MLB

Scores   Schedules   Standings   Statistics   Transactions   Injuries: AL | NL   Players   Weekly Lineup   Message Board   Minor Leagues   MLB Stat Search Clubhouses

Teams Anaheim Arizona Atlanta Baltimore Boston Chi Cubs Chi W Sox Cincinnati Cleveland Colorado Detroit Florida Houston Kan City LA Milwaukee Minnesota Montreal NY Mets NY Yankees Oakland Philly Pittsburgh San Diego San Fran Seattle St. Louis Tampa Bay Texas Toronto

Sport Sections

	TODAY: Wednesday, May 17
	Players defend Dodgers for going into stands Associated Press
	Cliff Floyd isn't worried about a fan just grabbing a hat. He fears for his life. "I think about someone not liking me, walking into the game, standing up in the stands and shooting," the Florida outfielder said Wednesday. "It can happen, right? You never know." A day after the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen went into the stands and brawled with fans at Wrigley Field, player safety was the focus in major league clubhouses. "There's not enough security at games. There are situations that could be controlled but until a major incident happens nobody cares," Cleveland outfielder David Justice said. "I hope I'm retired when a fan actually goes to the limit. But that's what everybody is waiting for. ... The day is coming when something is going to happen tragic on that baseball field. I can see it coming. It's going to happen." Sandy Alderson of the commissioner's office said players who went into the stands are likely to be disciplined. The brawl began when a fan reached into the bullpen and grabbed the cap of Dodgers catcher Chad Kreuter. "If anybody touches anybody they have the right to defend themselves even if that means going into the stands," Toronto pitcher David Wells said. "He could be superstitious and that's the only hat he wears, so there is grounds for that as well. He had every right to do what he did. He shouldn't be fined or suspended." Even though Alderson said there is no situation where players would be justified for going into the stands, players generally backed the Dodgers. "To be honest, I could see myself getting into it with someone if they wanted to hit me," Atlanta outfielder Brian Jordan said. "If a fan decides to be stupid and is trying to injure or hurt me, I'm going to react." Wells thinks the first few rows should be kept free from spectators as a barrier, as some European soccer teams do. "The players need to be isolated from the fans, and you have to have a canopy over them, and you need security," Florida manager John Boles said. "If you don't have that, you'd better cut back on the alcohol." Cincinnati reliever Scott Sullivan said most of the fans by the Wrigley Field visitors' bullpen are the same every game, and the players get to know them a little bit. "When we go to Wrigley, most of the people around us are pretty familiar faces. Most of the time they joke around with us," he said. "People definitely have been getting more vocal using profanity, which is uncalled for. We're talking about bullpens across the league. This is my fourth year and there's been a progression. We're targets, no question about it. We're out in the open." Detroit reliever Todd Jones said a sign of baseball's seriousness with fan abuse will be how much protection Atlanta reliever John Rocker gets when the Braves returns to Shea Stadium next month. "What they better do is if anything happens, it's going to have to be an instant forfeit," he said. Without proper security, many players say they'll respond to fans. "They're coming at me with intent to hurt me, I'm going to get after them," Toronto closer Billy Koch said. "You have to defend yourself. You can't just say, 'Well this guy is 5-8 and 155 pounds and you're 6-3, 210.' If he comes into my house, onto my field and attacks me, I'm going to defend myself."