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http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/19918446/2012/10/25/mark-grace-indicted-on-dui-charges?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Grace was one of my all time favorite players, but he clearly has some serious problems. I know a lot of people don't like him, but I enjoyed listening to him on the Arizona broadcasts. He is very lucky he hasn't hurt anyone and I hope he can turn his life around.

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Retired User Name: Jody, Jody Davis (2005-2012)

Yeesh, what an idiot. I like Grace too, but he probably deserves everything that's happening to him.

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ssr....

The fact that this is the first thing I thought of is evidence that I am on to too much.

Remember: While he was teaching a generation of young Cubs players the fine art of alcoholism, it was Sosa's salsa music that was the real clubhouse cancer.

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Team Theo.

.095? So then... in other words... he wasn't even drunk.

Seriously??? Man... I blew a .3625 a couple years ago and the cops were wondering how I was able to stand... what made it worse was that I couldn't hear anything (I lost my hearing that summer) so they went hardcore on me (because I really couldn't hear anything and they forgot to write it on the report even though I told them like 197238432 times) so I was able to drop all charges on me.

Isn't .08 the legal limit in all states? Or is this one of those "the limit is too low/that's not drunk, it's buzzed/I'm not drunk at .08/my tolerance is so high that blah blah blah/etc." arguments where people rationalize their drinking and driving? The world is full of billy badasses who think the legal limit doesn't apply to them, but they set these limits where they are for a reason, and it's really not realistic to expect these things to be assessed subjectively on a person to person basis.

Point is, it's unwise to get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you've had more than a drink or two, regardless of how well you might think you hold your liquor. You're an idiot if you do so and have previous DUIs, and an abject moron if you do so without having your court ordered interlock in the vehicle on top of that. No one should feel the least bit sorry for Mark Grace, or question whether he deserves the trouble he's in.



Not to sound like a dick, but...

If I had been behind the wheel of a car after drinking that much (and I don't care how high a person's "tolerance" is or how turbocharged their metabolism is, that is [expletive] drunk), I'm not sure I'd admit it publicly. In fact, I hope you don't drink that much regularly, you'll kill yourself. That's well into the "possible alcohol poisoning" range, and right on the cusp of possible death.

And FTR, the U.S. standard legal limit of .08 is among the highest in the world, higher than countries like Ireland, Scotland, Germany and Australia. Most set the limit at .05 or below; some have zero tolerance at all.

I'm hoping they were giving him a test for drunk in public or something. I sure wouldn't advertise that I was driving around while blind drunk.

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Oh I wasn't anywhere near a car that day. I didn't mean it like I was driving. That was my only "drunk" story I had. It was a Purdue homecoming football game (7 years ago when I was in college), partied hardcore that weekend, and just turned 21. I puked in a yard while walking and the cops saw me. Definately got a taste of alcohol poisoning and learned my lesson that weekend. Since then, I hardly drink (MAYBE once a month). Most of the time it's 2 or 3 beers and I'll get a cab to go home. Heck, I usually tell my friends or family that if they need a DD to let me know as I don't mind being the DD. There's no reason to drink and drive IMO. It's just not worth it.

I only know like 2 people who gotten a DUI and I think they blew a .10 and .13 IIRC.

Anyway... back to Grace. How is it possible for him to not have interlock in the vehicle when it was court ordered? Don't they usually check to make sure it was done? I don't understand it how a guy like Grace (or any athletes who gotten a DUI/etc...) who got more than enough money to just take a cab.

No, they don't. The courts and police have better things to do than to follow people around to make sure they have interlocks on their cars. Most of the things that the court orders you to do in a sentencing order, that don't involve jailtime or a probation officer to report to, are only complied with out of fear of getting arrested again and them finding out you didn't do those things.

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I apologize for the presumption.

As for Grace, OMC is right, they don't usually check. I had an acquaintance who was ordered to have an interlock installed but didn't, and ended up in much the same situation Grace is. The reason a lot of people (particularly men, imo) won't just call a cab or something is simple pride/machismo. They don't want to recognize/admit that they are impaired, like it's a mark of manliness to be able to drink a bunch and still be "all right to drive". My best friend used to be like this; he had money and often times a sober friend around offering to drive him home, but you'd practically have to pry the keys out of his hand because he insisted he was fine to drive even when he was visibly drunk.

Of course part of it is simply impaired judgement, but I've seen stuff like with my friend go down innumerable times (especially when I was tending bar).

When Grace was a player I thought he was great, although his lack of power at a power position was a problem. I saw interviews when he talked about getting to play in a baseball cathedral and thought he was pretty cool. Remember seeing an interview with him while he was with Arizona where he talked about always turning the D'backs tv to Cubs games his first year, still liked him.

All the goodwill is gone. One DUI/DWI is bad, but it can be explained away as a stupid mistake and forgiven with a "...but for the grace of God go I..." mentality. Four is another story. He is either incapable of controlling himself or too egotistical to worry about the people whose lives he is playing with every time he gets behind the wheel. Lock him up. Hiring him to be a "face" of the franchise as a color commentator would be a public relations blunder of epic proportions.

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A prodigal returns. 2003 started a long decline that drove me away. Theo brought me back.

Just to clarify, he hasn't actually had 4 DUI's. He is being charged with 4 counts stemming from one occurrence. This is his 2nd DUI, but who knows how many other times he has either not been caught or been let off the hook.

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Retired User Name: Jody, Jody Davis (2005-2012)

From a purely legal point of view two is much different than four. But in my opinion I don't see much of a difference. Like I said one is understandable, but if you don't learn your lesson on one I have no sympathy on subsequent offenses.

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A prodigal returns. 2003 started a long decline that drove me away. Theo brought me back.

Agreed.

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Retired User Name: Jody, Jody Davis (2005-2012)

Why is it that so many Cub fans don't like the guy again? I'm ignorant about the falling out he had with Chicago.

He was always one of my favorite players when he was a Cub.

it's nothing about him as a player or when he was with the cubs. it's the fact that he has revealed himself to be a meathead/dirtball since then.

When the D-Backs won the world series in 2001 didn't he also make a snarky comment at the Cubs for not keeping him around?

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"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game."
- Jacques Barzun

He said something like "not good enough to play first base for the Chicago Cubs, but good enough to play first base for the world champions."

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Like 30 seconds after the last out.

He's also a deplorable human being and a media suck up politician [expletive]

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