Players Stunned by Penalties

TEMPE, Ariz. —  The Angels expected fallout from two bench-clearing brawls with the San Diego Padres last week. But they were surprised Saturday by the severity and the distribution of punishment handed down by Bob Watson, baseball’s vice president of on-field operations.

Angel infielder Scott Spiezio was suspended for six games, third baseman Troy Glaus was suspended for two and pitcher Aaron Sele was fined an undisclosed amount but was not suspended.

Padre pitcher Bobby Jones was suspended for seven games--essentially one start--and outfielder Ryan Klesko for five. Outfielder Ron Gant and first baseman Phil Nevin were fined.

All the suspensions are to be served during the regular season.

Watson, who recently replaced Frank Robinson as baseball’s dean of discipline, informed the Angels late Friday night.

“What Bob is saying is this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said.

The disciplinary action stems from incidents that occurred March 9. Sele hit Klesko with a pitch, prompting Klesko to charge the mound and start the first brawl. Klesko and Nevin said that Sele promised last year to hit Klesko in retaliation for perceived showboating after a home run, a charge Sele has denied.

After Sele hit Klesko, Jones nearly hit Glaus with a pitch, prompting Glaus to charge the mound and trigger another brawl. Klesko, who was ejected after the first fight, returned to the field in street clothes during the second one.

“I can’t figure out the whole thing,” Nevin said. “Apparently, you can tell somebody you’re going to drill them, then drill them, and that’s OK. But if you try to defend yourself or a teammate, you get in trouble.

“It’s a classic case of having people in charge who haven’t played the game, or if they have played the game, they’ve forgotten what it’s like to play the game.”

Watson, who played 19 major-league seasons, was at the Angels’ camp Wednesday and Thursday and met with Scioscia and General Manager Bill Stoneman. Watson told reporters that he would review videotape of the brawls and interview all participants before meting out punishment. However, none of the players involved said they were interviewed.

Spiezio, who was suspended for aggressive actions and fighting, will miss the first six games of the season, which begins March 31 against the Cleveland Indians at Edison Field. Glaus’ suspension for charging the mound will begin April 8, allowing Spiezio, who plays first and third base, to replace Glaus in the lineup. It is not unusual for baseball to stagger penalties when they involve players who play similar positions on the same team.

Spiezio said he will appeal the suspension. Glaus said he was not sure if he would appeal. Sele said he will pay the fine.

Spiezio was disappointed with the length of his suspension and what he perceived as unequal treatment.

“It’s way too many games,” he said. “ ... I’m real surprised that Klesko got less than me. Jones misses one start. That’s not a big deal. I thought I might get fined. I thought three games would be really high. Even in a worst-case scenario, I wasn’t thinking more than three.”

Stoneman said Watson informed him of the penalties, not how they were decided upon. “I’ll be asking about their rationale,” Stoneman said. “If you’re missing a starting pitcher for one game, it’s not as damaging as missing a regular position player for six games.”

Spiezio, Glaus and Sele said the penalties would not affect the way players settle disputes on the field. “I would doubt that it’s going to be that big of a deterrent,” Spiezio said. “I’ll definitely try to be more cautious, but when someone runs and attacks your pitcher and has his fingers gouging his eyes, you’re not going to sit there and go, ‘Oh well, let me think: I got six games and got fined this amount. Maybe I better not do that.’ You’re reacting to the situation.”

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The Angels lost to the Chicago Cubs, 15-0, at Tempe and lost to the Oakland Athletics, 10-4, at Phoenix. Jarrod Washburn gave up one run and three hits in five innings against the Cubs. Outfielder Tim Salmon played for the first time since suffering a bruised knee Wednesday but was hitless in three at-bats against the A’s.