No jolly Ranger: Kenny Rogers' gamble doesn't pay

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers shoved two cameramen yesterday, sending one to the hospital in a videotaped tirade that included throwing a camera to the ground and threatening to break others.

Rogers, who missed his last start for the struggling Rangers with a broken pinky he incurred during an outburst earlier this month, erupted at the cameramen as they filmed him walking to the field for pregame stretching before last night's game against the Angels.

The 40-year-old left-hander first shoved Fox Sports Net Southwest photographer David Mammeli, telling him: "I told you to get those cameras out of my face."

Rogers then approached a second cameraman. He wrestled the camera from Larry Rodriguez of Dallas-Fort Worth television station KDFW, 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. Rogers, 9-3 with a 2.46 earned-run average, is scheduled to pitch Sunday against the Mariners.

KDFW news director Maria Barrs said paramedics took Rodriguez to an Arlington hospital to be checked out. Rodriguez was treated and released.

FSN Southwest spokesman Ramon Alvarez said Mammeli wasn't injured.

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.

As players begin to intervene, Rogers pulls the camera to the ground and kicks it before walking away.

Rodriguez said that when he picked up the camera the second time, his intentions were to keep getting footage of Rogers.

"I figured since now he vented that he was all good, but the second time was just a little bit too much," he said in an interview on KDFW.

Rangers manager Buck Showalter, who did not witness the events, said the team will investigate.

"It's not something we'll take lightly," Showalter said. "When I have all the facts, I'll deal with it."

Showalter added: "One person was frustrated — frustrated at not being able to win."

Texas has lost eight of its past 10 games.

"I think it demonstrated an appalling lack of control," Barrs said. "The team doing poorly is no excuse for assaulting a guy who's just doing his job," Barrs said.

Arlington police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said the department had been notified of the incident and was investigating. No charges have been filed, she said.

Rogers missed his turn Tuesday night against the Angels because of a small broken bone in his right pinkie. Rogers was hurt after he came out of a game against Washington on June 17. Video clips showed him knocking multiple coolers to the ground, then looking at his right hand.

Rogers has refused to talk to reporters all season, and Tuesday night ordered television cameras turned off around him. He has boycotted most media since a report before spring training said he threatened to retire if he wasn't given a contract extension.