Cardinals fined for ‘slow moving cattle'

Augusta — The New Jersey Cardinals will donate $100 dollars worth of milk to local charities, after they were fined $100 by the New York-Pennsylvania League for slow moving cattle. In two games against the Hudson Valley Renegades, on July 14 and 15, the Condit Toyota Rally Cow was brought onto the field prior to the bottom of the seventh inning. The cow, which remains unnamed, failed each time to respond to directions from Cardinals personnel, and could not be directed off the field in a timely fashion. The league president, Ben Hayes, on a request made by New Jersey Cardinals vice president and general manager Tony Torre, officially levied a fine for violation of Rule 12.16, which provides that the resumption of an inning must occur within 90 seconds of the previously ended inning or half inning. The source of the "slow moving cattle" could be the rally cow's reluctance to leave the side of Cardinals' manager Mark DeJohn. Torre likened the bond between DeJohn and the Rally Cow to that of Marge Schotte and her infamous St. Bernard dog, Schottsie, that used to roam the outfield at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati during Schotte's tenure as owner of the Reds. Upon arriving at Skylands Park, DeJohn immediately undertook a daily regimen of feeding and walking the cow in the outfield, along with taking it to graze in a neighboring field. DeJohn ensures everyday that the rally cow has enough food and water, and even has been spotted cleaning her stall. Torre believes that the cow may have been over fed, causing it to have lost some of its speed. Hayes, a former Major League reliever with the Cincinnati Reds, identified with the situation. In a conversation the next day, Torre was apprised by Hayes that the umpires noted the slow movement of the cow in their game report. Hudson Valley Renegades manager Dave Howard had also voiced his displeasure with the lumbering calf. Torre explained to the league president that Roberts had a legitimate "beef." The cow had been moving slowly and this was not an attempt by the Cardinals to "milk" the promotion. A new route would be undertaken for future games. Torre suggested that the Cardinals should be appropriately fined for the infraction, and thought that one hundred dollars worth of milk should be "steered" to two local charities. The Cardinals have chosen to pay the fine by donating 100 dollars in milk to Norwescap Food Bank in Philipsburg, and Birth Haven, a home for pregnant women in need. An official presentation is being planned at a future Cardinals home game.