Sure, One More for the Road
Published March 27th, 2007There are some pretty good reasons I’m not a journalist. Which worked out OK this time, since Keith Law at ESPN.com said what I’ve been thinking, probably better than I could.
Let’s say I went out onto the street with a loaded gun and just started firing randomly. Would it be OK? What if I emptied the clip and didn’t hit anyone - is it OK then? Should my employer perhaps at least have a discussion with me over this act? Would a suspension be unwarranted?
In baseball, the above scenario is basically OK if you replace the gun with a car and the bullets with shot glasses. Multiple World Series winning manager Tony LaRussa (considered by some to be a “genius” of the game) was arrested asleep and drunk behind the wheel of his car. What has happened? Well, his team….did nothing. MLB….did nothing. The fans….gave him a standing ovation the next day.
Have we all lost our minds? A radio sports talking head went all apologist, saying basically “What’s the big deal? No one got hurt!” - seriously? This guy was still blowing over the limit 2 hours after he was arrested! So it’s not like he was a little tipsy and blew a .09, something he could have sobered up if he just sat around for half an hour drinking a soda. He was blitzed. He was a loaded gun on the streets.
I’ve never liked LaRussa. I’ve always thought he was overrated. But this really put me over the top, the guy’s a jerk. And it really brought to light the ridiculous attitude of MLB. They just look the other way. Law’s article details just how pervasive drinking is in baseball, and how commonly these guys get into and out of trouble without a peep. Most of them get more of a pat on the head than even a slap on the wrist!
Look we’re all aware of the double standards in sports about drinking and driving, especially in LA. Public transportation to many of our stadiums is weak at best. Taxis are absurdly expensive because of the sheer geographical size of the city. All the stadiums have beer. Some have mixed drinks. There are alcohol advertisements all over. And let’s not forget that NASCAR has advertisements for alcoholic products on the cars. It’s just the way things are. But we need to draw the line - when sports stars and public figures get in trouble for DUIs, there should be consequences. It’s pretty simple.
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