Texas Rangers Manager Pays Fine With 20,000 Pennies
11 years ago

Imagine if you were fined for all the times a ref ejected you for unsportsmanlike conduct during intramural games. I’d imagine most of you would be bankrupt. Well, big league managers don’t have the luxury of just throwing up the bird and walking away. In the big leagues, people get nice fines to go along with their ejection.

One of these ejections occurred at a spring training game in Arizona way back in March 2011. According to Ron Washington, the Texas Rangers’ manager–who is also famous for his past cocaine addiction–the Rangers’ third baseman, Adrian Beltre, disputed a strike call and got tossed from the game when he disobeyed the umpire’s command to disengage and get back into the batter’s box. As any stand-up manager would do, Washington ran out of the dugout to support his player. This, obviously, drew the ire of the umpire and earned Washington an early exit from the game.

Being ejected from a meaningless spring training game. TFM.

Because spring training stadiums are usually no more than a playing field and a few bleachers, Washington had nowhere to go once the umpire sent him packing. This led to him hanging around in the Rangers’ dugout, against MLB rules. He scored himself a $200 fine. Washington proceeded to fill a box with pennies–20,000 of them if my elementary math skills are correct–and mailed them to Major League Baseball’s offices in New York. Just the cost of mailing such a heavy box to New York was $45.

When questioned by MLB’s Vice President of Discipline, Washington reportedly responded, “I didn’t have my checkbook. I wasn’t trying to be funny. Now go to the bank and put that in the [change] machine and get your $200.”

Paying your fine for being ejected from a meaningless spring training game in pennies just for shits and giggles. TFM.

Go Rangers.

[via CBS Sports]

Image via JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO / Contra Costa Times (MCT)

    1. 5th_Year_Frat

      He had to carry it there. Much heavier than two benjamins. Also had Ron sent two benjamins, there would be no need to go to the bank at all. Inconvenient. It was a power move, bro.

      11 years ago at 6:10 pm
  5. Strom Thurmond

    Bobby Cox provided the end all be all of power moves by an MLB manager, as told by Jeff Francoeur.

    “…I got tossed the first time in ‘06 out in San Diego right after the All-Star break. I’ll never forget it. I got tossed and Bobby got tossed and we come in and I’m like, ‘What do I do?’ He said, ‘Go have a couple cold beers and get in the cold tub or something and relax. And then you’ll probably have to write a $500 check. Or you can do what I do, write a $10,000 one and tell them when it runs out, let me know.’…”

    http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2010/09/24/first-person-cox-tribute-francoeur/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_braves_blog&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

    11 years ago at 1:14 pm