Prosecutors grilled Pirates first baseman Randall Simon, then let him off the hook for hitting one of the Brewers' sausage mascots with his bat.
Still, he was cited by the sheriff's department for disorderly conduct and fined US$432 for a swing that got more attention than any other around the majors on Wednesday.
PHOTO: AP
Simon said he didn't mean to knock down the woman, who tumbled to the ground and got a few scrapes but wasn't seriously hurt during the popular costume race at Milwaukee Brewers games.
"I thought at the moment they were trying to play with us," he said on Thursday. "They were running right next to the players. I'm a fun player, and I've never hurt anyone in my life."
The 18-year-old woman, Mandy Block, was among four team employees dressed as an oversized bratwurst, a hot dog and Italian and Polish sausages racing past the Pirates' dugout between the sixth and seventh innings at Miller Park.
Simon took a half swing at the Italian sausage character, hitting her from behind. When Block fell, she knocked over the woman dressed as the hot dog.
"It just seems ridiculous -- it's like a big sausage getting hit by a bat causes all this controversy. It just seems kind of funny to me," Block told WTMJ-TV.
"It wasn't that big of a blow," she said. "I think just because I'm so small and it's such a big costume that I tumbled, and the reason I couldn't get up right away is because I couldn't get up. I wasn't like hurt so bad I couldn't get up. Luckily someone helped me up."
After the game, Simon was arrested and booked for misdemeanor battery, and told to show up at the district attorney's office the next day.
Simon and one of the women met with prosecutors, but Deputy District Attorney Jon Reddin said the two women didn't think Simon meant to hurt them and "were not interested in having him charged criminally."
Simon gave the Brewers two autographed bats for the women.
"It's a lesson," he said. "As a player, you don't want those types of things that might change your career. This might change not only me, but every other player in the big leagues. From now on, I'm going to be checking before doing those types of things."
Simon drew boos from many of the fans when he was used as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning. He grounded out in the only playing time he saw. The Brewers won 2-1 in 12 innings.
Simon was not in the starting lineupon Thursday. The Pirates said they do not condone Simon's behavior and will address the issue internally.
Rick Schlesinger, Brewers executive vice president for business operations, said he was "sickened" by Simon's actions.
"This is one of the most outrageous things I've ever seen inside a ballpark or outside a ballpark," he said.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said the league was reviewing the matter.
"Obviously, the type of behavior exhibited by Mr. Simon is anathema to the family entertainment that we are trying to provide in our ballparks and is wholly unacceptable," Selig said.
The Brewers planned to continue the sausage races in their current form.
Josee Meehan of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council was pleased by all the attention.
"I think it probably raised awareness that there are all types of sausages out there. But I had no idea you could race them," Meehan said.
On Thursday, four new people were inside the costumes, and Pirates players moved into the dugout and away from the field during the race.
"They're rounding the Pirates dugout -- they've made it safely," Brewers announcer Robb Edwards said to the wild cheers of fans on their feet.
Fittingly, the Italian sausage won.
Also see story:
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was