Racing sausage whacked with bat at Miller Park
By DREW OLSON
dolson@journalsentinel.com
Last Updated: July 10, 2003
The nightly sausage race, a popular feature at Milwaukee Brewers home games, took a bizarre, ugly turn Wednesday night at Miller Park that led to sheriff's deputies taking Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Randall Simon from the park in handcuffs.

A 19-year-old member of the "Super Team," the Brewers' on-field promotional group, was racing past the visitors' dugout wearing the giant Italian sausage costume when she was hit from behind by a bat Simon swung as he stood on the dugout's top step.

The female employee, who was identified by a club official only as Mandy, crumpled to the warning track in front of the dugout and another racer, a 21-year-old woman identified by a club official as Veronica, tripped over her and fell to the ground as well.

After several seconds, Veronica helped Mandy to her feet and the two finished the race and exited the field. Both were treated for injuries in the first aid area at the stadium, where they were interviewed by Milwaukee County sheriff's deputies and officials from Major League Baseball's security department.

The incident, which occurred before a crowd of 22,490, was captured by TV cameras and replayed several times.

"This is one of the most outrageous things I've ever seen inside a ballpark or outside a ballpark," said Rick Schlesinger, Brewers executive vice president of business operations.

"It sickened me to see it."

Schlesinger did not divulge the women's names or the extent of their injuries, citing confidentiality laws. He did say that Simon was interrogated by sheriff's deputies at the ballpark.

Asked whether the club or the victims would press charges, Schlesinger said: "It's in the hands of the Sheriff's Department right now. We'll let that run its course."

Shortly after the game, a pair of club employees saw deputies escort Simon, who was in handcuffs, from the park.

Simon was booked and released late Wednesday. He probably would be ordered to appear in the Milwaukee County district attorney's office this morning, said Sheriff's Department Deputy Inspector Sherry Warichak.

The injured characters suffered scraped knees and were treated by the stadium's first aid staff but did not require hospitalization, Warichak said.

"At this point I don't think there were any other injuries, but that remains to be seen," Warichak said.

Schlesinger said he spoke to Larry Silverman, the vice president and legal counsel for the Pirates, after the incident.

"I do not view this as a reflection on the Pirates organization," Schlesinger said. "This is an insane act by a person whose conduct is unjustified."

Super Team member Ryan Borghoff, 16, raced wearing the bratwurst costume.

"The whole thing is unbelievable," said Borghoff, who recently finished his sophomore year at Waukesha West High School.

"I didn't really know what happened. We were doing . . . a race where one person takes the lead and then another person passes him. It was my turn to lead, so I ran out front. I didn't really know what was going on. All of a sudden, I was by myself.

"He didn't hit her on the head," Borghoff said, referring to Mandy. "He just hit the costume and she fell over. These things are so top-heavy that it doesn't take much."

Borghoff went on to win the race. "Somebody had to, I guess," he said.

Lives in Caribbean
Simon, 28, was born and still lives in Curacao, an island located in the southwestern Caribbean, north of Venezuela.

A first baseman with a reputation as a free-swinging hitter, Simon has appeared in 67 of Pittsburgh's 86 games this season and is batting .272 with seven homers and 40 runs batted in. He is making $1.475 million this season.

After the game, Pirates players and coaches watched a videotape of the incident in the visitors' clubhouse.

"It's very strange. Live and learn - unfortunately, that's what life is all about," said Pirates outfielder Reggie Sanders. "It was an unfortunate situation."

Pirates spokesman Dan Hart said, "At this point in time, other than to say it's in the hands of the authorities, we have no comment."

The sausage race occurs after the sixth inning, and Simon wasn't playing at the time. When he pinch-hit in the top of the seventh, Simon was roundly booed by the crowd. He grounded out in what turned into a 2-1 Brewers victory in 12 innings.

The costumed mascots, usually members of the Super Team pep squad or the Brewers' grounds crew, race along the infield warning track, from the left-field corner to the area beyond the home dugout on the first-base side.

The incident took place on the one-year anniversary of the 73rd All-Star Game at Miller Park, which finished in a controversial tie.

th' hell?