BrokenVisage
Lifer
ARLINGTON -- Rangers ace Kenny Rogers tangled with a pair of television cameramen -- pushing one and wrestling a camera from another -- hours before Wednesday's game against the Angels.
Rogers first shoved Fox Sports Net Southwest's David Mammel, who was shooting video of the pitcher on his way to a pregame stretch, and told him, "I told you to get those cameras out of my face."
The pitcher then approached a second cameraman, Larry Rodriguez of Channel 4 KDFW in Dallas-Fort Worth, and took the camera from Rodriguez before throwing it to the ground and kicking it.
Rodriguez was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher and went to a hospital. He spoke with police but no charges had been filed.
"I am concerned for him," Rangers owner Tom Hicks said of Rogers. "Obviously, he has some anger management issues and that's probably why he is so competitive and they are probably tied together. But there is a line, and he clearly crossed the line today. ... What Kenny did was wrong. No question about it."
Rogers yelled at two other cameramen, threatening to break their cameras as they captured footage of him walking through the dugout and into the Rangers clubhouse. Rogers was escorted through the dugout by teammate Rod Barajas and soon after was sent home by manager Buck Showalter.
Hicks said the club would release a statement concerning Rogers on Thursday. He did not specify what type of disciplinary actions the club will take but said the matter will be handled internally.
"Obviously, Kenny made a big mistake," Hicks said. "On behalf of the Texas Rangers, I'd like to apologize to Channel 4 for what he did. It will not be condoned, but we're gathering the facts. Kenny's very emotional right now, obviously, and he's been around the media for a long time in some ways and in some ways he hasn't. He's getting a real lesson right now, I think. We'll find out more. I'm going to let Buck handle it and it will be handled internally and we do apologize to Channel 4."
Rodriguez was unavailable to comment.
Rogers first shoved Fox Sports Net Southwest's David Mammel, who was shooting video of the pitcher on his way to a pregame stretch, and told him, "I told you to get those cameras out of my face."
The pitcher then approached a second cameraman, Larry Rodriguez of Channel 4 KDFW in Dallas-Fort Worth, and took the camera from Rodriguez before throwing it to the ground and kicking it.
Rodriguez was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher and went to a hospital. He spoke with police but no charges had been filed.
"I am concerned for him," Rangers owner Tom Hicks said of Rogers. "Obviously, he has some anger management issues and that's probably why he is so competitive and they are probably tied together. But there is a line, and he clearly crossed the line today. ... What Kenny did was wrong. No question about it."
Rogers yelled at two other cameramen, threatening to break their cameras as they captured footage of him walking through the dugout and into the Rangers clubhouse. Rogers was escorted through the dugout by teammate Rod Barajas and soon after was sent home by manager Buck Showalter.
Hicks said the club would release a statement concerning Rogers on Thursday. He did not specify what type of disciplinary actions the club will take but said the matter will be handled internally.
"Obviously, Kenny made a big mistake," Hicks said. "On behalf of the Texas Rangers, I'd like to apologize to Channel 4 for what he did. It will not be condoned, but we're gathering the facts. Kenny's very emotional right now, obviously, and he's been around the media for a long time in some ways and in some ways he hasn't. He's getting a real lesson right now, I think. We'll find out more. I'm going to let Buck handle it and it will be handled internally and we do apologize to Channel 4."
Rodriguez was unavailable to comment.
