Posted: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 7:09 PM | 68 comments |
 
options
 

Hey folks, the real beer tosser has turned himself in.

Here's the link

www.suntimes.com/sports/1715030,cubs-beer-throwing-13.article

 

Most of what Shane Victorino has said about a beer being poured on him Wednesday night has been forgiving and refreshing. At first he jokingly commended the ``timing’’ of the throw, brushed it off as no big deal, laughed about it even.

But the Cubs and the city of Chicago? Not so much. Cubs front office personnel apologized personally to Victorino before Thursday’s matinee, Cubs manager Lou Piniella did after the game, and two Chicago cops took his statement after Wednesday’s 12-5 victory.

When Shane subsequently decided to file a complaint, his tone changed a bit too. He said, ``The guy should be held accountable’’, a sentiment slapped all over both Chicago newspapers Thursday.

That’s right. Even if Shane is just helping Chicago find the right guy and not all that outraged (as it seems), the hammer of the law needs to come down hard on these people, so it stops.

But this, uttered after he filed a civil complaint about the incident, was chilling, even if unintentionally so: ``If it happens on the streets, I don't think he'd be walking too far with something like that happening in the streets,’’ Shane said.

It was just less than three weeks ago that a spilled beer inside of McFadden’s Restaurant led to a fatal gang beating in a parking lot outside of Citizens Bank Park. No, it didn’t quite happen on the streets, but the ridiculous overreaction to the slight did, and it led to the death of a 22-year-old man, David Sale.

I’m sure the Phillies centerfielder wasn’t thinking about this when he made his comments yesterday. But he should be careful with his words. Pouring a beer on a centerfielder is unacceptable. So, too, is taking the law into your own hands.


.

Posted by Sam Donnellon @ 7:09 PM  Permalink | 68 comments
68
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:41 PM, 08/13/2009
    Sam - come on...you cannot be possibly be making a correlation about a great competitor's true comments (this guy WOULD take a beating on the street ANYWHERE if he poured an unprovoked beer on anyone), and that senseless homicide in front of McFadden's - those guys were nothing but Fishtown white trash that are going away for a long time. I really though you were a better journalist - this is nothing but reaction mongering.
    CTL
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:00 PM, 08/13/2009
    Sam, go with decaf...relax.
    cm3737
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:03 PM, 08/13/2009
    For once I must say this article is dumb. He made a honest statement, and he didn't say HE was going to hurt anyone.
    syrdude
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:07 PM, 08/13/2009
    What a ridiculous stretch to make out of that comment. I seriously cannot believe you went through the trouble to write about something that no one but you would think of.
    tutpsu
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:08 PM, 08/13/2009
    It was lame comment. You know, most people don't resort to fist fights to resolve matters, believe it or not. Third-graders, yes, adults, no.
    Jim C.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:09 PM, 08/13/2009
    You have GOT to be kidding me.
    cmp1968
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:11 PM, 08/13/2009
    What Shane is saying is if your in the stands and do something stupid, you pretty much get away with it.
    Ken B
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:15 PM, 08/13/2009
    I think the point that Shane was trying to make was that it takes a gutless person to do something like that when they know that the person on the other end can't do anything about it. No MAN would do something like that, the kid was a coward.....and Sam, you're just as low to try to make this connection. I guess it's because you're too lazy to do any REAL reporting.
    baseball_fan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:16 PM, 08/13/2009
    The only possible reasoning behind this article is Donnellon had some big-time writer's block and had to write about SOMETHING.
    riles1875
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:22 PM, 08/13/2009
    And they wonder why the inquirer/daily news are going bankrupt??? this article/blog/reporter explains it all.
    baseball_fan
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:50 PM, 08/13/2009
    Sam, I like you, but I think that correlation was a poor choice of words. While I say that, though, I'm sure there are a lot of family and friends of David Sale who may disagree with me, but I hope not. There's spilling a beer on someone, throwing a beer on someone (which once provoke me into an argument-and the only time I've ever been thrown out of anywhere when someone threw a beer on a friend of mine at a Phillies game the last year at the Vet-that guy stayed at the game and I got thrown out with a friend who happened to wear a shirt that had the other teams colors-he just wanted to go to a baseball game and hang out, and didn't know anything about the other team.). Throw a beer, and you deserve to at least get thrown out of where you are-do it and hide behind a fat guy who took the blame for it-you shouldn't be allowed at any more games. Ever. Maybe Ozzie was right-Wrigley is just a bar. I understand where you're coming from Sam, but I think you may have stretched it a little too far. (Also-wasn't this the town that includes such father and son outings as "beat up the old man coaching first for the other team?")
    Skwimua
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:59 PM, 08/13/2009
    There is a difference between accidentally spilling a beer on someone (which happened in the David Sales accident) and blatantly dumping a beer on someones head. Come on Sam
    yer23


View comments: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5
About Sam Donnellon
Donnellon's career began in Biddeford, Me., in 1981, and has included stops in Wilkes-Barre, Norfolk, and New York, where he worked as a national writer for the short-lived but highly acclaimed National Sports Daily. He has received state and national awards at each stop and since joining the Daily News in 1992 has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Associated Press Managing Editors of Pennsylvania and the Keystone Awards. He and his wife of 26 years have raised three fine children, none of whom are even the least bit impressed with the above. E-mail Sam at donnels@phillynews.com
Follow on Twitter