's something that frankly shouldn't happen," said Logan. "You can try and lay blame on any one party or individual or group of people. But players know they're not supposed to go into the stands. Players are supposed to be thick-skinned enough to take it, and they do take it.

"That doesn't give fans the right to verbally abuse anybody for any reason."

Las Vegan Jim Lowe said that he, along with friend Eric Wingate and Wingate's 4-year-old son, were at Monday's game sitting near the Beavers' dugout. Eyewitnesses said Lowe was making profane statements toward Portland first baseman Tagg Bozied. Lowe denied making any obscene gestures or statements, saying instead that he and his friend were cheering for the Beavers.

"My buddy was rooting for Portland, because he doesn't like the Dodgers," said Lowe. "He wasn't using any rude gestures, he was saying, 'Nice play, Tagg.'

"He made the last out, and he came over, going to the dugout. We said, 'See you later, Tagg.' He flipped me off, and we started getting in a jawing match. He came back in the dugout, we said, 'Go home. Go back to Portland,' heckled him a little bit."

Lowe said he then ran to the railing and started arguing with Bozied, as the team began filing back out toward the field from the inside of the facility. Lowe then said he threw a foam ball that had been given to fans earlier in the game out at the field.

"I turned around my buddy said, 'Run!' and I see all these ballplayers hopping the fence," said Lowe.

Lowe was surrounded by players until extricated by David Corey, a bodyguard who had come to the game to watch his brother Bryan pitch for the 51s. Lowe said Tuesday that he had cleat marks on one leg and a sore hip and shoulder.

According to Logan, the team positions security near the dugouts to try to prevent this from happening.

"We have people at both ends of each dugout at each game, clearing people out to keep them away," he said. "I don't know there's a whole lot they can do when however many (players) jumped over the rail. If young professional athletes decide they're going to do that, that's tough for I don't care how many security people."

The Beavers declined to comment on the incident Tuesday. PCL assistant director of operations Steve Hurlbert said that the league is investigating the incident. Police at Cashman Field Monday night said neither the player nor the fan wanted to press charges.

But according to Logan, both parties should have acted more responsibly.

"There's only so much you can do," he said of security at Cashman. "The people involved have to be held accountable. It's unfortunate, but that's it."

But according to Logan, some of the fault for Monday's incident lies in the facility itself.

"The fans being able to literally be on top of the players, they have to get within a foot of them to get into the dugout, so there's no holding back," he said. "They're closer to the fans here than they probably are anywhere. The dugout is supposed to be their sanctuary and unfortunately here, it really isn't as much as it typically is."