THE BEATDOWN

August 12, 2023

Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The daily newsletter that loves baseball as much as Rickey Henderson loves referring to himself in the third person.

Let's dive in.

Today's story is about a violent playoff game that resulted in assault charges for two Yankee players and a groundskeeper.

When we think about Game 3 of the '03 ALCS, most of us probably think about the multiple bench-clearing brawls and the incident where Pedro Martínez tossed a 72-year-old man like a rag doll.

This was one of the most exhilarating and tense playoff games in recent history, and it definitely took the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry to a new level.

But there was another incident that night that was less-widely reported. 

In the middle of the ninth, Yankee players Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia got into an argument with Paul Williams, a Boston groundskeeper.

Apparently, Williams was in the Yankees' bullpen and started cheering after the Red Sox turned a double play.

Nelson basically walked up to him and asked him to go to the other bullpen if he wanted to do that shit.

According to Jeff, the groundskeeper instigated the fight by spitting on him.

Shortly after that, Paul Williams realized it was going to be him versus the entire Yankees bullpen.

A lack of eye witnesses resulted in the circumstances being pretty murky, but once things started popping off, Karim Garcia jumped the outfield wall and joined the beatdown.

Several other Yankee players got involved; some trying to break things up and others adding to the beating.

Police flooded the bullpen and broke everything up.

Ultimately, Williams was taken to the hospital with cleat marks on his back and arm; he also left the hospital in a neck brace.

Garcia left with a cut on his hand.

Karim, Jeff, and Paul were all charged with assault.

The players agreed to 50 hours of community service and probation.

BASEBALL TRIVIA

Scroll to the bottom of this email for the correct answer!

STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

First off, this BEAST used to swing a 52-ounce bat!

They nicknamed him Ping for the loud sound it made when he hit a dinger.

It's also worth noting that he was Babe Ruth's roommate when he was on the Yankees.

But probably the most interesting thing about Ping Bodie is that he once competed against an Ostrich in an eating contest, and won.

If you want the full story on that, send this email to one friend using the referral link below - I promise it’s worth it.

BASEBALL TRIVIA ANSWER: Dick Drago

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