Bertuzzi Charged

[nl5xsk1 0]

al, I actually agree with you ... I do think that there is a difference between assault (such as what Bertuzzi did to Moore) and a normal fight (such as the toe-to-toe affair that Moore had earlier that game, with Cooke if my memory serves me correctly). The point that I'm trying to make (and really doing a poor job of it, too) is that the courts shouldn't be able to pick and choose what they deem is against the law or not.

 

What if Bertuzzi had just slashed Moore, and left him potentially paralyzed; is that assault?

 

What if Bertuzzi slashed him and broke a bone in his leg, putting him on the shelf for 6 months; is that still assault?

 

What if Bertuzzi still grabs him, punches him from behind, but Moore is fine, and is able to skate away under his own power; is that assault?

 

There just doesn't seem to be any consistency in when the courts get involved. Keep the courts away altogether, and let the league handle things as they deem necessary.

 

EDIT: I was so bent on posting this I spaced out on responding to Mike as intended ... I agree with what al said, Kermit just blindly turned and punched, he didn't have any malicious intent. There was a basebrawl, in the 1970s, where someone on the Yankees picked up and threw Bill Lee to the ground - much more intentional than the Washington punch ... would that be an assault now?!?

Edited June 28, 2004 by nl5xsk1

[starvenger 0]

The point that I'm trying to make (and really doing a poor job of it, too) is that the courts shouldn't be able to pick and choose what they deem is against the law or not.

That's pretty much the thing we've been dancing around - why are they only pursuing the much publicized incidents such as Bertuzzi and McSorley?

 

Personally, I'd like to see the courts stay out of it UNLESS the punishment was absurd (like if Bertuzzi was allowed to come back from suspension last year, instead of an "indefinite" suspension).

 

But (if this makes much sense) since they HAVE gone to court in this instance I'm hoping that they give Bertuzzi at least something, so it doesn't look like they've wasted too much of BC taxpayer money...

[Guest Rrrsh]

What was the reasoning behind Roger Clemens throwing at Mike Piazza's head, Mike. He was trying to hurt him very badly, and there was NO other reason.  All sports have that kind of thing. Hell, every fight in the NHL has that.

Pitchers throwing at batter isn't a crime. Hell, you can't PROVE that it wasn't unintentional. I can't believe that anybody can BEGIN to defend what Bertuzzi did.

-=Mike

And neither is punching a guy in Hockey.

 

 

However, if Bertuzzi is going to be charged, then so should every pitcher who gets tossed from a game for throwing at a player. When that happens, the umpire has determined that it was intentional. And throwing a ball at a guy's head at 100 MPH is assualt.