VERO BEACH, Fla. – Brian Jordan, upset at being hit by
another spring-training pitch from Kevin Brown, grabbed the Los
Angeles ace around the collar outside the Atlanta clubhouse and set
off a wild scene during Tuesday's game.
|  | | Players run to the Braves clubhouse in right field where Brian Jordan and Kevin Brown were locking horns on Tuesday. |
A policeman helped break up the tussle before it escalated into
a full-scale brawl. There were no injuries, only bruised feelings.
"No punches were thrown, none were intended to be thrown,"
Jordan said. 'You can only get hit so many times before you take
offense at it.
"Of course I was angry," he said. "I know he has better
control than that."
The confrontation occurred before the fifth inning, far down the
right-field corner and out of sight for most fans at tiny Holman
Stadium. Instead, the crowd saw players from both teams sprinting
to the fracas -- along with a few policemen -- delaying the game for
about five minutes.
"I guess he was upset," Brown said. "He wanted to know if I'd
hit him on purpose. I said, 'Good gracious, why would I hit you on
purpose?"'
Jordan, hit by Brown in an exhibition game last March 23, was
coming back from a season full on injuries. Jordan has been hit
once by Brown in a regular-season game, on April 17, 1997.
The Braves' star outfielder was nailed on the left forearm in
the first inning on a 1-2 pitch with no outs and a runner on base.
Jordan was forced to leave the game, and went for treatment in the
Braves' locker room.
Brown exited after four innings, and his walk to the clubhouse
took him past where Jordan was standing.
According to witnesses, Jordan and Brown began talking from a
distance and then started to jaw at close range.
"Jordan was hovering around, waiting for Brown to come off the
field," said David Graham, 47, of West Palm Beach. "Brown threw
down his mitt and Jordan grabbed his uniform, right around the
neck."
El Billero, 13, of Vero Beach, was standing outside a gate near
the bullpen.
"They were kind of shoving and talking to each other," he
said. "But it wasn't a fight."
Vero Beach police Cpl. Richard Witte was close by when the
trouble started.
"There was a little pushing and shoving, and the other players
came running," he said. "I went over to them before everyone got
there and told them, `C'mon, fellas, break it up. And they broke
apart."
A little later, Braves starter Greg Maddux walked over to Brown,
who was sitting in a golf cart, and shook hands with the Dodgers
pitcher.
"I don't claim to understand it," Brown said of the scuffle.
"I don't worry about apologizing to guys if I hit them because
it's part of the game."
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