Sunday, May 09, 2004
Closing a Sad Chapter
The Cubs have released Ben Christensen. He was let go because he didn't bounce back from arm surgery, but he should have never been signed in the first place. Many might not remember Christensen, he was the pitcher with the "blinding fastball", in the literal sense. Back in 1999, as a pitcher for Wichita State, he became annoyed at the way Evansville's Anthony Molina was timing his pitches in the on-deck circle. Christensen's response was to bean Molina, while he was still standing in the on-deck circle. The result was severe damage to Molina's face, and a loss of some eyesight.
Sadly, like some of our soldiers in Iraq, Christensen took the Nazi defense - "Just following orders." His pitching coach had told him to brush back opponents, even if they weren't standing in the batter's box. He did not have the courage or wisdom to stand up to his coach. Molina paid for that.
The other day I was surprised to find that Wil Cordero was still playing baseball. He's been accused of domestic abuse by several women, and yet baseball teams still offer him a paycheck. Are people so devoted to their teams that the clubs can trot out these sorry excuses for human beings and expect us to still cheer for them? Can you pull for the wife-beater if he's a 30/30 player? Can you give your buddy a high-five when the rapist scores a touchdown? When I think about it, perhaps Molina isn't the only blind person in this situation...
posted by David 5:45 PM
