I'm just surprised he made contact.

To give Young the benefit of the doubt, I'm guessing an ####### was taunting him to provoke a response then made a big deal about a little scratch.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the clock.

Delmon Young is a slugger?

I'm still not terribly inclined to give Delmon Young the benefit of the doubt. Rage issues can be handled, and I certainly hope Delmon has made progress and this was all a misunderstanding and whatnot, but once you've tried to assault a guy with a weapon, I'm going to be skeptical that you aren't a dangerous #######.

It's like one of the old progressiveboink dugouts coming true. I wonder if he said "boom #####\".

To give Young the benefit of the doubt, I'm guessing an ####### was taunting him to provoke a response then made a big deal about a little scratch.

Let's see, Delmon Young is drunk at 2:45 a.m. in the Hilton in Midtown and gets into a fight the night before a game. Not that many people are going to recognize the great Delmon Young in civvies in the middle of the night. I doubt that whatever this was was "celebrity" driven (unless there was a "do you know who I am?" moment). And I don't see any reason why he gets the benefit of the doubt over the other party who we know nothing about. We know that Delmon Young is a hot-headed #######. He doesn't get the benefit of the doubt from me. (edit: Coke to MCoA.)

Did Delmon go all Mel Gibson on his victim?

Ah, alcohol....

Ah, alcohol....

Ah, excuses...

Nothing good happens after midnight. There's no excuse, but I am curious to hear the whole story, if we ever get to hear it.

I'm probably going to hell for saying this, but I always thought he made a hell of a throw with that bat. Very Daredevil-esque.

Ah, alcohol....

You think it was Manichevitz?

Anti-Semitic...

http://www.freep.com/article/20120427/SPORTS02/120427015/Tigers-outfielder-Delmon-Young-accused-hate-crime-related-assault-New-York-City

Detectives say Young was swinging at everything.

From Derb's link:

“Basically, there was an incident at the hotel (and) some anti-Semitic remarks,” said Detective Joseph Cavitolo.

Any hope that this blows over is slipping away. What a jackass.

To quote the great Chief Wiggum, this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.

The excerpt above doesn't even mention the Hate Crime aspect of the accusation. And according to ESPN now, he was not drunk. He was taken to the hospital at first though because they believed he was originally. What? Sober people can't be anti-semitic?

Here's some more detail form the ESPN report:

Police say Young was standing outside of the Hilton New York, not far from Times Square. A group of about four Chicago tourists staying there were approached by a panhandler wearing a yarmulke. As the group walked up to the hotel doors, Young started yelling anti-Semitic epithets. Police say it's not clear who he was yelling at, but he got into a tussle with one of the Chicago group, who sustained scratches to his elbows.

The man, 32, refused medical attention, New York detective Joseph Cavitolo told the Detroit Free Press. Police were called, and Young was arrested at 4 a.m. local time at 54th Street and 6th Avenue. He was hospitalized at first because he was believed to be intoxicated.

The hell?

Nothing good happens after midnight.

I hate this phrase. Lots of good things happen after midnight.

Sober people can't be anti-semitic?

The probability that a man screaming anti-semitic slurs at 3am around Times Square is sober is probably rather close to 0.

The probability that a man screaming anti-semitic slurs at 3am around Times Square is sober is probably rather close to 0.

I'm not so sure about that. Some of the world's great anti-Semites are teetotalers, or claim to be.

Miguel Cabrera's drunken shenanigans are cheeky and fun. Delmon Young's drunken shenanigans are cruel and tragic, which makes them not really shenanigans at all.

A tragic misunderstanding. One of the Chicago tourists asked the starving panhandler, "Did you eat today?" And Delmon said, "No, Jew?" Not, did you, didjoo eat? Jew. Not "did you eat," but "Jew eat?" Jew. You get it? "Jew eat?"

So he scratched up some guy's elbows in a tussle, and yelled anti-semitic epithets at a group of tourists after THEY were approached by a possibly-Jewish panhandler? Is this making sense to anyone? Maybe he had a stroke or wasn't taking his meds. Regardless, I'm confused.

