Draft Choices Behaving Badly

[Guest Edgy DC]

Jeremy Barfield is not with the program.

Son of former Astros coach arrested for allegedly assaulting dad

By ROBERT CROWE

Copyright 2006

Houston Chronicle

A Klein High School baseball star drafted this year by the New York Mets was arrested this morning after allegedly assaulting his father, a former Major League All-Star and Astros coach, during an argument at their Spring home, sheriff's deputies said.

Jeremy Barfield, 18, was arrested shortly after 8 a.m., when family members reported to authorities that he had pushed his father, Jesse Barfield, 46, down a flight of stairs.

The elder Barfield was taken to Northwest Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released, authorities said.

"(Jeremy) and his father had some kind of argument that apparently took place on the stairs in his house," said Harris County Sheriff's Department Lt. John Martin, a spokesman. "The father was lower on stairs than Jeremy was and ... at some point during argument, Jeremy shoved him and he ended up falling down the stairs and struck his head pretty hard on the floor."

Martin said that deputies are obligated to make an arrest anytime there is evidence of assault and injury with allegations of domestic violence. Jeremy Barfield was expected to be charged with a Class A misdemeanor for assault. The Harris County District Attorney's office had accepted charges, Martin said.

The family could not be reached for comment Sunday.

An arresting deputy said that the Barfield family was getting ready for church when Jeremy was apparently taking a long time, Martin said.

"Dad went to see what was taking so long, and they got into an argument," he said.

Barfield was still in jail as of 8 p.m. Sunday, he added.

The extent of Jesse Barfield's injuries was not known. He was conscious when paramedics arrived, but some family members said that he might have lost consciousness at some point.

The elder Barfield was a Major League Baseball All-Star when he played with the Blue Jays and Yankees between the 1980s and early 1990s. He went on to coach to Astros and Blue Jays.

Jeremy's older brother, Josh, also a Klein graduate, plays professionally for the San Diego Padres.

Jeremy Barfield, a 6-foot, 4-inch, 240-pound outfield at Klein, led his team to the Class 5A regional quarter finals, where Klein lost to The Woodlands.

He was the Houston area's RBI leader with 44 in the regular season, and was second in home runs among area 5A players with nine for the season.

Barfield signed a letter of intent to play with San Jacinto College. In the most recent draft, the Mets picked him in the ninth round.

Family members told a Chronicle reporter that Jeremy Barfield was still negotiating with the Mets earlier this month.

Chronicle

high school sports writer Sam Khan contributed to this report.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Damn, there's also a Met fan behaving badly.

Inside Baseball - Phillies slugger Howard not letting threat get to him

By Jack Magruder, Tribune

August 20, 2006

Ryan Howard is making an MVP run while playing through a threat that he might never walk again. A month ago, Howard told the Philadelphia media this week, he was made aware of a letter post-marked in Scranton, Pa., in which a fan threatened to shoot him and cripple him.

�He said he wouldn�t kill me. He would cripple me,� said Howard, who played for the Phillies� Triple-A team in Scranton in 2004-05.

The letter was from a Mets fan who said David Wright, not Howard, deserved to win the home run derby competition at the All-Star Game.

�It didn�t bother me. If he�s writing letters like that, that dude�s got bigger problems than me.�

The Phillies forwarded the letter to the Philadelphia police, who with other law enforcement agencies are investigating. There were no racial overtones, Howard said.

Howard, the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year, has joined St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols and Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran in the MVP race while also closing in on Mike Schmidt�s franchise home run record.

Howard hit his NL-leading 43rd homer Saturday, five short of Schmidt�s Phillies record of 48 set in 1980.

Since learning of the letter, Howard has 12 homers and 33 RBIs. He leads the league with 111 RBIs.

The Phils, by the way, seem disinclined to sign new franchise cornerstones Howard and Chase Utley to long-term deals, feeling extended deals to Bobby Abreu and, especially, Pat Burrell did not pay off.

I'm going to bed before some more crazy crap goes down.

[Zvon]

I dunno if this was posted here, but this thread made me think of something I read afew days ago:

Police: L.I. teen posed as journalist to get into stadium

NEW YORK (AP) -Ryan Leli loves the Mets.

The Suffolk County teenager loved the Mets so much that authorities say he posed as a reporter to get into Shea Stadium and talk with players.

Police arrested the 18-year-old Leli Friday night at Shea just before the start of the New York Mets-Colorado Rockies game and charged him with impersonating a journalist, the Queens District Attorney announced Saturday.

Prosecutors say Leli told New York Mets management that he worked for NBC Universal and showed a fake NBC employee identification card so he could get press credentials.

Leli first used the press pass to attend an Aug. 10 game between the Mets and the San Diego Padres. Authorities said Leli used the pass to approach and chat with players including Mike Piazza before and after that game.

Leli used the fake NBC identification again Friday to get another press pass for the Mets-Rockies game.

Mets management apparently became suspicious and contacted authorities.

Leli was also charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, falsifying business records, larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal impersonation and criminal trespass.

He was arraigned Saturday in Queens Criminal Court and released on his own recognizance.

Leli was scheduled to return to court on Sept. 27. He faces up to seven years in prison if he's convicted.
_______________________________________________________________

7years WOW!
Imagine if I tried to sneak on the field after the game these days.
Id probly be shot for trespassing.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Most pretend journalists can just start a blog today.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, MSNBC is running with the story as "Mets prospect Barfield shoves dad down stairs." Jesse has been released from the hospital (although the subhead says he's still in).

[MFS62]

After his college football career, sounds like he would make a fine Oakland Raider.

As for him signing with the Mets, I'd prefer to have a player who would throw Roger Clemens down a flight of stairs.

Later

[stevejrogers]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: Most pretend journalists can just start a blog today.

Gives all the more reason to believe the Mets and Wright's story about how Wright came to do that "Faith Healing" promo earlier this year

[Guest Edgy DC]

Come on. How crazy is it that there's a cuckoo out there threatening Ryan Howard because he beat David Wright in the home run derby?

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

It's probably the same kind of sicko who would threaten Henry Aaron as he was zeroing in on Babe Ruth's record.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, 'cept that's a sicko with a beef that's at least tangible. Racist, but tangible.

A home run derby!

A Met fan!