BOSTON -- Once again, Major League Baseball has its eye on Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Everett.

	Carl Everett Center Field Boston Red Sox Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM HR RBI R SB AVG 82 13 52 55 8 .269

Baseball has instructed umpires to check whether Everett illegally crowds home plate while batting left-handed in games, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.

Also, MLB senior vice president for on-field operations Frank Robinson is looking into whether punishment is warranted after Everett appeared to grab his crotch and spit in the direction of Seattle Mariners pitcher Jamie Moyer after hitting a homer on Tuesday night.

Ralph Nelson, vice president of umpiring, said he had asked crew chief Mark Hirschbeck to file a written report about Tuesday's game in which Moyer complained that Everett's front foot was too close to home plate. Hirschbeck, who was behind the plate, went out to speak with Moyer, but Everett did not change his stance and subsequently was hit by a pitch. Everett, even though he is a switch-hitter, was batting left-handed against the left-handed Moyer.

Everett smiled and nodded at Moyer as he walked down the first-base line, then pointed toward the outfield, recalling the image of Babe Ruth calling his famous shot. Two at-bats later, Everett followed through on his vow, hitting an opposite-field home run over the Green Monster.

Nelson, who discussed the matter with Robinson, said he told Hirschbeck's crew that if the Mariners complained, the umpires should enforce the rule. But even though Seattle manager Lou Piniella said before the game he intended to raise the issue, the game proceeded without incident.

"Look, we don't want to make a big deal about it," Piniella told The Globe. "A couple of my pitchers have raised the issue. We're going to follow up on it, and leave it in the umpires' hands."

"The rule is ambiguous," Nelson told The Globe from his office in New York. "When a batter starts his at-bat, he must have both feet completely inside the batter's box, but there's no penalty for what happens if you don't start with your feet inside of the box. If you make contact with the ball and you have a foot outside of the box, then you're out.

"We've taken the approach that the other team has to complain before we ask any player to get his feet inside the box."

Until Tuesday, Nelson said, there had been no complaints about Everett. "Frank Robinson and I spoke today," Nelson said. "Mark Hirschbeck has to use his better judgment tonight if the Mariners complain."

Robinson said he advised Nelson to tell the umpires to enforce the rule. Robinson, a notorious plate-crowder during his Hall of Fame playing career, was asked if he thought Everett was outside of the batter's box.

"Yes, he is," Robinson said. "(But) if the umpires don't have a complaint from the other manager or other team, they don't pay attention to it. They have enough problems on the field. But my advice to Ralph was, 'Make him get back in the box.' "

Adding a potential element of volatility was the presence of Ron Kulpa behind the plate Wednesday night. Kulpa was the umpire who engaged Everett last July in a dispute over his stance, ejected him, and ended up catching the bill of Everett's helmet in his face, an incident that led to a 10-game suspension for the player.

Both Nelson and Robinson were aware of Kulpa's assignment. "People have to realize this is not about Ron Kulpa," Nelson said.

Robinson said he was waiting to review tapes of Everett's behavior after his homer before making a ruling. He's currently busy reviewing two bloody brawls from the last week (Pirates-Diamondbacks and Royals-Tigers).

Everett's behavior will likely result in a fine, not a suspension. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jose Mercedes was fined at least $5,000 for making an obscene gesture to fans in Fenway Park during a game in April, and Albert Belle, the former outfielder, was fined on more than one occasion for various gestures.