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Think Before...

ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
You drink... and especially before you drive...

A troubling topic to discuss but probably one we need to talk about from time to time...

So...

I spent this past week in Florida with my wife watching spring training and we loved every minute of it. Each day after the game, we would pick my son up and take him to dinner around 4:30 pm. Almost each day (he is 24) I would offer to buy him a beer and he would decline in favor of water or sweet tea. I quit offering near the end of the week because I knew what his answer would be.

Practice starts before 8:00 am each morning and continues through the game and the heat of the day. After dinner each night, my son politely asked to be taken home where he could rest for the next day. I saw similar patterns with other players as well.

So...

We are driving to pick him up after the game on Thursday and there is a horrific scene. A large Harley Davidson was wiped out on US 41 and for all we knew based on the condition of the bike - the driver must have been dead. We take my son to dinner and about an hour and a half later when we were dropping him off at his hotel, the bike was still there and there where still about 10 police cars at the scene. We all thought that strange (after all that time had passed) and I muttered "Must be an investigation" - meaning something bad must have happened and the police were still looking in to it....

5:30 AM the next morning, my cell phone rings and it is my son... something bad had happened all right...

The motorcycle accident the night before was caused by one of his teammates. Worse yet, it was a hit and run where the driver of the motorcycle was left in serious, serious condition. Worse yet, when the police tracked down this young man a short time later, the smell of alcohol was prevalent on the young man's breath and he was arrested, charged with hit and run, and charged with DUI. In a heart beat, the young man's life is over as he once knew it. I am guessing he is looking at several years of prison rather than reporting to his Triple A team or ever playing baseball again.

It is uncomfortable to talk about these things but they need to be discussed from time to time with our kids imho and even then, that may not be enough. At this point, I hope the motorcycle rider recovers. I pray none of this happens to any of our families here at the hsbbweb.
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bsbl247bsbl2471,000+ posts
CD,

You're absolutely right...Think before you drink, and definitely Don't Drink and Drive! Your son's teammate is from our area, and unfortunately has struggled with drinking in the past. I haven't heard any updates on the 72 year old rider of the Harley that was involved in the accident, but I hope he makes it through.

A couple of my son's former HS teammates have been working in a pitching program in San Diego the last few months, and the young man involved in the DUI hit and run was working out in the program as well during the Fall. Apparently he had been looking pretty good this spring, upper 90's FB with good command etc...and now it's completely gone, just a tragic waste of talent.
Dad04Dad045,000+ posts
CD...I read about the story yesterday. The accident was way before dark, which doesn't make it any better or worse. The guy has had several similar problems after being the 1st overall draft pick many years ago. His career is finally and mercifully over. It's difficult playing pro baseball when you are incarcerated. With his record and current offenses he'll get hard time, some time.

Unfortunately, the same warnings go out every year yet this player was just the latest player arrested during spring training this year.

EDIT: Another player got busted for DUI after striking two cars in a strip club parking lot in Ft. Myers, shortly after the player in question.
Last edited by Dad04
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
quote:
Originally posted by Dad04:
CD...I read about the story yesterday. The accident was way before dark, which doesn't make it any better or worse. The guy has had several similar problems after being the 1st overall draft pick many years ago. His career is finally and mercifully over. It's difficult playing pro baseball when you are incarcerated. With his record and current offenses he'll get hard time, some time.

Unfortunately, the same warnings go out every year yet this player was just the latest player arrested during spring training this year.

That is all unfortunately, and tragically true. Talking doesn't seem to help this problem all that much and I hesitated starting this topic for that reason. Hoping that one person may make one different decision because somebody said something here
G gotwood4sale10,000+ posts
.

It is sad. When my son was playing in the Euclid, OH CABA tournament years ago I had the opportunity to speak with the granddad of one of MB's high school teammates during a game at Mentor HS. The granddad, very matter-of-factly, recounted to me the character flaws of his grandson's teammate. He indicated that these flaws would likely spoil this player's chances at being successful.

Unfortunately the granddad was right. And it's really horrible that the unwise decision(s) made by MB have caused serious harm to another. Let's hope that the hit-and-run victim recovers and MB can no longer inflict harm on others.

This is a worthy topic CD...thanks for posting it.

.
Last edited by gotwood4sale
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
quote:
Originally posted by gotwood4sale:
.

It is sad. When my son was playing in the Euclid, OH CABA tournament years ago I had the opportunity to speak with the granddad of one of MB's high school teammates during a game at Mentor HS. The granddad, very matter-of-factly, recounted to me the character flaws of his grandson's teammate. He indicated that these flaws would likely spoil this player's chances at being successful.

Unfortunately the granddad was right. And it's really horrible that the unwise decision(s) made by MB have caused serious harm to another. Let's hope that the hit-and-run victim recovers and MB can no longer inflict harm on others.

