Mariano Rivera's pool accident, was there any more to the story?

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Had this discussion on another board some time ago, and granted it has nothing to do with some imbalance that causes a man to suddenly snap and deliberatly murder his wife, 4 year old child and then himself but the turning on Chris Benoit by many fans made me think of the situation in October of 2004 when two relatives of Mariano Rivera's were electrocuted in Mo's pool in Panama because Rivera essentially wanted wild dogs and Lord knows what or who else would go onto his property dead.

 

So this is kind of a two part question, I mean, I haven't heard Rivera's wife's cousin's family (well his wife's family of course) try to get a wrongful death suit against Mo for the deaths of her cousin and his son in 2004.

 

I don't mean to suggest criminal neglect, nor am I suggesting that Mo's home in Panama should be open 24/7 for all critters and people to just walk in (though the deadly force may seem excessive)

 

I'm just trying to resolve in my head how I haven't heard anything else about the accident since it occurred, maybe I've just been growing up in too litigious of a society, where if a burgler breaks his leg while tripping over something in the house that he is robbing he can sue the home owner successfully, and I would think Mo's in-laws have a stronger case.

 

And the second, which ties in with Chris Benoit, (and as I said, yes this is not even apples and organges but more like apples and sirloin steak) does one tragic incidient where the only issue is one of criminal neglience and not that he deliberatly set to murder two relatives, where a man who's public image has been very pristene (I mean look at all the good works Rivera does for Panama and there is talk of him becoming a minister down there after he retires) all of a sudden has all of that erased to the point where people hate him just because of the incident.

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Maybe it went away because...it was an accident.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Maybe it went away because...it was an accident.

 

Yeah but if that happened here in the States, wouldn't Rivera be brought up on criminal neglience charges? Wouldn't there be stories all over questioning the excessive useage of electricity for the pool? Seems awfully like things got all hush hush because its Rivera and its the Yankees and Rivera's inlaws don't want to lose their "money train"

 

I don't know, I'm just asking considering I got myself in a huge war on a forum with people who despise Rivera because of the incident which would be one thing if the public perception of Rivera was really unknown (i.e. Chris Benoit) or if he was seen as a Pedro Martinez kind of flake or a Barry Bonds type of ahole, but because Rivera's off the field perception is that of a kind, decent, spirtiual and giving person I'm taken aback when people label Rivera as a murderer of puppies and children when they don't know the whole story and they treat the fact that Rivera has a pool in Panama like its a suburban neighboorhood here in the states.

 

So it just seems odd that people feel this way, I'm wondering if there are others who feel the same way or is it just one group of passionate Yankee haters that will take one stupid incident and over blow it.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Maybe it went away because...it was an accident.

 

Tried to PM you but I seem to be having issues, eh might as well post it here

 

Interesting that yours is the only reply. Well okay, not so interesting, just wanted to get a more unbiased opinion about what exactly happened that day in October of 2004.

 

I actually started (by accident) a flame war on a Met board because I suggested that Mariano Rivera was a Yankee that you could like because of what we know about Rivera off the field (missionary work, the fact that despite a classic great closer cockiness (same one that Goose and Eck had to let bad games roll off their backs) he is quite humble and not a jerk) I couldn't see one reason why one would NOT like Mariano Rivera

 

So another poster posted, and many agreed with her something to the effect that yes it was very easy not to like Rivera and I wonder if it was just because of the incident because many on that board geniunely do feel that Mariano Rivera is a murderer of puppies and children (and not just because of the lyrics of his enterance theme) because his pool and property were wired to the exessive point that it seemed he didn't just want intruders (human or otherwise) to go away, he wanted them "dead"

 

Plus the majority of posters are liberal atheists so to them Rivera's missionary work is easily dissmissed as "so what if he is painting churches in Panama"

 

Never mind that their posts about how Rivera would be found criminally negligent and would be sued up the ass if that happened here in the states showed a complete lack of understanding of third world countries, that it isn't like suburbian US. Hell conditions in some places are probably worse than the worst neighboorhoods in the Tri-State area.

 

The Benoit situation brought that question up again in my mind, well yeah the deliberate murder of one's wife and child and then himself is COMPLETELY different than two people getting accidently elecrocuted in a pool while doing maintenece, but in a sense the reaction of so many against Benoit brought the whole "Can one tragic incident erase all good that a person does in his life" question.

 

Now granted nothing was really known about Chris Benoit except for his love and dedication to wrestling, and any reports of him being a "good guy" just came from stories from the lockeroom, dealings with the media and meet & greets with fans (both arranged and informal) so unlike Rivera most of Benoit's off screen personality was percieved from soundbites and momentary meetings but seeing how so many turned against Benoit made me wonder about the Rivera situation since I've seen vitirol thrown at Rivera because of the accident that seemed to go beyond the normal "He's a Yankee, therefore I hate him" hate.

 

So maybe it is just Met fans that feel that way about Rivera.

 

Ah well at least now I know that I'm not crazy in thinking Rivera really isn't as evil as that board thinks he is.

 

Later

Steve