ducks
09-14-2004, 02:45 PM
Wolves' GM in court
sports.espn.go.com/nba/ne...id=1881349 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1881349)
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jim Stack, the Minnesota Timberwolves' new general manager, has been convicted of misdemeanor battery after a confrontation at a youth baseball game.
Stack was convicted Friday in Cook County, Ill., of punching a coach at a tournament July 4 in Schaumburg, Ill. He was sentenced to a year of court supervision and ordered to visit terminally ill children at a Chicago hospital in December.
According to a Chicago Tribune report on Sunday, witnesses said the incident started when a team of 9-year-old players, including Stack's son, were playing with water balloons after their game. Some of the children ran through the area where a team of 14-year-olds was warming up. Stack then warned Bob Mitchell, the coach of the 14-year-old baseball team, and his players to be careful.
Stack, who was named the Wolves' general manager on July 9, testified in court that Mitchell began walking toward him with his fist clenched. Stack testified that he put his hand up to protect himself and made contact with Mitchell. But a witness said Stack used a closed fist to punch Mitchell in the face and left the area before police arrived, the report said.
Mitchell told the Tribune that Stack shook his hand and apologized for the incident after the trial.
"I would like to apologize to the Timberwolves organization and their fans for this distraction," Stack said in a statement. "This was a very unfortunate situation, and I sincerely regret how it escalated all the way to the level that it has today.
"This incident resulted from my concern for the safety of my son's 9-year-old baseball team and unfortunately led to a heated exchange."
sports.espn.go.com/nba/ne...id=1881349 (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1881349)
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jim Stack, the Minnesota Timberwolves' new general manager, has been convicted of misdemeanor battery after a confrontation at a youth baseball game.
Stack was convicted Friday in Cook County, Ill., of punching a coach at a tournament July 4 in Schaumburg, Ill. He was sentenced to a year of court supervision and ordered to visit terminally ill children at a Chicago hospital in December.
According to a Chicago Tribune report on Sunday, witnesses said the incident started when a team of 9-year-old players, including Stack's son, were playing with water balloons after their game. Some of the children ran through the area where a team of 14-year-olds was warming up. Stack then warned Bob Mitchell, the coach of the 14-year-old baseball team, and his players to be careful.
Stack, who was named the Wolves' general manager on July 9, testified in court that Mitchell began walking toward him with his fist clenched. Stack testified that he put his hand up to protect himself and made contact with Mitchell. But a witness said Stack used a closed fist to punch Mitchell in the face and left the area before police arrived, the report said.
Mitchell told the Tribune that Stack shook his hand and apologized for the incident after the trial.
"I would like to apologize to the Timberwolves organization and their fans for this distraction," Stack said in a statement. "This was a very unfortunate situation, and I sincerely regret how it escalated all the way to the level that it has today.
"This incident resulted from my concern for the safety of my son's 9-year-old baseball team and unfortunately led to a heated exchange."