So he scratched up some guy's elbows in a tussle, and yelled anti-semitic epithets at a group of tourists after THEY were approached by a possibly-Jewish panhandler? Is this making sense to anyone? Maybe he had a stroke or wasn't taking his meds. Regardless, I'm confused.

Delmon probably sees the panhandler approach and get rebuffed by the tourists and shouts some form of agreement to them (containing a slur). One of the tourists ends up being Jewish and takes offense to it.

I hate this phrase. Lots of good things happen after midnight.

Just off the top of my head, I saw a Prince after-concert bar set that started at about 2:30 AM.

A tragic misunderstanding. One of the Chicago tourists asked the starving panhandler, "Did you eat today?" And Delmon said, "No, Jew?" Not, did you, didjoo eat? Jew. Not "did you eat," but "Jew eat?" Jew. You get it? "Jew eat?"

I have a friend, a TV news photographer, who very nearly got kicked out of and potentially banned from Jacobs Field a few years ago in this sort of misunderstanding. (Seriously.)

His battery ran out and he said "I need more juice! I need more juuuuuuuuuuuuice!", stretching out the word 'juice' because he was in a goofy mood. A couple other media members thought he was saying something about Jews. He got pulled aside by some very agitated media relations folks and had to explain his way out of the situation.

All of which is a long way of saying that maybe Delmon was thirsty.

Some of the world's great anti-Semites are teetotalers, or claim to be

and vegetarian

I hate this phrase. Lots of good things happen after midnight.

The entire day, for instance.

I hate this phrase. Lots of good things happen after midnight.

The entire day, for instance.

or your cute mogwais eating delicious fried chicken. oh wait, that belongs on the bad things list.

I hate this phrase. Lots of good things happen after midnight.

Just off the top of my head, I saw a Prince after-concert bar set that started at about 2:30 AM.

Amen. I saw him play an aftershow at a place called NighTTown in Rotterdam that was one of the best concerts, if not the best concert, I've ever seen. Started out with a 12+ minute rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" and went from there.

"I need more juice! I need more juuuuuuuuuuuuice!"..............

All of which is a long way of saying that maybe Delmon was thirsty.

Or talking about 'roids: "I blame my lack of power on the 'juuuuuuice'!"

If I can't trust Eric Clapton, who can I trust?

Many of the things that happen after midnight cause talk and suspicion, particularly when folks give an exhibition.

The positive part, though, is that it often leads to finding out what it's all about.

Coke to zonk.

His battery ran out and he said "I need more juice! I need more juuuuuuuuuuuuice!", stretching out the word 'juice' because he was in a goofy mood. A couple other media members thought he was saying something about Jews. He got pulled aside by some very agitated media relations folks and had to explain his way out of the situation.

Can't help but remind me of Hipster Hitler.

http://hipsterhitler.com/comics/juice/

A tragic misunderstanding. One of the Chicago tourists asked the starving panhandler, "Did you eat today?" And Delmon said, "No, Jew?" Not, did you, didjoo eat? Jew. Not "did you eat," but "Jew eat?" Jew. You get it? "Jew eat?"

I was baffled the other day when an Englishman said the ground balls were skipping through the infield quickly "because of the jew in the grass".

powerhouse arm in the outfield

Really?

This happened after midnight.

I hate this phrase. Lots of good things happen after midnight.

Agreed.

Coke to zonk.

Thanks for writing this, because I assumed the Eric Clapton reference had something to do with Eric Clapton hating Jews.

Which seems to not be the case. Immigrants, certainly.

Some of the world's great anti-Semites are teetotalers, or claim to be

and vegetarian

And devout.

powerhouse arm in the outfield

Really?

That's what Wikipedia says. I tend to close my eyes when he is making a defensive play anymore, so for all I know he has to walk the ball in to the cut-off man. I thought it was funny that they said he was "known for his powerhouse arm". I'd say he is known for his occasional home runs, surly persona, abysmal defense, mediocre hitting, young-prospect history, off-field issues, his brother, and THEN his arm. No one cares about outfield arm strength.

