A couple of years back, I wrote an entry about an Astros minor league prospect who tested positive for steroids and asked – how STUPID can you possibly get???!!! Got a lot of comments/emails – in fact, more comments/emails than I have received on any other entry including World Series writeups – many from personal friends of the guy, saying he’s a good guy (OK, I’m leaving out the personal attacks and the Bad words) and he made a mistake. So this time, I’m not going to say that Schafer is a maroon (as Bugs Bunny would say) – or even an imbezzel.
But he’s 25, not a teenager. He’s already had drug trouble with MLB (for HGH, which is banned, because it might could make the boys look purtier…) and he sure nuff didn’t need no mo problems. I can even understand the minor leaguer and roids – the guy had a low batting average, maybe injuries, was getting older, time passing by, he’s desperate, hopes he finds just a little SOMEthing to hang on. Hopes the stuff will be gone from his system when the tester comes around. I understand that. Really, I do – it’s just not true that shooting up turns you from a scrub minor leaguer into a major league All-Star, even if the media and lots of fans think it is.
But Schafer?
He gots NO excuse.
You heard the story - he is out driving in Florida after midnight – an expensive car with expired Mississippi plates. He has the windows rolled down and is smoking an illegal substance while driving. Cops bust him for 25.9 grams of marijuana, which is a felony (in Florida), with 5 years hard time and you lose your car (under the “car committed a crime by having illegal drugs in it so the cops get it” law.) Wonder how many prisoners in Florida are doing 5 years hard time for possession of 2 marijuana cigarettes. And they wonder why prisons are overcrowded and the kind of criminals who do things like rape and kill get early releases.
But I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah -
If you’re gonna drive a car with expired plates, don’t commit a felony while doing that. And even if you didn’t think it’s a felony, you KNOW it’s against the law, the cops see an out of state car, they look for stuff.
sigh
Who knows WHAT the Florida courts are going to do – the boy is lucky he’s got some money and he’s White and an athlete. But truth is he’s too old to be THAT stupid – there’s just no excuse.
If he’s inside when Spring Training starts, or he’s convicted of a felony, he won’t be with the team. But that’s OK. We’ll have JD Martinez in LF, and have Shuck, Bogusevic and Bourgeois platoon CF and RF and we’ll also be sure to re-sign the remnants of Jason Michaels for that juicy Veteran Winning Goodness he’s provided for the last 3 years.
And, sad news – a local boy from Conroe, Dustin Kellogg, age 18, picked by the Astros in the 34th round this year, died when he drove head on into a semi. I really REALLY hope alcohol was not involved – a lot easier for your parents/friends/family if you fell asleep at the wheel than if you got drunk and killed your self…
Tags: Houston Astros
Stupid is as stupid does. And most every time there’s a sad ending that breaks peoples’ hearts.
This kid was killed about three miles from me. We live in kingwood, and fm 1314
is in Porter. Such a sad story. As a mother Lisa, we carry these babies for 9 mos. then keep them safe, for this to happen. Good speed Dustin. Becky:(
As for Schaefer…what a dope for smoking dope. Pardon the bad pun.
For slightly less negative news. Only *SLIGHTLY* so…the damned Yankees push the series back to NY. I hope it rains some more so Verlander gets a second shot at the Yankees and sends them packing for the rest of the year.
Then the pinstripe crowd’ll be screaming for a roof over Yankee Stadium II. I’d just tell them Bud Selig wouldn’t approve of that. After all, that particular *DOPE* ((oops that word again !)) refused to let the Astros close the roof on MMP in 2005 WS !
If Schafer does jail time, it should be for smoking pot while driving, which (IMO) should potentially carry the same penalties as a DWI.
becky and zagger,
i got 3 boys, growing up fast and you best believe my heart goes out to poor mr/mrs kellogg. seems like a lifetime ago i was 18. trouble with being 18 is you got no end of being stupid and thinking can’t nothing go wrong. you look back on some of the stupid shtt you did when you were 18 and you think – PLEEEEEZE God don’t let my kidz be THAT stupid!!!!!
eric,
i hate yankees/redsox and hope they lose. it just gives me blood pressure when they don’t. no rain, worst luck
raffy,
the entire teensy bit of pot = terrible felony crap is a long holdover of racism (IMNOSHO) and is only useful for clogging prisons with non violent, non-offensive “felons” – although i think there is probably some truth to pot being addictive – but then, so is chocolate, so is alcohol, so is nicotine, etcetcetc.
- the trouble with making pot smoking while driving = DWI is it would be tough to prove impairment because there is no (best i know) blood mary j wanna level like there is blood alcohol level which they can use reliably to = impairment/intoxication
harry,
can’t understand why on earth joe morgan would be most hated astro – he played well when he was here, didn’t make a problem for the team and didn’t ask to be traded. my own personal Most Hated Astro is dan miceli
Nyah, nyah, go home for the winter, New York Yankees ! GO HOME and watch the rest of the playoffs !
As for Joe Morgan..well after reading “Moneyball” and seeing his comments..well he doesn’t register as high as he used to with me. You’re right…prisons are crowded with non violent drug offenders..one of the thousands upon thousands imprisoned by the War on Drugs. You’d think Prohibition was a lesson learned. But no. They learned nothing from Prohibition.
And I’m glad A-Roid got the silver sombrero…three strikeouts. Too bad it wasn’t the golden sort. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving fellow.