BOSTON - Yankees Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia and a Fenway Park groundskeeper were charged with assault and battery Thursday for fighting in New York's bullpen during a playoff game.

Clerk Magistrate Michael Neighbors found there was probable cause to charge Nelson and Garcia. He also ruled there was enough evidence to go forward with Nelson's cross-complaint against Paul Williams, a part-time groundskeeper and middle school teacher from Derry, N.H.

Neighbors called the case against the two players "weak," but said the police report contained enough evidence to go forward, despite a lack of eyewitnesses.

Nelson became a free agent after the World Series (news - web sites), and the Yankees have no interest in re-signing him.

Yankees spokesman Rick Cerrone said the team had no immediate comment. Red Sox spokesman Kevin Shea did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The fight took place during a raucous Game 3 of the AL championship series on Oct. 11. Williams, 24, said he was attacked by Yankee reliever Nelson because he was cheering for the Red Sox in the Yankee bullpen.

But Nelson, who sought the counter charges against Williams, said during a probable cause hearing last week that it was Williams who provoked the fight. In issuing his ruling Thursday, Neighbors said there was also evidence this was true.

He said the lack of defensive wounds on the groundskeeper's hands could suggest the possibility that Williams was the aggressor.

Williams' attorney, Patrick Jones said he was "disappointed but not surprised" at the ruling and criticized Neighbors for saying the evidence against the players was weak.

"I think the case the detectives built was a very strong one," he said.

Yankee right fielder Garcia, who jumped over the outfield fence into the bullpen to join the fight, did not attend last week's hearing. Neighbors said this impeded the legal process and deprived Garcia of the chance to tell his side of the story.

Nelson, Garcia and Williams all skipped Thursday's hearing.

The misdemeanor assault charges carry a maximum penalty of 2 1/2 years in prison or a $500 fine. Neighbors scheduled arraignments for Nelson, Garcia and Williams for Jan. 7.

"We'll now have an opportunity for a full and fair hearing," said Nelson's lawyer, James Merberg.

Garcia's lawyer, Gerard Malone, said the finding of probable cause was not unexpected.

"The burden is not beyond a reasonable doubt, the burden in probable cause," he said. "This is just the first step. The evidence presented was minimal but sufficient."

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