I am glad that some blame is being put on the fans. People want to crucify Francisco and leave the fans totally off the hook. The percentage of blame is obviously heavy towards the Ranger players but lets make sure the fans know that they have no right to incite that kind of ire from anybody - a fellow fan, an umpire, or an opposing player.

I have been a profantity spewing fan in the past and when confronted by security in a polite way ("People are complaining. If you keep it up you will have to leave.") I changed my behavior. A little enforcement is no big deal. I still enjoyed the game and so did everyone else.

But according to press accounts of the incident (like http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/09/15/MNG088P5B41.DTL), there wasn't any profanity-spewing from the fans involved -- some childish taunting, certainly, but nothing a big-leaguer hasn't heard dozens of times and should be able to block out.

I've sat next to my share of knuckleheads, and I'm all in favor of security cracking down on over-zealous fans. But with eyewitnesses and Oakland Stadium security pretty much in agreement that the fan who got Doug Brocail's goat wasn't out of line in the least Monday night, saying that out-of-control Oakland fans are partly to blame (as the dopey Chronicle editorial does -- oh, don't get me started on the idiocy passing for sagacity that regularly appears on the Chronicle's editorial page) isn't just a knee-jerk reaction, it's a knee-jerk reaction not supported by the facts of the situation.

And something I haven't seen mentioned anywhere until it was reported in the news story I linked to above -- Francisco had already pitched in the ballgame. He was sitting in the dugout at the time Brocail and the fan got into it, meaning he was more than 100 feet away and had to run from the dugout to the bullpen to get involved in the situation. If anything, that makes him more to blame.

Crucifixition is too good for him.

David, I appreciate the shout-out in the update. But you made two statements that I'd take issue with:

1. "This is the stadium where fans throw things at players."

That's a bit of a generalization, isn't it? It implies that something which happened a couple of very specific times -- Ichiro, Everett, probably one or two that I'm forgetting -- happens continuously. It doesn't.

I'll be the first to admit that "We've only had fans throw things at a couple of players" is hardly a ringing endorsement of fan behavior. And I would love it if Oakland management were to take a much more aggressive stance on rowdyism -- not just ejecting misbehaving fans but keeping the public informed about ongoing prosecutions, just to drive home the point that it's serious about curbing bad behavior. But again, I think you're trying to establish a pattern where one doesn't exist.

To put it another way, say there was an incident at Dodger Stadium similar to the one in Oakland the other night. You could say "Remember, this is the stadium where fans shoot each other dead in the parking lot," and you'd be technically correct, but not really. You know?

2. "My guess is that this fan said something that stepped over a line."

I have a fairly rich vocabularly, and I have yet to come across a word or string of words so stinging or vile that they need to be warded off with a folding chair.

The Rangers keep insisting that something was said the crossed a line. Buck Showalter used those exact words. So did Francisco Cordero. Well, there's an easy way to figure out if that's true -- tell us exactly what was said. The Rangers involved could do that, and they have thus far declined. Maybe it's my cynical, untrusting nature, but that comes across as kind of fishy to me.

Well, the shooting incident at Dodger Stadium would be apples and oranges. It would have nothing to do with fans abusing players. And, if you need something more recent, the Oakland fans threw cups on the field after the umpire made a bad call on a Manny Ramirez catch, and a good call on a Kotsay catch. The calls went against the A's both times, and the fans reacted badly. Booing, in that situation, would have been fine.

I don't wish to excuse the players. They had no business reacting to the fans. But I also find it hard to believe that a veteran like Brocail would go off on a fan over simple heckling. Brocail has been around since 1992. I'm sure he's heard a lot in his time, and I don't remember him being a hothead. Someone said something, and yes, I'd like to get the players side of what was spoken.

Changing the subject to making this a story about what was being said by the fans is like discussing what clothing a rape victim was wearing. It's irrelevant.

There is NOTHING that ANYONE could have said that would justify throwing that chair. Not the most hideously obscene thing in existence. NOTHING.

Besides which, if fans get out of hand, someone should complain to security or stadium management, and have that person warned and/or ejected. That's the way to deal with idiot fans -- toss 'em out.

The ushers at the Coliseum are pretty good at keeping foul language at bay. They generally will give a warning, and that's usually enough to put a stop to it. I take my kids there all the time, and I never worry about my kids hearing something they shouldn't have to hear.

There was a security guard standing right there in front of the fan. Brocail could have simply gone to the security guard, pointed the offender out, and had him ejected, end of story. One security guard would have been enough. Instead Brocail tried to physically attack the fan, and the guard tried to restrain him, and suddenly there wasn't enough security...but because of the Rangers, not because of the fans.

Abusive heckling happens everywhere from time to time. There are policies and procedures in place to handle this kind of thing. If the Rangers had followed the correct procedure instead of resorting to violence, there would have been plenty of security.

It's insane that the Athletics should have to hire more security to protect the fans from the violent behavior of players.

And actually, I have seen ushers warn fans in both Oakland and San Francisco -- and have seen fans taken away in both places too. Although to be honest, once someone is warned, they are generally chastened enough so that they don't re-offend. (Even the guy who shouted "Hiroshima!" and "Nagasaki!" at Hideo Nomo on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing got off with a warning -- and shut up the rest of the night.)

I find it funny that the police were out in force in Oakland last night. The unspoken word seems to be, "to protect the players." Which is crazy -- they're there to protect the fans from the thin-skinned, hair-triggered members of the Rangers bullpen.

This isn't Chad Kreuter going into the stands. The Ranger threw a chair into a crowd, hit a women in the face, and broke her nose. As far as I know she didn't say anything. She was just there. The issue of provocation is irrelevant since the fan that was injured wasn't the one provoking the reaction.

And now ESPN.com is reporting that somehow Francisco says he's planning on suing... Huh? Suing the fans for hurting his feelings? Suing the A's for not having enough security to save him from doing something stupid? From all the reports I've seen, all the heckling was within normal bounds of conduct. The responsibility lies with the Rangers pitchers, and, to a lesser extent, the A's for not providing enough security.

Adam

I'd just like to point out that the fans involved specifically went to the game to heckle Ranger players.

This is not to excuse Francisco, I'm probably wanting a harsher penalty than most for him, but I don't think it's right to give the fans a free pass. They specifically, calmly, and coolly planned to go to the game just to insult a human being.

I don't think this is defensible either. There's not a good guy in this situation.