Lots of good things happen after midnight.

Everything happens after midnight.

That's what Wikipedia says.

[Citation needed]

Henry Ford, Father Charles Coughlin....Delmon Young?

Thank you, Detroit!

This was only a block from the Halal Chicken food cart!

Delmon and Dmitri seem very...different.

Rocker originally got 28 days for including almost everyone and Guillen got 5 games for Castro.

How many games off for Young? Can we construct a spreadsheet and scale that determines by category how much time one serves due to the ethnic background of the person insulted?

I sense a Hate Crime Laws: A Savage Hypocrisy Part Two for "South Park"

He does have a really strong arm, either in his rookie season or the previous year's September call-up he stunned Ichiro by throwing him out trying to go first to third on a single. Just a spectacular throw that hardly anyone in the majors could make with that kind of strength and accuracy. Pretty much everything else about him sucks though and I wouldn't be surprised if his accuracy has lessened as his game as gone completely to ####.

Not that many people are going to recognize the great Delmon Young in civvies in the middle of the night.

Have you seen a picture of his face? It's fairly....uh, distinctive.

How many games off for Young? Can we construct a spreadsheet and scale that determines by category how much time one serves due to the ethnic background of the person insulted?

If this story is true, my guess is that Tigers management's answer will be "infinite."

I sense a Hate Crime Laws: A Savage Hypocrisy Part Two for "South Park"

Isn't that what every South Park episode is about? How everyone who isn't a raging arsehole is a miserable hypocrite?

Delmon and Dmitri seem very...different.

Didn't Dmitri have some issues at the tail end of his time in Detroit? I don't think it was anything as serious as some of Delmon's stupidity but I don't think Dmitri is a choirboy.

Didn't Dmitri have some issues at the tail end of his time in Detroit? I don't think it was anything as serious as some of Delmon's stupidity but I don't think Dmitri is a choirboy.

He has had some domestic abuse issues and has battled alcoholism for quite awhile.

Speaking of New York, will there be another early June softball game this year? I was out of town last year and would love to finally meet some of the Big Apple's best blog posters.

I'd forgotten about Dmitri's issues. But this is an interesting contrast with the baseball card story.

FWIW, here's the statutes he's probably been charged under:


§485.05 Hate crimes.

1. A person commits a hate crime when he or she commits a specified offense and either:

(a) intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is committed or intended to be committed in whole or in substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct, or

(b) intentionally commits the act or acts constituting the offense in whole or in substantial part because of a belief of perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct.

....


3. A “specified offense” is an offense defined by any of the following provisions of this chapter: ... subdivision one, two or four of section 240.30 (aggravated harassment in the second degree)....

http://www.slc.edu/offices-services/security/bias/Penal_Code.html


§ 240.30 Aggravated harassment in the second degree.

A person is guilty of aggravated harassment in the second degree when,
with intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm another person, he or
she:

...

3. Strikes, shoves, kicks, or otherwise subjects another person to
physical contact, or attempts or threatens to do the same because of a
belief or perception regarding such person's race, color, national
origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability
or sexual orientation, regardless of whether the belief or perception is
correct....

http://law.onecle.com/new-york/penal/PEN0240.30_240.30.html

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the clock.

Delmon Young is a slugger?

Maybe the writer saw him playing defense, and meant to write "sluggard"?

That's what Wikipedia says. I tend to close my eyes when he is making a defensive play anymore, so for all I know he has to walk the ball in to the cut-off man.

Craig, do you happen to be from Pennsylvania or south Jersey? I ask because I have an inexplicable fascination with the "positive anymore". In my (Brooklyn origin, Manhattan adulthood) experience, that's where the positive anymore is prevalent.

I'm all midwestern. It sounded kind of klunky as I was writing it, but I didn't care enough to tweak it. I don't think I really say "anymore" that way. I guess my more natural phrasing would have been: "Lately, I tend to close my eyes when he is making defensive plays".