Urbina's Mom has been Kidnapped!

[GrimZeke007]

He just left the Tigers back to Venezuela to find her, but I'm not sure if it's temporary or permanent.

[slomo007]

Sad news...but does anyone know who the closer will be in the meantime?

[thetongueofire]

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- The mother of Detroit Tigers pitcher Ugueth Urbina was kidnapped by four unidentified men disguised as police officers, police said Thursday.

The men took Maura Villareal from a house owned by Urbina in suburban Caracas on Wednesday, said Joel Rengifo, director of the country's anti-kidnapping police force. The men have not contacted family members, he said.

The Tigers said Urbina had left the club to go to Venezuela, and the team is working with major league baseball and its Venezuelan contacts to assist the pitcher.

as for the closer situation, i think Yan would get a shot but not sure.

[pomplona's finest]

Sad news...but does anyone know who the closer will be in the meantime?

Not sure if you intended this to be funny or not.

[Absolutely Adequate]

Poor guy. He's had one crappy year, personally. First the gun arrest thing and now this.

[raiders_umpire]

terrible news , just hope everything works out with his mom and family.......

[Rkiivs]

Sending some good karma to Uggy. Hope it turns out for the positive.

[slomo007]

Sad news...but does anyone know who the closer will be in the meantime?

Not sure if you intended this to be funny or not.

I wasn't trying to be funny. That is bad news for Uggie and I feel for him.

However, my team needs another closer, so this is the perfect chance if he's going to be down there for any extended time period.

[strats36]

The Tiger's website has more:

"09/02/2004 2:03 PM ET
Urbina's mother kidnapped
Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Four unidentified men disguised as police officers kidnapped the mother of Detroit Tigers pitcher Ugueth Urbina in his native Venezuela, police said Thursday.

The men took Maura Villareal from a house owned by Urbina in a Caracas suburb on Wednesday, said Joel Rengifo, the director of the country's anti-kidnapping police force. The men have not contacted family members, he said.

The Tigers, in a statement released Thursday, said: "Ugueth Urbina has left the club to return to his native Venezuela to attend to the kidnapping of his mother. The Detroit Tigers organization is working with Major League Baseball and its contacts in Venezuela to assist Ugueth."

This is the second time this time Urbina or his family has come into danger in Venezuela. He was arrested in January for allegedly firing gunshots into the air out of the passenger window of an SUV in an upscale Caracas neighborhood. After an investigation, however, a judge ruled that he fired the gun in self-defense when a man on a motorcycle tried to rob him. The charges were subsequently dismissed.

Other players, including members of the Tigers, have had problems in Venezuela. Second baseman Omar Infante's older brother was shot to death on New Year's Eve in 1999 after he refused to give three men money they demanded from him at a bakery. Infante's life was later threatened, and he eventually moved his family out of the area for their safety. He still returns to Venezuela each offseason for Winter League baseball.

MLB.com reporter Jason Beck contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs."

This is just terrible. I can't image what he's going through right now. I really hope that this comes to a quick resolution.

[Rico The Retard]

Venezuela must not be such a good place