I am going to take an unpopular stance in the Paul Spadafora case. It seems that two Pittsburgh columnists, that I like and respect very much, are taking the rather easy stance of a celebrity getting a slap on the wrist when one of us "regular people" would get a much stiffer sentence. Sally Kalson of the PG and Mike Seate of the Trib both wrote columns parallel with this central theme. While I understand the tone they write from I find it insensitive that neither really hit on the key issue. It is obvious that Spadafora needs help with his alcohol and drug problems. Chico Harlan's fine piece that ran on Sunday 2/27 in the PG points some of Spaddy's drinking exploits including his ability to drink two fifths of whiskey in one night.
It is very easy to write simply on the fact that yes, a man shot his girlfriend in a drunken rage over some flat tires. Newspaper writers love to follow the story of the collapse of a celebrity. Over the years this has become commonplace with the Johnstown Tribune Democrat and the eventful life of Cartlon Haselrig. I guess writing that someone really needs help isn't sexy enough to sell newspapers.
Everyone deserves one chance when it comes to drugs and alcohol. Relapsers like Steve Howe and Darryl Strawberry have had their chances and they have made the choice, for whatever reason, not to stay clean. I know, I know, this is far from Spadafora's first brush with the law but I think the effort of him trying to get clean is commendable. Different people need different circumstances to scare them straight. Some might take an event like a DUI arrest that does not involve a crash or injury as an eye-opener while others may shrug that off and need something a bit more serious to get them on the right path. I firmly believe the latter applies to Spadafora.
I could be totally wrong on this but I believe Spadafora when he says that he needs this one chance and he'll do the city proud. I'm sure everyone will come back and remind me how wrong I was if that is not the case and I'll take that like a man. However, I think the case of a man shooting and nearly killing the mother of his child is enough to get an alcohol and cocaine using boxer on the straight and narrow.
And if I'm right, believe that I will let that be known as well!
I have no vested interest in this, I am not a particularly huge fan of boxing. I'll occasionally watch Friday Night Fights on ESPN or a big bout on HBO, but I always watched Spaddy with interest. Sure, watching paint dry is more exciting than watching his fighting style but I think I enjoyed the idea of watching a hometown guy in the ring. I never saw a fighter so disciplined and hopefully he can apply that same discpline to laying off booze and drugs.
On a similar note I am quite pleased with the high court in the land and their decision to abolish the death penalty for minors. Before you flood my inbox with "you bleeding heart liberal" please recognize that I take the less conventional stance as a liberal Democrat that is pro-Death Penalty. That being said, I think that a minor, regardless of the grossness of the offense, should be given the opportunity to have a productive adult life. Let's let the juvenile detention centers and reform schools do their job. I'm particularly surprised that this went through, especially since the President is the former Governor of a state that excuted anything with a pulse, including mentally retarded individuals.
On a positive note I heard Neil Walker on the Junker and Crow show on Pittsburgh's ESPN Radio 1250 and it is so refreshing to hear a kid with a good head on his shoulders, from the area and playing for the hometown team. He's expected to be at Hickory this year. He was so courteous and said something that you very rarely hear in talk radio from someone in the professional ranks. He told them "thanks for having me." The great Larry Fitzgerald was this way and they are cut from the same cloth and also show that they were brought up by special parents.
I was so glad I got out on a Saturday afternoon to see a Pine-Richland game to see Walker play. He's the first high school baseball player I've specifically gone to see play since I graduated from high school myself.
I wonder who the next will be?
