It appears that there’s a member of the Texas Rangers who doesn’t much like news cameras. 

Pitcher Kenny Rogers might be facing legal action and a suspension from baseball after an altercation with two television cameramen in front of the Rangers’ dugout before Wednesday’s game with the Los Angeles Angels.

KDFW/Channel 4 cameraman Larry Rodriguez left Ameriquest Field in Arlington on a stretcher afterward and was taken to Medical Center of Arlington complaining of neck, back and leg pain.

Rangers owner Tom Hicks said Rogers is dealing with “anger-management issues” and apologized to KDFW.

Anger-management issues?  What ever gave you that idea? 

Anyhow, I don’t have much sympathy for a professional ballplayer, since it’s very obvious by now that the job comes with a certain amount of celebrity and the cameras come with that.  He should have known the job was dangerous when he took it. 

But it did get me to thinking about the news media in general and their tendency to shove a microphone and a camera into people’s faces when they’re grieving or otherwise at a low moment in their lives.  If someone is not otherwise already a celebrity, then that person gets a free pass when it comes to slugging any reporter that shoves a microphone in their face after a stressful event (like having a family member murdered).  Frankly, we don’t really need to hear the answer to “How do you feel?”  I think we can all figure it out.  It’s not newsworthy.  We can all afford to give people a bit of space until they’ve dealt with the initial shock.