Mariners Say Everett Has Crossed Line

It has been an antagonistic August in the American League, with Detroit and Kansas City brawling on Aug. 10, the Tigers bickering among themselves for much of the last week, Boston Manager Jimy Williams getting fired Thursday and Cleveland’s Kenny Lofton and Minnesota’s Doug Mientkiewicz exchanging shoves Thursday night.

For the truly bizarre, though, it will be hard to top the Jamie Moyer-Carl Everett incident Tuesday night in Boston. When Everett, the Red Sox center fielder, came to bat in the first inning, Moyer, the Seattle pitcher, asked umpire Mark Hirschbeck to check that Everett was in the batter’s box. Everett usually wipes out the chalk line and plants his back foot next to the plate.

Hirschbeck apparently found no fault, nor did catcher Dan Wilson, but Moyer did not agree.

“I should have refused to throw a pitch,” Moyer said. “The rules are rules. If the hitter is allowed to stand outside the box, I should be allowed to pitch from the grass in front of the mound, right?”

Moyer hit Everett in the right elbow with a pitch. Everett hollered at Moyer, then pointed toward the fence, a gesture to predict he’d hit a home run. Sure enough, Everett homered off Moyer in the fifth. After crossing the plate, Everett grabbed his crotch and spat toward Moyer.

That drew the attention of the commissioner’s office, which fined Everett an undisclosed amount, and the ire of Seattle General Manager Pat Gillick.

“I don’t care whose player it is, or what uniform he is wearing, I absolutely believe anyone doing that sort of thing should be suspended,” Gillick said. “We’re basically a family-oriented entertainment, and that is absolutely uncalled for and should not go unpunished.”

*

Those with a strong dislike for John Rocker will delight in his recent misfortune. In his last three appearances, the controversial Cleveland reliever has a 33.76 earned-run average, having given up five earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 1/3 innings.

In two of his last three games, Rocker threw 32 pitches and got one out. Since he was traded by the Atlanta Braves, the left-hander is 3-5 with a 5.66 ERA and three blown saves in five opportunities. And his on-field demeanor has been odd, to say the least.

Rocker has been stomping around the mound, hollering into his glove, pumping his fist, twitching, pacing and shouting. When removed from games, he has stormed off the field, sat on the bench and thrown elbows at the wall behind the bench.

“That’s his makeup. We knew that when we got him,” Indian Manager Charlie Manuel said. “We’ve got to get him calmed down and pitching the way he did in the National League. I don’t care if he hollers into his glove, as long as he isn’t hollering at me. Could it be a distraction to the team? Right now it isn’t, but it could be.”

*

As if Kansas City first baseman Mike Sweeney weren’t in enough hot water, having incited the brawl with the Tigers that led to his 10-game suspension, he ruffled feathers in his own clubhouse when he said the Royals had too many players lacking intensity.

“Right now, I don’t think the majority of us in this clubhouse are winners,” he said. “I don’t think the majority of the guys in here have the fire to play every single day. It’s something that comes from your heart. Some guys show up to receive a paycheck every two weeks. Some guys are here just to be here, to coast through the season.”

Sweeney named no names but repeatedly suggested they make up more than half of the 25-man roster.

“There are some guys who come here with a fire in their hearts to win games every day,” he said, “but the majority of our team isn’t that way.”

*

Once a whopping 24 games over .500, the Twins were 9-25 since the All-Star game after a 0-7 trip through Tampa Bay and Cleveland. They went from five games up in the AL Central to 4 1/2 games behind the Indians before the weekend.

The heart of the rotation--Brad Radke, Eric Milton, Joe Mays--that excelled in the first half is 4-11 with a 5.62 ERA since the break.

“It seems like we’ve hit a wall and we’re stuck on it,” Mays said. “We can’t get over it, we can’t go under it, we can’t get around it.”