Sad Days

Bad news has come in a flood the past couple of days. First off, another player has been cuaght with his hand in the cookie jar, this time Rockies relief pitcher Dan Serafini. A former #1 pick for the Twins, Dan is a now a fringe player at best who had the bizarre record of one third of an inning pitched in three appearances for a 54.00 ERA last year. Wax Heaven is doing a really good job of calling out the major players in the steroid scandal, but Dan shows a different face on the issue. While the big names are getting the press, there are lots more cases like Dan, minor leaguers and former major league players who are looking for that slight edge to get them into the Show or a little boost in healing power to get them back on the field before their opportunity runs out. With the Mitchell Report still looming, this could be a really bleak offseason for a lot of players.

Indians prospect Juan Lara was involved in a terrible auto accident in the Dominican Republic when a motorcycle slammed into his SUV. Lara and his girlfriend were both injured in the accident and the people on the motorcycle were killed. Juan's condition is apparently improving, but he may still have brain damage and paralysis. This was a really weird random accident, and has got to hurt an Indians family that has had similar tragedies before. I'll be pulling for Juan to make a full recovery.

The saddest news comes from Miami when Redskins All-Pro Safety Sean Taylor was shot and killed by an intruder in his home. This story kind of blew my mind, I was pretty shocked when I first heard that he was shot, but I was completely unprepared to learn he had died from his injuries. Much like when I first heard about Derrick Thomas or Dale Earnhardt, it was just too strange for my mind to believe. Sean Taylor can't be dead... he's going to play in the league for years as one of the most fearsome defenders in the game. I'm still trying to comprehend it and reading completely inappropriate articles like the one Peter King posted yesterday that I refuse to acknowledge with a link aren't helping. I'm not a Redskins fan at all, but I loved Taylor's hard-hitting game. In the 2004 draft I really really wanted the Falcons to take Taylor, but there was no chance he would fall to their pick at number 8. Sean leaves behind a wife and 18 month old daughter. My heart goes out to his family, friends and teammates.