We have scant details as of yet, but Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Shin-Shoo Choo was arrested for drunk driving early yesterday morning in suburban Sheffield Lake, Ohio, west of Cleveland. UPDATE: MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports that Choo blew more than twice the legal limit. Paul Hoynes reports that Choo stopped to ask police officers directions to his house. Then, when he drove away, they arrested him. That’s ... unique. UPDATE II: The entire police report can be seen via this post.
Indians GM Chris Antonetti released a statement saying that he and the organization are disappointed and all of the usual stuff you hear at these times.
What needs to happen next, however, are not more quotes about how disappointed everyone is. What needs to happen is some sort of baseball discipline for players who are doing this. Many players: Choo makes the sixth baseball player to be arrested for DUI this year, joining Miguel Cabrera, Austin Kearns, Adam Kennedy, Coco Crisp and Derek Lowe.
Major League Baseball has suspended coaches in recent days for using Twitter improperly and for acting like jackasses to fans. While we can debate how serious those things are -- the Roger McDowell stuff is serious in my view, the Ozzie Guillen stuff not so much -- ballplayers getting behind the wheel drunk are endangering lives.
I don’t propose some zero tolerance policy with unthinking, blanket punishment because facts can make a big difference. But there is something wrong with these guys always being in the lineup the next damn day, regardless of the circumstances.