This is a worthy topic CD...thanks for posting it.

.

Another poignant post Woody...

My wife kept saying how sorry she felt for the player and his family and on one level, I agree... but... and this is the haunting part... I/she SAW the motorcycle with our own eyes... and when I reminded her of that... we both are praying for the victim who is the innocent one...
Last edited by ClevelandDad
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:
The article I read said that he drove over his head, but the motorcyclist had on a helmet, which probably saved his life..

The player admits he is an alcoholic.

Didn't anyone get the notice?

How many chances does one person get?

Good point about notice. When the law suits start flying on this one, and that is hardly the concern at this point, it will be interesting to see all that are named. There are about 100 different angles to this story.
GunEmDown10GunEmDown101,000+ posts
I'm amazed, this is 2012 for pete's sake. We live in one of the most advanced societies in the world and we still have this epidemic of driving while intoxicated. How many lives must end or change?

The other (uglier) side of this, the personality traits and characteristics that drive an elite athlete too or towards success, are the same personality traits and characteristics that drive an addictive personality.

Wow, a .180 and a .171, that's absolutely crazy.

Prayers to the Tufano family. Sadly, I'm sure the MB family is suffering too, but I'd bet they are not surprised.

GED10DaD
Last edited by GunEmDown10
J HJ H5,000+ posts
Reports are saying that he was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, a second degree felony; two counts of DUI with property damage, a first degree misdemeanor; one count of failure to stop and remain at a crash involving an injury, a third degree felony; one count of driving with a suspended license, a third degree felony; and one count of DUI with serious bodily injury to another, a third degree felony. If Tufano passes away, the charges get bumped up and include vehicular manslaughter. In that case, according to Florida state law, conviction could include up to 45 years in prison.

A sad day for all involved. My prayers go out to Mr. Tufano and his entire family.
PU Pop Up Hitter dad1,000+ posts
Just another example of MLB hiring people based on "projection", without taking into account their character. Yep if you throw 95 they'll take anyone who hasn't been in the slammer yet. Oh but we can change him........ These guys give the hard working decent ballplayers a bad name.

Reminds me of son's pothead drinking roommate, yep he threw 90s and they took him.

Driving drunk with suspended license, gee do you think he had car insurance???

I hope the victim makes a full recovery. A very frustrating situation for player's family, as dealing with substance abuse is tough on a family.
Last edited by Pop Up Hitter dad
Bulldog 19Bulldog 195,000+ posts
We have major drinking problems here in the USA. Not only athletes, but politicians, business executives, law enforcement, and other "important" people drink to excess on a regular basis.

And get away with it.

That makes the "little people" also believe they can get away with it.

DUI laws need to be tougher. Too many of them are slaps on the wrist and move on. "You'll learn from this" and people don't.

I had a high school classmate whose name I read in the police blotter here locally a few years ago. She had been arrested twice for DUI in a matter of a week and she was 19. Do you think she learned from her mistake?

There are a lot of people who should stay away from alcohol... but they don't.
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
Risk and reward is often the term used to describe many things regarding prospects and that includes behavior. Of course, MLB clubs care about character, some clubs more than others.

To take a young man and say he can't or won't change could cost an organization a great player and even a great person. There are all star players right now, who have been given a second chance, i.e. Josh Hamilton and his manager. They could just pick out the nicest kids with the best character who have never been in trouble, but they have to weigh that against talent.

I hate to see talent like Matt Bush go to waste because of stupidity. Lots of players drink responsibly without these kind of results. I still feel sorry for Matt, but feel much more sorry for the guy on that motorcycle.
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
Then there is the Bobby Jenks situation that he blamed on taking muscle relaxers. I heard that he was picked up at 4:00 am in the morning driving down a side walk.

Let's see he must have taken the muscle relaxers around 3:00 in the morning and decided to go for a drive (down the side walk). Of course, he had just left a night club where he had crashed into a vehicle in the parking lot and drove off.

He was charged with several violation including DUI. At least, he didn't hurt anyone other than himself.
around the hornaround the horn10+ posts
Josh hamilton has a chance to impact peoples decision based on his popularity. He is a story of what the disease of Alcoholism can do if treated or untreated.unfortunately this is not a problem that just goes away or is cured. Josh has a chance to carry a message to all of the younger players just by telling his story. Just maybe he can help someone make a different choice.It is a topic that needs to be openly shared it will not go away. There is not a weekend that goes by that someones life is not impacted by somebody making the choice to drink and drive. I did see recently that the billionaire who killed a young adult while driving impaired was found guilty and has a hefty sentence to pay. No matter what your stature in society is nobody is immune.
Last edited by around the horn
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
Not sure I would call it hypocricy. If you are a hack, they don't look at you as someone who can help them. If you have lots of talent, you get more rope. Not just baseball, either.

