Pitcher Kenny Rogers Charged

JULY 18--Meet Kenny Rogers. The petulant Texas Rangers pitcher was booked today on a misdemeanor assault charge for roughing up a TV cameraman. During a 30-minute stop at the Tarrant County Jail, the athlete, 40, was photographed, fingerprinted, and released after posting $1500 bond. He faces a maximum of a year in the can and a $4000 fine if convicted of the charge. Rogers, who pitched last week in the All-Star game, shoved cameraman Larry Rodriguez to the ground prior to a June 29 game. Rodriguez, who works for KFDW, a Fox station, was briefly hospitalized following the incident, which was captured by another videographer. Baseball officials cracked down hard on Rogers, suspending the lefthander for 20 games and fining him $50,000. While appealing those penalties, Rogers has been allowed to remain on the Rangers active roster. On Saturday, he defeated the Oakland Athletics to boost his team-best record to 11-4. (1 page)