Thursday, March 27, 2008

It could have been anyone in Corvallis...

I tutored the former baseball player mentioned in this story for a term - he was taking a philosophy class.

Nice guy. Worked hard. Had an absolutely disgusting chewing habit (he would dribble it over his lower lip into an empty 20-oz soda bottle), but it was an overall pleasant experience for me.

That said, this wasn't really that surprising:

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- Two Oregon State baseball players, including the Most Outstanding Player of last year's College World Series, were among three men arrested on accusations they fired bullets that struck a house and a car, a newspaper reported.

Jorge Reyes, 20 and John Wallace, 21, were cited for unlawful use of a weapon and criminal mischief. Former player Anton Maxwell was arrested on the same charges, the Gazette-Times reported Thursday.


Also not surprising is that so far, the two current players have received slaps on the wrist from the OSU Athletic Department - but then again, I didn't expect anything else. Reyes especially is a good player, and there's an inverse correlation between the quality of the player and the severity of the punishment handed down from OSU on issues like this.

That said, the three still have to deal with the law.

...my two cents? They should have been kicked off the team immediately, no questions asked (though they should be allowed to attend OSU at least through the end of the summer if not into next year - I'm not about to advocate depriving them of an education).

Firing a gun in the general direction of your neighbor's house is batshit insane.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Know what else is insane? Kevin Hampton's defense (yes, defense) of the players (and former player Lissman) in the Gazette-Times.

You can read it here: www.gtconnect.com/articles/2008/03/27/sports/colleges/5col01_hampton.txt

Hampton doesn't seem to understand the difference between being accused, charged and convicted. Or maybe he doesn't care. Makes me wonder, though, if he would be defending these athletes if they were.... black?

Dennis said...

Here's a working link to the Hampton piece mentioned above.

Frankly, he doesn't really say anything useful or interesting, except that he indicates his agreement with Coach Pat Casey's current decisions regarding player punishment. Needless to say, I disagree, but then again, I'm not as syncophantic as your usual sports reporter.

 
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