What a dick!
This guy tried to strip sack Gerardo Parra pic.twitter.com/jnSHiGW1Tl
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 28, 2018
What a dick!
This guy tried to strip sack Gerardo Parra pic.twitter.com/jnSHiGW1Tl
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 28, 2018
I wanted to be a Monk, but I never got the chants.
Teh One Who Knocks (06-29-2018)
Do you guys have an opinion on Luke Heimlich?
I wanted to be a Monk, but I never got the chants.
Interesting case. Guy plead guilty to a disturbing crime, molesting his 6 year old niece at age 15, has now been passed over in the 2018 MLB draft despite being a star, but the Royals have shown some interest in signing him. I found these bullet points for anyone like me not up on the case:
* He plead guilty and was legally convicted.
* He denies his guilt and says the plea bargain was to avoid a family-destroying trial.
* He completed everything the court asked him to do.
* There’s a chance he didn’t really do it.
* There’s also a chance that he did do it.
* Statistics are not on his side; most sexual abuse allegations are true, especially from children as young as the reported victim (age 4-6).
* Nonetheless, it is entirely possible that he didn’t do it.
* Even if he did do it, he was 15 at the time. With proper therapy, recidivism for offenders in that age cohort is quite low from everything I’ve read. He’s unlikely a threat to society at this point even if he did do it.
* He has the right to make a living.
This guy paid for crime, then went on to be a college baseball star, and an academic one too... I've been argued with a few times for defending 13-15 year olds being tried as adults for crimes. So would I be a hypocrite to say I'd stay away from him as a baseball GM? From a business perspective: what would the dynamic be like in the locker room and with your fan-base? Would you accept this guy as a teammate and as a fan? How much does that matter to your business as a major league team? There's already a lot of bad press out there with athletes who've beat their wives being allowed to play - is this a double standard, or a step in the right direction to pass this guy over? I can't help but think of how the prison system handles sex offenders because it's universally viewed as one of the most sickening crimes... Then again, I don't always agree with underage people being registered as sex offenders for life (specifically in more consenting cases like exchanging nudes, not molestation, but that's a whole different debate we've beat down many times).
It's just a ton of baggage for a league that drafts and retains more talent than any other major sports league. A 15 year old molesting a 6 year old niece... maybe he deserves a chance to go to law school or whatever and have a career, but when it comes to something as public as giving him a contract to play in the MLB, I don't think I could do it. Curious to hear your thoughts RBP.
Last edited by Godfather; 06-29-2018 at 07:19 AM.
RBP (06-29-2018), Teh One Who Knocks (06-29-2018)
Teh One Who Knocks (06-29-2018)
Four teams in MLB with 50 or more wins and they're all in the American League.
RBP (06-30-2018)
Thanks, GF. Nice review. My opinion is that his case was adjudicated and he fulfilled the obligations of the plea agreement. As far as I can tell, the sealed juvenile record was forced out by an Oregan newspaper and otherwise would have remained out of public view. I also have to assume that the plea deal was made specifically with sealed records that go at 18 in mind.
As far as the kid and his career, I think he fulfilled his obligations. If there is any lingering question, all states have sex offender treatment programs with specifically licensed treatment and assessment professionals. Have the kid assessed by a professional. If they determine he poses no threat, it's done. (My opposition to the public sex offender registry, its devastating effects on people who have served their time, and almost zero public benefit, is no secret.)
Having said that, I completely understand the idea of a locker room distraction. I have expressed that the biggest reason not to sign Colin Kaepernick is that significant risk of losing focus on football for the distraction. A similar risk applies here, but that says more about the media than the kid. Kaepernick is not going to suddenly go silent and will feed the trolls. This kid wants nothing more than for it to go away and to be allowed to play baseball. Huge difference.
I say professionally evaluate him, and if clear, sign him with a very detailed explanation as to why. It's the right thing to do.
What is not the right thing to do? This:
I wanted to be a Monk, but I never got the chants.
Teh One Who Knocks (06-29-2018)
RBP (07-09-2018)
Already two 60+ win teams in the AL and the top 4 teams in all of MLB are in the AL as well. Then you have the AL Central division where the 2nd place team is 9 games under .500 and is still only 8-1/2 games out of first
RBP (07-11-2018)
9 in a row for the BoSox...65 wins and it's not even the All-Star break yet
RBP (07-12-2018)