Matt Harvey Testifies

Matt "The Dark Knight" Harvey had a conflicted time of it while a Mets star pitcher. He began as a star ace, becoming a celebrity and party boy type. Then, he got hurt, and things got to be a struggle. At first, he had a celebratory routine, ending with a dubious stretching him for one more inning in the World Series. And, then, he got hurt again.

This became the start of a still continuing attempt to salvage his baseball career. The Angels (then led by the GM of the Mets now) signed him on for some stupid one year deal (11M?), but they have Disney money. He didn't do that well. While there, he was mixed up with Tyler Skaggs, whose death from overdose has led to a criminal trial for a former communications director there. Who sounds like he has his own drug issues. 

(I like how the article notes he is "technically" a free agent.) 

Harvey, given immunity, testified. Came out as a drug user, both cocaine and otherwise. Not really a shocker. Apparently, he is doing better these days. The Mets, upset about his party ways and refusal to be a good boy (once he struggled, this was less charming to the fans too), say they tried to help. Some (including Kevin Plawecki, former Mets catcher) think he is being given a bad wrap in the media these days.

I have not kept up with the weeds.  I doubt Harvey was particularly special here.  He is basically a warning sign about the perils of young stardom and how injury can end promising careers.  I think the Orioles, getting him for some much more reasonable amount, got something out of him. The overall record looks bad, but if you look at individual outings, Harvey had some.  After all, it's the Orioles.  Getting anything was something there. 

I noted recently that I support keeping steroids out of baseball and steroid users from the Hall of Fame.  The criminal trial of Barry Bonds and others tend to be a much more tricky deal, whatever the details. Deal with drugs in sports, including addiction and use/abuse for performance reasons can be an important matter without criminal prosecuted being warranted. 

I do not know if the guy here is such a special source of the drugs (which seem to be a more dangerous form of opioids than expected, underlining the importance of following carefully regulated drug rules) that he warrants such special criminal attention.  I will leave that important detail to others.  

I wish Harvey well.  Hopefully, Thor, who the Angels signed for another costly short term contract, also off an injury, has a lot less trouble in the next few years. 

ETA: "A federal jury found former Los Angeles Angels communications director Eric Kay guilty on two felony counts Thursday, agreeing with the government that he distributed the deadly drug fentanyl and caused the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

Kay, who won't be sentenced until June 28, faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.

The jury took less than two hours to deliberate after the eight-day trial, which saw eight major league players take the witness stand, five of whom admitted to their own drug use." 

I have not kept up with this case, so do not know how "slam dunk" the whole thing was (one person I respect on Twitter who is in media and paid some attention suggested the prosecution was questionable).  

I am surprised the jury came back so fast, especially given the seriousness of the offense. A person died, but twenty years for not even intentionally killing the person is extreme.  

In a reasonable 8A world, a form of "cruel and unusual" punishment, either as determined by judges or the legislature.  At the very least, a mandatory twenty year minimum.  Many intentional murders get a fraction of that.  

The defense's argument that the person dead factored into the situation is credible though it also is reasonable for the government to be concerned about the open-ended possibility of drugs causing the death of any number of ball players. Plus, the "national past time" very well is a special concern of the federal government.  

Anyway, the extreme nature of drug related prosecutions is well known by now, and not just "stars" dying bring people into its web.  Putting this guy in prison for twenty years is a rather suspect way of addressing the wider issue. A civil suit is also in the works and in a way that might be more likely to have some effect though the Angels again are made of money.