Melky plans to appeal suspension

Melky Cabrera still maintained this morning that he didn’t punch the Rays’ Evan Longoria in the melee last week and he plans to appeal his three-game suspension, though he’s going to watch video of the incident with his agent first. Cabrera said he wants to play opening day at the Stadium, which may or may not be possible depending on how fast MLB acts on any appeal. His appeal would be due Friday. Shelley Duncan said he had not decided whether to appeal. Would it be a surprise if both players waited until Friday, to heighten their chances of playing the opener? The appeals are due March 21. Who knows if Bob Watson, baseball’s majordomo of discipline, would fly to Florida for a hearing or if he would make the players fly to New York for one before opening day? If they wait until the Yankees go north, the players might be able to play while awaiting hearings on their appeal. Of course, if both Duncan and Cabrera were to serve their full suspensions starting with the ... [link]