It was nearly six years ago that there were some unexpected fireworks at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
And not because the Indians slugged some big Home Runs either … these fireworks weren’t the kind to be celebrated.
On June 12, 2002, the Cleveland Indians were hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. Indians’ pitcher Bartolo Colon was on the mound in the top of the ninth, trying to finish a complete game shutout.
Marlon Anderson singled to lead off the inning, with the heart of the Phillie order due up. And then it got interesting - even before Bobby Abreu took a swing …
That huge boom which made Abreu spin out of the batters box and halt play for a moment was courtesy of an idiot who threw a pretty powerful firecracker (possibly a cherry bomb) over the edge of the right field stands towards a smoking section on the lower level.
Two people were injured. A woman suffered leg injuries for which she was hospitalized and a Jacobs Field employee sustained burns to his chest.
Police originally held three men in connection with the crime, but two were later cleared of charges and were awarded $1 Million each for wrongful arrest, but the awards are under appeal. One of the men was recently convicted of “threatening the lives of the judge, prosecutor and lead police investigator in the 2002 case.”
The third man was convicted of throwing the firecracker and sentenced to three years in prison. He was released after serving seven months of the sentence.
Entries (RSS)
January 15th, 2008 at 11:25 am
All generalizations are false, including this one.