No Balls or Three Strikes?

Jason Michael Barker

Major League Baseball has tried desperately in the past few months to upstage the National Football League in terms of off-the-field legal problems, with John Rocker the most worthy attempt. However, their efforts were largely in vain, mostly because it's difficult to compete with double murder charges.

But with the NFL's legal battles slipping into the background (at least until the trials begin), the door was open for MLB to take back the headlines. And take them back they did, thanks to the resolution of the John Rocker situation, plus new dramas starring Darryl Strawberry and Pedro Astacio.

When Bud Selig suspended Rocker for the first 28 days of the regular season and all of spring training, my first thought was that Selig had intentionally "gone easy" on Rocker, as not to incur the wrath of the Major League Baseball Players' Association. Given the situation and the relative lack of precedent the punishment seemed a fair one, even though in nearly any other industry in this country Rocker's employer (in this case the Braves) would have fired him for similar behavior.

Some other team would have picked him up, of course, which is why the Braves didn't simply release him in the first place. The lesson here is that a left-hander with a good fastball is very valuable, no matter how little he might have upstairs or how hard a time he has keeping his mouth shut.

Rocker's suspension has since been reduced to the first 14 days of the regular season. He can also participate in spring training (he reported Thursday), and the fine Selig initially set at $20K was reduced to just $500. It's hard to fault MLB for this leniency, however, since the decision was made by independent arbitrator Shyam Das and not by Selig.

Rocker's apology speech last week may have helped some people forgive and forget, but I for one was not convinced. His comments were dry, rehearsed, and as unemotional as an announcement at the airport: "There is no parking in the red zone, no parking in the red zone." He would have been much better off speaking spontaneously, perhaps with a few notes to make sure he hit the key points, than reading a prepared statement probably written by his mommy.

Selig tried to do the right thing, and it backfired. I don't expect any other player to be as stupid as Rocker was when he spouted off to Sports Illustrated a few months ago, but if one is, perhaps Selig won't take it quite so easy on him. It might be difficult for MLB to justify a one-year suspension and a $50K fine for insensitive, racist remarks, but it would also be difficult for Das to reduce the suspension to 14 days and $500.

I have a feeling "real" justice will be served, however, and far more severely than anything baseball could hand out. Rocker has to live with his comments for the rest of his life, and even if he turns out to be a model citizen, if slightly thick-headed, and a fabulous relief pitcher, he'll always be remembered for his words and not his performance.

Moving on to Darryl Strawberry, it's high time baseball develop a firm, consistent drug policy. In suspending Strawberry for one year, Selig once again toed the line -- a lifetime ban would have both been inconsistent with prior rulings and angered the players' association, while a one-year suspension likely accomplishes the same thing (ending Strawberry's playing career) in a more reasonable manner.

Strawberry's rap sheet is everything mothers hope their sons will grow up to avoid: domestic violence, tax evasion, drug and alcohol abuse, failure to pay child support, and solicitation. Even that list doesn't do him justice, however, since some of them apply multiple times.

It's simple, it's clichéd, and it's a rule of baseball: three strikes and you're out. The first time a player has a drug incident (either testing positive or being arrested), suspend him for 30 days. The second time he's caught, suspend him 90 days. If he's caught a third time, his playing days are over.

Strawberry has been suspended three times in the past five years, which would have made him the perfect test case for a new rule. Now, it wouldn't be fair to announce the new rule after his third drug incident, but Selig certainly could have said "from now on..." with the inclusion that next time would be Darryl's last.

Finally, Colorado pitcher Pedro Astacio is in trouble. Not with Major League Baseball, not because he has to pitch in Coors Field, and not with the state government, but with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Astacio pled guilty on an assault charge (stemming from an incident of domestic violence) in January and received a two-year deferred judgement, which federal law considers the same as a conviction. Also under federal law, immigrants (Astacio is from the Dominican Republic) who are convicted of domestic violence as well as other offenses are subject to deportation by the INS.

Astacio's lawyers are asking that he be allowed to remove his guilty plea. You have to wonder, however, what kind of lawyers he's employing. If their client is an immigrant, shouldn't they be familiar with the law with regard to immigrants and deportation? If the guilty plea and deferred judgement mean possible deportation, perhaps Astacio shouldn't have been advised to enter the guilty plea in the first place.

This just goes to show that spending a ton of money doesn't always mean you're getting the best product, or in this case service, in return. Just ask the Baltimore Orioles.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker once ranted about bad workplace coffee to Sports Illustrated, so he knows the kind of ostracism that can result from negative media coverage. Suggest decaf at jmb@strikethree.com.