Risk and Reward. If Josh Hamilton wasn't worth the risk he would be out of baseball. The "risk" was he would never change. The "reward" was two world series and an MVP award. The hacks don't have the ability to do that, at least in the mind of the decision makers.
Dad04Dad045,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by PGStaff:
Then there is the Bobby Jenks situation that he blamed on taking muscle relaxers. I heard that he was picked up at 4:00 am in the morning driving down a side walk.

Let's see he must have taken the muscle relaxers around 3:00 in the morning and decided to go for a drive (down the side walk). Of course, he had just left a night club where he had crashed into a vehicle in the parking lot and drove off.

He was charged with several violation including DUI. At least, he didn't hurt anyone other than himself.


Apparently Jenks got his muscle relaxers and driving ability relaxers mixed up again. The guy actually had two back surgeries in December so he might have a medication issue. He probably wishes it hadn't happened exiting the Gentlemen's Ballet at 3 AM.
MN-MomMN-MomHSBaseballWeb Owner
So tragic; I just hope and pray that the motorcycle rider will recover. It sounds like he is hanging in there, but with the multiple injuries described, I doubt that he is out of the woods yet:

http://www.tampabay.com/sports...s/article1221475.ece

And Anthony Tufano, 72, is in a Fort Myers hospital in serious condition, having suffered brain hemorrhaging and a collapsed lung, among other injuries, in the accident.

Moore (Tufano's daughter-in-law) said Tufano also suffered broken ribs and a fractured wrist and has broken bones in his back. She said she was able to speak to him Friday morning, and he was responsive but couldn't remember anything about the accident.

Tufano has run the Boston Marathon twice. Moore said doctors told them the fact that he's in such good shape may be a reason he's still alive.

Julie
Last edited by MN-Mom
P PGStaff10,000+ posts
The motorcycle incident is very sad.

The Bobby Jenk incident might also be considered sad, but I think the comedians might use it for material.

Sounds like Bobby thought he was in a demolition derby on his way out of Babe's parking lot. I suppose the combination of alcohol and medication didn't help. That combination has actually killed lots of people. BTW, he is a very large man, must have taken a lot of booze (or meds) to affect him that much.
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
Our whole society is out of whack and that includes me.

The Bobby Jenks story seems humorous at first glance but why is that? What he did was no less an issue than what Matt Bush did but for the luck involved. What I am guessing is that Matt Bush has been lucky over and over again - constantly playing Russian Roulette and his luck finally ran out.

Donte Stallworth killed a man in Miami and spent about 1 year in prison. In the same vehicle with Stallworth that fateful night was Braylon Edwards who has had two DUI's himself since then. If seeing your friend kill someone is not enough to make you change your ways - what exactly is?

Here is the toughest question in this thread... how many of us have been lucky?
Last edited by ClevelandDad
M Matt1310,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
Donte Stallworth killed a man in Miami and spent about 1 year in prison.


He did 30 days, because he was not at fault. He also called police, tried to help, and took the blame that was due him.

quote:
Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
Here is the toughest question in this thread... how many of us have been lucky?


I have made that comment (I don't know if I have here or not.)

Chances are, the majority of people who have reached age 30 have driven under the influence at least once.
Last edited by Matt13
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
quote:
Originally posted by Matt13:
quote:
Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
Donte Stallworth killed a man in Miami and spent about 1 year in prison.


He did 30 days, because he was not at fault. He also called police, tried to help, and took the blame that was due him.

Matt - what's your point?

But for Donte Stallworth, that man is still alive. 30 days, one year, a a life's sentence, and/or huge contrition on Stallworth's part will not bring the man back to life. 30 days was a gift. If he was not at fault, he would not have spent one minute in jail.
M Matt1310,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
quote:
Originally posted by Matt13:
quote:
Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
Donte Stallworth killed a man in Miami and spent about 1 year in prison.


He did 30 days, because he was not at fault. He also called police, tried to help, and took the blame that was due him.

Matt - what's your point?

But for Donte Stallworth, that man is still alive. 30 days, one year, a a life's sentence, and/or huge contrition on Stallworth's part will not bring the man back to life. 30 days was a gift. If he was not at fault, he would not have spent one minute in jail.


He took a plea because he felt it was appropriate. He was jailed more for the intoxication than for the results.

There was no way anyone could have avoided that person. In fact, there is ample reason to believe it was suicide.
55mom55mom1,000+ posts
The most difficult part of my faith is loving and forgiving those that commit the most unforgiving acts.

Mr Tufano, his family, and other victims certainly deserve our prayers, support, and sympathy. imo, those in the grips of addiction are often victims as well - My sympathies and prayers go out to Bush and his family too. He will have to pay for his crimes, and justly so.

(btw, forgiveness is not easy, and often takes years)

Crimes like this are a tragedy - so completely frustrating because the chain of events are full of "if only" and "what ifs" ...

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