Let's Debate

It's a Matter of Debating.




Second Chance Theory
The theory states that if an individual may possess the ability to run a 40 time that impresses a scout, is able to score inside and outside on a basketball court, happens to be a left-handed pitcher that throws upwards of 98 miles per hour and has control, or has a triple deke fancier than anything Emilio Estevez or Joshua Jackson had in The Mighty Ducks, they are entitled to a get out of jail or prison free card. And in some cases, they are entitled to many get out free cards. This theory only applies to DUI’s/DWI’s, pot, assault & battery, and minor theft. In some cases, it even applies to murder. I’m sorry, “vehicular homicide”. The theory does not apply to 1st degree murder, “hardcore” narcotics, gambling, or proving you, a veteran, can’t even make the Kansas City 40 man roster. Second chance theory does not take responsibility for those harmed because of the acts of idiocy displayed by the athletes, coaches, and general managers.

Mistakes are a given in life, and there’s no way around it. You’re going to screw up something, someday, sometime, it just will happen. And mostly, you screw up multiple times. It’s human nature. To what degree the mistake you make is, well, going to determine if the rest of your life is undeserving and Hellish, or just a meaningless blip. But, how do people react to your mistakes? The last time you seriously ****ed up, what domino effect did that cause? We can apply that to sports. I’ll skip some particular people in football, in which I could go days and days talking about how I’d personally like to end a certain someone’s career for what they’ve done in the past. Hey, he gets 10 sacks a year; he’s got a suit of armor protecting his life. Instead, let’s dwell on the second chances in baseball. Take the theory, and apply.

You know, the theory doesn’t work with everyone. And it rarely works with public perception. But cases vary. For example: Delmon Young flips a bat at an ump. Yes, Young’s temper hasn’t been the greatest and recently up to that point, neither had his plate discipline. In fact, rage runs well in the Young family. But I digress. Delmon was given a deserving suspension. Most will argue he deserved a far harsher punishment. To that consequence, we also add in the fact he’s been written off by us. While hardly appearing on the major league level, he’s a bust and he’s just another sad sack of tomatoes in the Tampa farm. Most of us on the forum are at or around his age. Maybe you never flipped a bat at your friend, but are you telling me you never lost it before? But hey, not the point I’m making. Quick, tell me the player who flipped his bat- almost hitting the ump not that long after the Young incident. Hint: he’s a well-respected ballplayer who, when he retires, is a borderline hall-of-famer. Did you say Bernie Williams? You’ll say it was unintentional, he never meant to hit anyone, and he was just frustrated. Delmon was frustrated too. But, it was Bernie Williams, a guitar playing former Gold Glover who tends to come up big in the clutch. He doesn’t deserve any ire by the public. Maybe it wasn’t the same thing at all. We’ll never really know what was going through their heads at the time. But for now, Young has been tossed in Josh Hamilton’s hamper while Bernie continues to tear the cover off the ball. We respect Bernie. We hate Delmon.

For that, we don’t want Delmon to have a second chance. He doesn’t deserve it. But apparently because no one cared, Bernie does. Now I ask you, did Jason Giambi deserve a second chance? I'm talking before he re-discovered the Giambino swing. Of course, now Yankee fans are just glad he’s back in stride. Before that? Did you want him gone? I bet you did, but probably because he got paid a whole Hell of a lot to just be hitting in the low .200’s. Do you, the reds fans, forgive Ryan Freel’s DUI’s? “Oh, he was just kicking back a few, having fun.” Lucky for him, his car never collided into another car. A certain football player from above wasn’t so lucky. No, I rephrase that. The mother who lost her life wasn’t so lucky. But, Freel is a hard-nosed player, he plays everywhere, he’s good for the team. So, there are his second and third chances and the reds are over .500 this late into the season. Did he deserve those chances?

We can spin this tune over and over again. The scenarios vary. The laws that do get broken, whether societies or Major League Baseball’s, vary. And the players, they too vary when it comes to character and personality. From what I have gathered, based on this forum and our neighbor, thenflforums, I can easily say that you guys aren’t as forgiving as your favorite teams are. Even the smaller nuances of the list of crime seem to strike a chord with individuals. But not everyone’s beliefs have been tested. What if your favorite athlete does something wrong, besides swinging at ball four? Headline reads Ken Griffey Jr. has been arrested for beating his wife repeatedly. John Smoltz ran his neighbor over with a John Deere, because he was stoned. Derek Jeter is caught snorting cocaine, off Paris Hilton’s chest. Ahem, Barry Zito is involved in a car accident; his blood alcohol level was off the charts. Two people died from the accident, Zito lives. They’re fake headlines. And I don’t want any of those to ever happen. But what if, something along those lines, really does happen? Are you ready to give them a second chance? Are they to be forgiven? More than likely, your team already has.



Special thank you's to both forums in the contributions to threads I made for criminals in professional sports. Additional thanks to Dry1313, Giants666, and Huskerfan for contributing news links to various topics relating to this very idea.