If you know you're driving don't drink. You know you're drinking hire a service, get a cab, use a designated driver or stay the hell home. I have no idea how much money this ass-hat makes or has but people who make or have made a hell of a lot less money than him manage to do those things. My suspicion then is it's not the money, it's his attitude. Well screw him.

2 If it turns out he was operating under the influence I hope they hammer the crap out of him. A couple of years in a max security Florida prison will do the "King" a world of good. Too bad all they can nail him on is DUI Manslaughter; 2nd degree murder sounds a lot better better on these DUI death cases. If he was at fault and loaded maybe they can coble a Vehicular Homicide charge together, that should hit harder than DUI Manslaughter.

F#$%in' hypocrites.

Good grief.

Frankly, you sometimes hog these forums with your beliefs.

Please leave it to baseball.

12 It's not a MLB problem as much as a USA problem

13 You don't think alcoholism affects competition on the field?

McGwire's use of andro, for example, was not against the rules.

Leyritz connections with Greenies and HGH could be, but they, too, detour us from the tragedy. A loss of a young mother, leaving a family that will never be the same. And his unalterable change of direction which will leave him and his children and family scarred forever.

Very sad regardless of its connection to baseball.

See 7

Players not taking care of themselves (whether it's through drinking too much or staying up too late playing video games) is qualitatively different from players contravening the game's rules, and I would like to think you know that. If anything, such activities would be a team matter, not a league matter.

At least as far as this long-time reader/poster is concerned, the quality of discussion on this board has gone down since you became so prolific and widely focused in your posts.

So knock it off.

Anyway, my issue has more to do with the way alcohol is perceived, as well as the lack of penalties for a DWI/DUI. A 30 year old mother lost her life. And maybe Leyritz'll get a couple of years, maybe a few months, of time, along with probation and/or community service.

It isn't the first time it's happened with someone caught (famous or not), nor will it be the last.

WRT the game, I understand that MLB cannot do anything about it (DWI & alcoholism), but winking and nodding at it is unacceptable. Especially when alcohol is served at every ballpark, and assumingly in every clubhouse. Teams can't do anything about it either.

I'm not asking for a return to prohibition, but something needs to be done regarding drunk driving. But like I said before, this isn't so much a MLB issue than an US issue.

Nothing can be done, and nothing will be done. Human desire cannot and will not be regulated or legislated.

Right on Q.

Nice read all around.

as an aside, the leyritz home run was the most exciting turning point in any yankees series i've seen.

Sourced from "the smoking gun."

Leyritz hit my favorite home run of all time, but man, what a selfish jerk. But he's far from the only one and I'm betting 50% of the population, minimum, has driven drunk to some degree.

I just find it ironic that many people, especially those in the press, hold baseball up to much higher standards then they do our government and business leaders.

There is something wrong with our perseveration on PED's and ignoring situations that actually cost people their lives. It seems there should be more attention paid to institutionalized drug abuse and the conspiracy of silent condonation on the part of those who continue to make fortunes supplying us with 'entertainment". There is a "Bread and Circus" aspect to this. It's simply too bad we have to rely on terrible circumstances such as this to recognize that the emperor has no clothes. Keep on being disgusted OYF, you're not alone.

It's funny to watch UL Washington coming to bat with a toothpick in his mouth :)

From a graphics standpoint, we have come a long way...

If that is one of baseball's reasons for cracking down on steroids etc., then baseball players and managers ought to be held to a similarly high standard when it comes to alcohol abuse. But they aren't. You could argue Tony LaRussa helped pave the way for his pitcher's death, by setting such a negative example.

All of the above is related to both business and politics.

Steroids are illegal and alcohol is legal because of political decisions, not because one is objectively worse than the other.

And business comes into it because the Cardinals are owned by a fucking brewery.

Finally, I often find that when people complain about a discussion being politicized, it's because their politics are different, but they choose not to engage the argument on its merits, but instead like to pretend that they're taking the high road.

jeez...

I do confess it is difficult for me to watch Chris Mathews, Keith Olbermanm, et al, and then do a little Baseball blog surfing, only to read about what horrors Barry, Roger and Andy (my God!) have subjected our poor, dear childen to.

But just so you don't think I'm a total Political wonk, my post (last as usually) from yesday's thread:

Cashman is making for a very dull Hot Stove.
IS THERE NOTHING YANKEES TO TALK ABOUT?
Lohud and Co. is about 75% AGAINST a Santana trade.
Do we BB'ers stand at about the same position?
What does Cashman have up his sleeve?
Might we get a 1Bman who can do 2 of the following? Hit, Field, Throw. Run.
Is there a RP who is AT LEAST league average to be had?
Do we see AJax in the 2008 show?
Is Cashman gonna do a 'Damon' on a IPK/Horne deal for Santana?
AND WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN ON 24 THIS YEAR?

You guys are actually making me miss William and Mattpatt.
THINK ABOUT THAT A WHILE!!!!!

(and can somebody please translate for me what the hell Chyll is saying?)

I am in painful withdrawal from missing baseball, and while Alex's writings on authors, movies and hip-hop are always entertaining.... CAN WE TALK BASEBALL?

I mean, whowuddathought that a majority of fans would be against getting Santana (who is the BB'er here who has been posting wet dreams of Santana for the last year?)? I believe Cashman has put this team in such (a wonderful) transition, that aside from a few vet's names, this is a team totally reborn.

To think that we are salivating not over the Browns, Giambis and Johnsons (salivating over Johnsons???) but over the Hughes, Chamberland and Kennedys, and the Horns, Tabatas and Jacksons.

My entire feelings approaching the 2008 season are radically different tham those of the last decade. There is revolution going on in Yankeeland... but will Big Hank get in the way?

Common Chyll Will. Pnumonia be damned! Give us some of your ususal brillance on the topic (even if I don't understand it).

Neighbor: "You have a 30-foot stack of flaming tires in your backyard!"

Duckman: "I TOLD you, I can't put it out until someone from Ripley's documents it..."

Neighbor: "It's been burning for three years!"

Duckman: "Well, it's hard to get them to come out... they're still angry about... yunnow, the... the bee thing..."

Second Neighbor: (face ravished and swollen) "The BEE THING!?!?"

...there's got to be something connecting them... >;)

Whoops, thank you.

I would still stand by more general point that baseball and beer have a business relationship that precludes a tougher anti-alcohol stance.

The umpires were confronted with rules that were ambiguous and apparently conflicting. Given that, they made a reasonable interpretation. Not the only one possible, since either side could be argued equally well, but a reasonable one.

That being the case, it was MacPhail's job to back up the umpires, period. He may have thought the other interpretation was better, but that's irrelevant as long as the decision they made, on the spot, was grounded in a reasonable reading of the rules. It was. Showing up his umpires was just plain wrong.

http://tinyurl.com/35zt5y

>;) (Mucinex® DM helps an eencie-weencie bit...)

From MLB.com
"Right-hander Jose Veras has compiled a standout offseason with Leones del Escogido, while recently acquired right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo has been pitching well for Tiburones de La Guaira. Infielder Alberto Gonzalez is also playing for the Bravos de Margarita in the Venezuelan Winter League." What do you think of their performance?

What do you think of the Yankees signing Juan Gonzalez?
http://tinyurl.com/2jwf3m
;)

46 Especially in the light that the umpires have called batters out on the "pine tar rule." White and Rizzuto seemed to have differing opinions on the matter.

Do the Giants win?