Rangers Pitcher Turns Himself In

Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers turned himself in to authorities Monday on misdemeanor assault charges stemming from his tirade against two cameramen.

Arlington police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said Rogers faces a charge of assault with injury in the shoving of KDFW cameraman Larry Rodriguez. She also said police will mail an assault citation to Rogers' attorney for shoving Fox Sports Net Southwest cameraman David Mammeli.

The assault charge involving Rodriguez is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000. The other charge is punishable by a fine of up to $500.

Neither the Rangers nor Rogers' attorney returned telephone calls seeking comment.

Gilfour said Fox Sports, which owns the camera Rogers damaged in shoving Rodriguez, has declined to press criminal charges.

The 40-year-old left-hander is free on $1,500 bond. He's appealing a 20-game suspension and $50,000 fine for shoving the cameramen June 29.

Rogers leads Texas with 11 wins. He has refused to talk to reporters all season. He has also boycotted most media since a report before spring training that he threatened to retire if he wasn't given a contract extension.

Rogers lashed out at the cameramen as they filmed him walking to the field for pre-game stretching. The episode led to Rodriguez being treated at a hospital after the camera was ripped from his hands and thrown to the ground.

Footage shot by Dallas-Fort Worth station KTVT shows Rogers pushing Rodriguez's camera, which goes over the photographer's head and falls to the ground. As Rodriguez puts the camera back on his shoulder, Rogers approaches again, pushing the lens away and having words with the photographer.

Rogers first shoved Fox Sports Net Southwest Mammeli, telling him: "I told you to get those cameras out of my face."

Rogers then approached Rodriguez and wrestled the camera away, threw it to the ground and kicked it.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound pitcher saw two other cameramen who were recording from the Rangers' dugout and walked toward them. He did not make contact with the men, who were backing away.

"I'll break every ... one of them," Rogers said before he was escorted to the clubhouse by catcher Rod Barajas.

The Rangers sent Rogers home about an hour later.

"Kenny has had a short fuse dealing with the media," Rangers owner Tom Hicks said shortly after the incident. "I've heard stories about what may or may not have happened. He has issues. It's directed at the media and I don't know why."