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Thursday, July 1, 1999

Twins manager Kelly stages quiet protest

Associated Press

CLEVELAND - Minnesota manager Tom Kelly, upset over two calls by Greg Kosc the previous night, snubbed the umpire prior to Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Indians.
   Instead of participating in the pregame meeting between the umpires and both managers, Kelly simply handed his lineup card to plate umpire Kosc, then turned and jogged back to the dugout.
   "Being the dumb Irishman that I am, I figured that if I stood there too long I would probably eventually say the wrong thing," Kelly said after Minnesota's 5-3 win over Cleveland.
   Kelly delivered a postgame tirade to reporters after Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Indians. He was furious about two calls made by Kosc at first base.
   The first was a seventh-inning pickoff of the Twins' Doug Mientkiewicz. Kelly was even more irate when Kosc called Cleveland's Roberto Alomar safe on a bunt play in the Indians' ninth.
   "You saw the game, you watched the replays," Kelly said. "Tell me Mientkiewicz was out. Was he? Yes or no? How about Alomar?"
   Prior to Wednesday night's game, Kelly said he was "still fuming" over the calls.
   As it turned out, Indians manager Mike Hargrove was ejected by Kosc in the third inning after an interference call.
   Roberto Alomar struck out as Omar Vizquel broke for second base. Alomar's follow-through sent him over the plate, hindering catcher Terry Steinbach's throw, and Kosc ruled Vizquel out.
   "I didn't think it was interference," Hargrove said. "I told Kosc I thought he made the wrong call. He told me I was full of it."

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