LA Russa Berates Reporter -- A's Manager Goes Off After Beaning Incident

CHICAGO - Oakland Manager Tony La Russa was fuming - and his team won.

La Russa was irate after last night's 7-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox after his catcher, Terry Steinbach, was hit in the head in the ninth by a pitch from Bobby Thigpen.

La Russa never actually accused Thigpen of throwing at Steinbach, saying only, "I know what the intent was. I know exactly what happened out there. That's all I want to say.

"I know exactly what was involved and that's the extent of it. If that's the cost you pay to win the game, then I don't like the cost."

La Russa then took exception to a question regarding Steinbach's status and got into a heated argument with Associated Press stringer Bob Glass.

"That had to be a very scary moment," La Russa was asked.

"I don't want to talk about that," La Russa answered, raising his voice.

"OK, but don't yell at me," Glass replied.

"I'll yell if I want to," La Russa screamed before ending the group interview and ordering the reporter out of the room.

"Don't pull that. Be a man," Glass shouted.

La Russa turned back toward the reporter and was visibly upset.

"Be a man? My player is on the ground! That guy has about as much sense as a buzzard," he said, referring to Glass.

At that point, several Oakland players and coaches moved toward the scene and Glass was escorted out as players shouted at him to leave.

Thigpen hit Steinbach on the left side of his helmet with the first pitch. After a delay of several minutes, Steinbach sat up and was taken off the field on a stretcher. He was taken to Mercy Hospital.

"Steinbach was lucid and answering a lot of questions," Oakland's director of baseball information, Jay Alves, said after the game.

Both dugouts emptied and the teams exchanged words apparently after a remark by A's outfielder Rickey Henderson, who was among several Oakland players who thought they were being thrown at.

No punches were thrown, but La Russa was ejected.