In every sport there are athletes that cannot seem to stay out of the limelight off the field. Almost universally it is for something negative. Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young is a textbook example.
Young was suspended for his atrocious behavior recently while the Tigers were in New York to play the vaunted Yankees. This as reported in NBC Sports.
He faces charges that was drunk and disorderly and assaulted someone and then used ethnic slurs that reflect awfully on him and, by extension, on the Detroit Tigers and Major League Baseball. That’s bad and probably does deserve discipline from his team and/or the league. I’m actually glad he’s getting it.
The biggest question that begs to be asked is, “why does Delmon Young get a suspension for walking around drunk and acting like an ass when no players have ever been suspended for driving around drunk and putting people’s lives in danger?”
Baseball has seen a number of DUIs in recent years, including from some of their most respected members.
From the top — future Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa — to the bottom. Broadcasters. Coaches. Players. Team executives. All-Stars and scrubs.There have been two high-profile deaths due to drunk driving too: Josh Hancock, who killed himself while driving drunk, and Nick Adenhart, killed by another, along with two of his friends. Yet despite this, baseball never doles out discipline in these cases.
Hopefully this is the beginning of a new discipline regime designed to stamp out what seems like a growing number of alcohol-related incidents involving ballplayers.If so — if the answer to “why Delmon, why now” is “you have to start somewhere” — I applaud baseball for finally stepping up.
I think all players should have to take an alcohol class of 10 hours or more before reaching the big leagues. What do you think?