Delmon Young of the Detroit Tigers was arrested early this morning in New York City on a misdemeanor charge of aggravated harassment hate crime according to multiple media sources . The incident occurred near Times Square in midtown Manhattan outside the Hilton hotel where he and the Tigers were staying.
Young apparently went off when he reportedly spotted a panhandler wearing a yarmulke on the street. “That’s when Young, who was nearby, started shouting, “F–king Jews! F–king Jews!”, according to the New York Post .
Four tourists who had given the panhandler some money confronted Young about his anti-Semitic tirade, and he and one of the tourists apparently got into a scuffle. Police evidently determined that Young was drunk and took the outfielder to a hospital so he could sober up, and then subsequently arrested him. The tourist claimed he suffered scratches on his arm after being thrown to the ground. More facts will likely emerge in the coming days.
The Tigers organization declined to comment other than it was aware of the incident. It is unlikely that Young will be in the lineup this weekend against the Yankees.
Young, a lifetime .288 hitter, started his career with the Tampa Bay Rays and also played for the Minnesota Twins before his trade to the Tigers. He was the top pick in the 2003 MLB draft.
The New York Daily News recalls that “Young hit the series-winning home run to knock the Yankees out of the playoffs last October — but is almost as well known for his angry antics as for his on-field performance.”
Perhaps his main claim to fame–or more likely infamy–is receiving a 50-game suspension for throwing a bat at an umpire after being rung up on strikes while he was in the minor leagues:
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