Miscellaneous articles from around sports media.
Matt Clapp, Sharapova’s Thigh, “Remembering The Best Friend I Ever Had“
This morning I found out Angels’ incredibly talented rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car crash just a few hours after he pitched an outstanding game last night. It’s absolutely terrible and my thoughts go out to his family and friends, but I couldn’t help but worry that my best friend was also in that car after I heard there were others killed. Henry frequently told me how he’s good friends with Nick and tries to be at Nick’s side for every pitching outing in Anaheim. Like he was with me, he wanted to be there for Nick’s big moment and be there to celebrate. Well they did, and it’s so sad they won’t get to do it again.
Henry had just entered the world of being a sports agent and I have no doubt he was going to be one of the best. Full of confidence, a great personality, always smiling, and always trying to improve at what he was passionate about. There wasn’t a more ideal job on the planet for him with his love of sports, his personality, and how much he supports the people around him. He’d do anything for his friends and in this case clients.
I had hoped one day we’d be living together or at least near each other just like old times. I’d do my sports writing(which I would’ve never been interested in if not for Henry), he’d do his job, then after work we’d grab a beer and watch a baseball game together. I can’t even begin to explain how much it saddens me that we’ll never get that chance, and it hurts so much more so that we’ll never even get to hang out again.
There’s so much more that I could say that I can’t even think about right now as I write this with tears dripping down my face. I wouldn’t be anything like I am today without Henry. He changed my life more than anybody. I’ve lost my best friend and the world’s lost an unbelievably special young man that had such a bright future ahead. We’ll miss you buddy, you have no idea.
R.I.P. Henry Pearson.
Jason Clinkscales, A Sports Scribe, “Enough“
So, considering some recent news, I wonder if there ever be a day in which society actually takes drunk driving seriously.
We recently saw a seemingly repentant Charles Barkley appreciate the gravity of his error in December and subsequent three-day penance.
Donte? Stallworth ? who, for all we know, might be one of the nicest guys on the planet ? can potentially lose his freedom because of a vehicular manslaughter charge after killing a pedestrian while inebriated behind the wheel.
Tonight, we learned that the driver whose minivan struck the car of Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, was drunk. Adenhart?s car careened into a light pole, killing two of the three passengers before he died while undergoing surgery.
Earlier in the day, a videotape of Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain?s DUI arrest last October where he drunkenly assails New Yorkers, city drivers and Yogi Berra.
Sadly, we get worked up for the brief moment before moving on and making Michael Phelps jokes, taking shots at Alex Rodriguez or complaining about some other inconsequential nonsense in the sports media world. …
Please, let us all look to these recent scenarios, along with the thousands of others that are reported beyond the sports world, and be smart about drinking and driving. Hand over the keys, get in a cab or public transportation or just get bent at home.
Enough is enough.
Rev Halofan, Halos Heaven, “Media Pillories Steroids During Happy Hour for DUI Athletes“
The media stoked the steroid story after years of ignoring it. But with famous drunk drivers all around us, where is the moral outrage for those convicted of driving under the influence? Where is the media witch hunt not accepting jurisprudence slaps on the wrist and castigating entire careers because of bad decisions that are potentially fatal to the perpetrator as well as innocent members of the public?
Jim Leyritz killed a woman in a drunk driving accident.This is worse than A-Rod testing positive.
Joba Chamberlain was recently shown in a stumbling state on a police-video of his DUI arrest. This is worse than Barry Bonds telling the feds that he did not know what his trainer was injecting him with.
Mo Vaughn was so drunk when he was arrested for drunk driving as a Red Stocking that he could not recite the alphabet. This is worse than anything Jason Giambi used to increase his muscle mass.
Tony LaRussa was asleep at the wheel of his car at an intersection, drunk, just a season after one of his players had been killed while driving under the influence. This is worse than anything Mark McGwire did to get shut out of the Hall of Fame voting.
And there are lots of others.
Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe are not in Cooperstown because of character issues. Baseball has a long list of players and personnel who have been arrested and convicted of driving drunk. The media loves the sexy secrecy of steroid abuse, the mystique of whether a magic and illegal elixir pumped up the muscles of our heroes into bulges of superhuman abilities. Media outlets practically yawn at drunk driving arrests… until someone dies. But then it is too late, so they better go wag their finger at those evil men in the Mitchell Report… the report about a crime so heinous that nobody even died!
