A 14-year-old girl sent a computer message to her boyfriend, and added a death threat against Cal Ripken as a joke. Police didn't find it funny.
The girl sent the message over the Prodigy computer network to her boyfriend in New Jersey. The phony threat against the Baltimore Orioles shortstop was meant to needle her boyfriend, who idolizes Ripken, said Medina police chief Joe Race.The Orioles were in Seattle this week to play the Mariners.
Prodigy security officials in New York read the message and notified New York police, providing the phone number of the computer that sent the message. New York authorities called Seattle police, who contacted Kingdome security and police in this wealthy Seattle suburb.
Two King County police officers were assigned to guard Ripken during Monday night's game, and a third accompanied him back to his hotel. Kingdome officials said the girl's family will be billed about $750 for the extra security.
Ripken was aware of the situation, but was very calm, Kingdome security chief Pat Murphy said.