“We’ll get a chance to see him in the minor leagues,” Wren said. “We’ll see if he’s the person we think he is. If he’s not, he won’t be here.”

"Of course, the person we think he is is an unstable, alcoholic meathead. If he lives up to his billing he should fit right in."

I hope the good news didn't cause him to party too hard.

Why? Just...why?

Drunken driving? Assault? No big deal.

However, that dyed-red soul patch he had on his chin last year? Now THAT should be a crime.

Didn't Spiezio have a violent incident with his wife while he was playing for Seattle? I can't seem to find anything on Google.

Sure, it seems like an OK idea now, but wait until the first time he pukes in your locker.

Are you sure you're not thinking of Julio Mateo? In 2007, the M's demoted him and then traded him after he was charged with assaulting his wife.

#5 -- he and his girlfriend attacked a cabbie.

Odd, the Braves rarely take on guys with legal problems.

Odd, the Braves rarely take on guys with legal problems.

I don't know. The Braves stood behind Furcal after both DUIs (he was really sorry...again). Andruw's involvement with the Gold Club was brushed aside. Bobby Cox had one domestic violence incident. Otis Nixon had a drug problem. So did Wily Aybar, though they did just trade him. This is just a top-of-my-head list, so I am probably forgetting some.

The Braves do seem to have this squeaky clean image, but I don't see where it comes from. They must put it in their talking points to reporters.

The Braves' general philosophy seems to be "we're not in the business of dictating social norms, we're a baseball club." With that said, they do give their guys every opportunity to get past their problems, only giving up on them when they show a complete inability to do so. John Rocker and Willy Aybar, two very different cases with two very similar results, come to mind. They don't cut ties with a player after one bad incident, and if the player shows a willingness to get past the problem area -- Furcal for instance, and a younger Chipper Jones -- they aren't turned into a pariah just for moral grandstanding purposes.

The Braves squeaky clean image is most likely caused by the same forces that made Chipper Jones an under appreciated superstar for so long -- John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. Maddog would drop an f-bomb on the mound now and again, but those guys were the face of the franchise for so long, and all three are model citizens, the image kind of rubs off. Also, one regrettable instance aside, Bobby Cox has a sterling reputation, and John Schuerholz wore suspenders for God's sake.

####### Spiezio, he always ruins the seasons of teams I'm cheering for. He'll probably knock the Mets out of the Division lead with a 3-run homer on the last day of the season (note: I haven't checked the schedule) after he gets called up in September.