CTV NEWS, Edmonton:
Edmonton Jackrabbits Manager Jose Sanchez was taken into police custody Tuesday night following a major dispute that left General Manger Mike Bauer severely injured. The incident took place during a Jackrabbits practice at the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Field.
"We were just going over some fielding drills while Sanchez and Mr. Bauer were having a discussion in the dugout," explained Jackrabbits outfielder Vaughn Thomas. "Suddenly I heard shouting and saw Sanchez striking Mr. Bauer with a bat. All of us were alarmed and raced to the dugout. Moo (1B Ricardo Mendoza) was the first to get there and tackled Sanchez and got him to the ground. I got in there and helped hold down Sanchez while the others tended to Bauer."
"Bauer had taken a pretty bad beating but was still breathing. The coaches dialed 911 but Baby Driver (Manny Collazo) insisted on taking Bauer to the hospital right away. A few of the guys carried Bauer and rushed him to Baby's car and they took off. The rest of us kept Sanchez pinned until the cops arrived, and they wasted no time cuffing him and taking him into custody."
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"Bauer has numerous injuries but is in stable condition," said Dr. Hugh Wesley of Royal Alexandra Hospital. "He has a concussion but luckily the head trauma doesn't seem too major. He has several broken ribs and a collapsed lung, a broken arm and a collarbone fracture. His back is banged up pretty bad. He's alive thanks to the quick actions of those players. He will require weeks of hospitalization, but we expect he will make a full recovery over time. Mr. Bauer has been a very brave and cooperative patient, and has been drawing the attention of quite a few of our young nurses."
Owner Jim Leonard expressed worry and regret regarding the situation. "I put up with Sanchez's temper and worrisome behavior for far too long," he lamented. "I should've have have seen the warning signs that Sanchez would eventually snap. I wish I had let go of Sanchez and used whatever means necessary to keep us all safe."
Leonard continued, "Sanchez had a 'Poor' reputation and his personality profile described him as 'Tempermental'. He 'Worked Well with Easygoing' people, but only because he could bully them. He 'Struggled with Normal' people who were offended by his methods. He was a 'Sabermetric' manager, which a lot of people find quite creepy. He also had a 'Power' hitting focus, which is true given Mike's injuries. I gave him a large contract and it turned him into a bigger ass, and a more dangerous person. I dismissed rumors about Sanchez's time in Mumbai and now wish I had looked into them. I thought hiring a hot-headed manager would inspire our team, but it just created new problems. I take full responsibility for not putting this all together and realizing lives were in danger."
"Bench coach Norberto Ramirez will take over for Sanchez for the time being while we make an official decision on an interim manager in the coming days. Assistant GM Nazih bin Amid will fill in for Mike until he is healthy enough to resume work. We have the utmost confidence in our remaining staff to respond to this tragedy and fill in admirably. No games will be postponed or cancelled. My focus is to do everything I can for Mike and help him and his family through this scary situation."
Edmonton Sheriff Drake Newman also addressed the media. "Jose Sanchez is in police custody. Criminal charges are currently pending but are likely to be severe. We're going to investigate this situation fully with the cooperation of the Jackrabbits organization. No charges or citations will be filed against Mr. Collazo despite some very aggressive driving at speeds we've never witnessed in the Edmonton metro area before."
In a statement, BBA Commissioner Matt Rectenwald responded to the situation. "Sanchez is in police custody in Edmonton and we have trust in the local authorities to handle this case accordingly. Sanchez's actions were depraved, and at least from what we are able to determine now, it seems unlikely Sanchez will ever set foot in a BBA, GBC or affiliate stadium ever again. We are relieved Mike's injuries aren't life-threatening. I'll be traveling to Edmonton personally to follow-up on the situation and make sure owner Jim Leonard and the Edmonton organization have everything they need during this difficult time."
"Sanchez was a bully and a menace, and given what we saw tonight truly a psycho," commented first base coach Robbie de Cock. "But he won't be abusing anyone around here anymore. We're much better off without him and I hope he rots in jail. I'm very sad this happened to Mr. Bauer and I promise the team will play hard for him all year. He's been a great GM and I hope to see him around here again soon."
The protection of the Jackrabbits GM also came with an additional cost. Moo (1B Ricardo Mendoza) injured his back during the tussle with Sanchez and was placed on the 60-day disabled list. The Jackrabbits, currently at 12-13, will try to hold firm in 6th place and not slip in the JL Frontier division.
