Bad sports, good sports: lock him up and throw away the car keys

Posted on April 13th, 2009 by Alan Spoll

It happens so often, you would almost think we would get used to it. But how can you get used to it? Nick Adenhart, a 22-year-old rookie pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, was killed, along with two others, when their car was hit by a drunk driver in Anaheim on Thursday. The driver, Andrew Gallo, had a previous drunk driving conviction, and was driving with a suspended license, in addition to a blood-alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit of .08.

I had not followed Adenhart’s career before this occurred. I am not an Angels fan. What happened here had nothing to do with sports, although the sports world feels the impact. I am moved by this story, not only because of the terrible loss of life, but also because of how it demonstrates a total lack of personal responsibility that seems so pervasive in our society these days. Not only did Gallo choose to drive while intoxicated and license-less, but he got out of his vehicle and fled after the impact that killed three people and injured two others. He was caught shortly after, and much to my surprise, has actually been charged with three counts of murder, in addition to several lesser counts.

I wish I had the answer to what should be done in these situations. I’m thrilled to think that this killer could spend the rest of his life in jail. I wish I thought that the punishment would serve as some kind of deterrent to the hordes of people that seem to regularly get behind the wheel while impaired.

The families of Nick Adenhart, Henry Pearson, and Courtney Stewart can’t get back what they’ve lost, whether or not Gallo suffers for his crime. I sure hope he does, one way or the other.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Ever get to a baseball game early and watch batting practice? The pitcher stands behind a screen while throwing his pitches. If you ask Joe Martinez of the San Francisco Giants, he might advocate using those screens in the games as well.

3) Following our earlier theme, Leon Hall of the Cincinnati Bengals was charged with a DUI. He didn’t kill anyone… but shouldn’t he be charged with attempted murder? Sounds good to me.

Good sports:

1) OK, I’m a big NASCAR fan. Jeff Gordon is my favorite driver. I was thrilled when he ended the longest non-winning streak of his career with a win at Texas Motor Speedway.

2) You’re standing on the foul line. Down one. 10 seconds to play. And oh yeah…. you’re blind. Just awesome.

3) Not sure why I am including this one, other than that I think it’s impressive that Michael Jordan’s son didn’t choose the path of least resistance, as others in his position might have done. He walked on at the University of Illinois, and is growing into a player who can contribute.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday.

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02