Jones stands behind comments about fans

NEW YORK -- Center fielder Adam Jones made national news for his comments on Tuesday regarding the pair of fans who ran onto the field at Yankee Stadium, claiming that he should be able to kick them with his metal spikes on and wishing physical injury on them several times.

With Wednesday's news that Major League Baseball is looking into what he said, Jones was unapologetic, saying that his opinion is shared by other players.

"Not sorry," Jones said. "I'm not going to say it if I don't mean it. Obviously, I don't want to inflict any pain on people, but if you put us in harm's way, [I've] got to protect myself.

"That's all it's about. Players don't pay to come watch the fans, fans pay to come watch the players. Cuss us out, badger us, but don't put our lives, our safety in jeopardy."

Jones received a lot of positive reinforcement for saying what he says others have wanted to and that his phone was "blowing up" in the aftermath of Tuesday's tirade.

"It's been awesome, with everyone, friends around the league, [saying], like, 'Dude, that's awesome," he said.

Since players aren't allowed to accost fans who run on the field, what are Jones' thoughts on punishment?

"You can't stop [it] from happening, because you would have to put up barriers, and that would obstruct the fans. The only thing you can do is make examples of them," he said. "Give them real jail time. Fine the [heck] out of them. Twenty grand. Nobody wants to be fined 20 grand. I don't care who you are. The world's richest man. So you are going to have to do something.

"Obviously, the safety of players is important to me. ... You are not going to let someone come on the field and damage your investment. Just looking at it from a business model. So it is what it is."

Manager Buck Showalter has no issue with Jones' comments, although he doesn't condone physical violence wished on others.

"Adam's entitled to his opinion, and one a lot of people might agree with, but I think you've got to take it for what it's worth," Showalter said. "It just kind of hit me, sitting on the top step, listening to people cheering as they ran onto the field. What does that really say? I'm sitting there on the top step, thinking, 'Why are they cheering?' What would happen if everybody booed them? … That's what hit me. They're all cheering. And nobody sees it anymore. They don't put it on TV, right?"

Showalter also made light of the fans being tackled in the infield when they were finally captured.

"They didn't exactly sugarcoat it out there," he said. "I know Derek [Jeter] and Brian [Roberts] and our guys love the infield here, but I wonder how those two guys felt the infield was. They thought it was properly soft?"