White Sox GM Kenny Williams Ticketed For Jaywalking

SEATTLE (AP)--Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams has been given a ticket for jaywalking by the Seattle Police Department.

Williams was cited Monday outside Safeco Field for illegally crossing a street away from a crosswalk. The GM was on his cell phone after exiting a cab and was on his way into the stadium hours before his team's game against the Mariners when a traffic-control officer nabbed him and wrote a $56 ticket.

Williams had just completed a waiver claim that brought All-Star outfielder Alex Rios--and $61.6 million of his contract--to Chicago.

Williams tried to tell the officer people in Chicago cross streets anywhere. He said the officer told him, not in Seattle.

-ASSOCIATED PRESS

Comments

[johnnygoodwud]

i live in chicago, my brother in seattle, and have been to both cities often, each uniquely different and have their own vitures. hey kenny 'when in rome',,,,,,,,,,,,,GO SOX

[BryanTheRegOps]

LOL.... here in NYC we should ticket and arrest Red Sox players for inciting mobs (Sox Fans).

[ChiProgressive]

WWB, walking while Black

[local21]

Kenny doesn't jay walk, wherever Kenny crosses the street is where the crosswalk is.

Plus he's to hip for Seattle, that Kenny Williams is a bad mother#$#@!

[KoiPondering]

As a native of washington state i can tell you, its easy to get a jaywalking ticket. Upon moving to chicago I was STUNNED by the amount of jaywalking.

[unassuminglastname]

I've lived in Seattle for a year and I jaywalk all the time and have never been ticketed. Maybe the SPD can tell who the locals are and who the tourists are. If I went to the nearest crosswalk, it would take 5 minutes to get to the bus stop for the inbound routes instead of walking across the street in 30 seconds to a minute.

[yatesh]

Yeah he probably wore a White Sox jacket, making him an easy target for the cop.

[patrickmurfin]

Despite its over-caffeinated, grunge band rebellious image, Seattle is sort of Canada light—they like order. And they are fanatically serious about enforcing jay walking violations. The fine income from baffled tourists must contribute greatly to the local economy. When I was there several years ago staying in a very quiet residential area off of any main roads, my hosts informed me that to visit the house across the street at 1 pm in the afternoon with no traffic on the road, I would have to walk to the end of a long block, cross over, and walk back. People are routinely ticketed even there and neighbors have been known to rat out violators to the police. A strange, soggy people those Seattle folks.

[kareemachan]

I've lived the PNW all my life, and while Seattle is, well, conscientious about jaywalking, I've never seen anyone warn people against doing in a situation such as yours, though. Not all of us are strange - or soggy!