Everett Decides to Drop Appeal

Carl Everett dropped his appeal of a 10-game suspension and began serving it Monday as the Boston Red Sox opened a three-game series with Minnesota.

The all-star outfielder, who took batting practice before the Red Sox faced the Twins, apparently elected to start serving the penalty because of soreness in his right hand.

Everett hurt himself punching a bat rack after the ejection that led to his suspension. He is batting .316 and leads Boston with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs.

Everett was suspended for twice bumping home plate umpire Ronald Kulpa on July 15 during a wild argument about whether he was in the batter’s box.

“He withdrew his appeal and this is the best time to do it, all things considered,” said Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette, who refused to acknowledge Everett’s injury when asked about it. “I don’t know Carl’s thinking, but we’re facing a number of left-handed pitchers over the next 10 days,” he said.

Duquette said Everett will not be fined by the club.

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A grand jury in New York indicted 16 people on charges of taking part in schemes that helped scalpers get hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tickets to Yankee and Met games. Three indictments allege that eight Yankee ticket agents and one Met agent accepted tens of thousands of dollars to divert home game tickets to brokers and scalpers who sold them to fans at inflated prices. Others indicted include Frank Greenwald, president of the Ticket Agents Union Local F-72, and his brother Richard, an officer of that union. All defendants were charged variously with grand larceny, scheme to defraud and bribery.

The investigation began 15 months ago after a fan complained that the scalper who had sold him tickets before a Yankee game was the same man he saw working in the Yankees’ advance ticket sales window after the game.

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Alex Rodriguez was activated from the 15-day disabled list by Seattle. Rodriguez twisted a knee when he collided with Dodger shortstop Alex Cora July 8. To make room for Rodriguez on the roster, the Mariners optioned Charles Gipson to triple-A Tacoma. . . . Jake Westbrook, hit hard in two starts for the New York Yankees in June, and minor league pitcher Zach Day were sent to the Cleveland Indians to complete the trade for David Justice, according to Day. “I’m going to a very good organization,” Day said at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Fla. The Yankees sent outfielder Ricky Ledee and two players to be named to Cleveland for Justice on June 29. Westbrook, now with triple-A Columbus, is on the disabled list. Dave Stewart, assistant general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, replaced Rick Langford as the team’s pitching coach. . . . Jane Forbes Clark was elected chairman of the board at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Hall member Joe Morgan was elected vice chair. A member of the Hall’s founding family, Clark has been a board member since 1992 and vice chairman since 1993.