HOUSTON — Former baseball star Chuck Knoblauch has been charged with misdemeanour assault after authorities in Houston say he hit and pushed his ex-wife.
Knoblauch was released on $10,000 bond. His first court date is set for July 30. The four-time All-Star previously served a year of probation after being convicted of hitting his previous wife in 2010.
His latest run-in with the law prompted the Minnesota Twins to cancel Knoblauch’s induction ceremony into the Twins Hall of Fame that was scheduled for Aug. 23.
Knoblauch also played for the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals during a 12-year career.
He was set to be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in August. The Twins quickly cancelled those plans on Thursday.
"There are no plans to reschedule," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "I suppose over time this could be revisited, but at this time from the Twins’ organization perspective, we currently have no intent to reschedule."-
Knoblauch was an elite second baseman for the Twins from 1991-1997, a four-time All-Star, the AL Rookie of the Year in 1991 and a Gold Glove winner.
But Knoblauch’s image in Minnesota took a serious hit in his final season here when he requested to be traded from a team that had fallen on hard times. He was sent to the Yankees in a deal that netted the Twins Eric Milton and Cristian Guzman, but many fans never forgave him. Knoblauch was the subject of merciless heckling every time he returned to Minnesota with the Yankees, including one game in 2001 that had to be stopped briefly when fans threw things at him while he played in left field.
He also struggled with drug problems and had issues with the law, but had been in close contact with the Twins since being voted into the team’s hall in January.
"He had certainly expressed to me he was in a different place in his life," St. Peter said. "He had learned from a variety of mistakes he had made in his life and he was looking forward to re-establishing a relationship with a lot of his teammates from his time in Minnesota, from people in the front office and, most importantly, with our fans. I know today that’s something that he needs to deal with and he’s very disappointed that that opportunity, at least in the short term, is not going to happen."
Knoblauch was voted into the Twins hall by a committee of voters that included some Twins employees and former players but also media members in the area. Knoblauch will not be listed as a member of the team’s Hall of Fame and he will not have a plaque to commemorate the honour with the other members outside Target Field.
St. Peter said he cast a vote for Knoblauch on the ballot.
"I strongly had the belief that he was in a different place and that he had made amends and was looking forward to being a better husband and a better dad," St. Peter said. "Obviously we need to see what transpires, but it’s disappointing, to say the least."
