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About Jon
Thank You For Not ...

1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence

Shooting Victim Had Planned Dodger Tryout
2006-12-17 18:41
by Jon Weisman

Multiple reports indicate that Sean Bell, who was killed by police the morning of his wedding day last month, was training for an open tryout with the Dodgers in Vero Beach next season.

After playing in high school and at Nassau Community College, Bell's career stalled in 2003. He became a father, had some run-ins with the law. But he was attempting a baseball comeback at age 23 before he died, and though the odds were just about insurmountably against him, apparently he did have an invitation from the Dodgers in hand to at least come show his stuff.

This is a footnote to a much larger story, of course - I just hadn't known about the Dodger connection until tonight.

New York Sun

Mike Lupica, New York Daily News

2006-12-17 22:27:05
1.   Chyll Will
Seriously, and I mean this with all due respect, had I known it would take this long for you to hear about it, I would have notified you earlier myself. This was a very tragic incident indeed, and the NY Daily News wrote a long article about the Dodgers connection only a few days after the fact. I am glad that this is getting national attention, as it speaks about an issue I relate directly to. That said, from now on if I hear anything that brings such disparate elements together that somehow relates to anything directly on Toaster, I'll let you all know.
2006-12-18 02:16:22
2.   Doug N
"it speaks about an issue I relate directly to"

which is?

2006-12-18 14:57:41
3.   Xeifrank
Was he being pursued by the Dodgers, or was he pursuing the Dodgers? I mean, to have a tryout with a big league club doesn't mean a whole lot. Heck, I had two of them and I had a snowballs chance in Palmdale of getting signed. vr, Xei
2006-12-18 15:00:18
4.   Jon Weisman
It doesn't have to have meant anything. But I will say that I have a snowball's chance of ever getting a tryout with the Dodgers, so I think getting one is pretty cool.
2006-12-18 15:52:41
5.   Xeifrank
4. True, but some tryouts are by invitation only and some are open to all within parameters. I am just wondering which category he fell under. It's not important, but I'm just curious, for kicks and giggles. vr, Xei
2006-12-18 21:11:32
6.   Charenton
Mr Xei:

I wasn't under the impression that this was something to kick and giggle about ?

The fact that Sean Bell did have the tryout on his agenda does underline the tragedy of the situation, but obviously (but it still evidently needs to be said) it doesn't make his death any MORE tragic and it doesn't make the trigger happy police (even Republican NYC Mayor Bloomberg referred to the situation as a…uhh… "excessive use of force"…) any more guilty than they already are…

To see how the police bullets just flied around the entire neighborhood, see the film from surveillance cameras at

2006-12-19 21:40:23
7.   Charenton
Most of the time, I enjoy reading this blog.
from far away i feel back in the "crux of the matter"(to use last week's cliché)as far as Baseball is concerned. But the sad discussion (quantitatively and qualitatively) of this topic just to serves to remind me why I'm glad left the USA
(but that doesn't keep me from missing baseball…and Mexican food…)

I mean, over 100 posts about ketchup(!) and just 6 posts about the Sean Bell calamity which tragically is more intelligently and sympathetically discussed here in France than in the USA.

I definitely give credit to Jon for bringing up the subject.

2006-12-21 15:58:17
8.   Jon Weisman
Charenton, I'm not sure how much my guidelines allow for a discussion on a topic this serious. Not to say it couldn't be discussed, but it ventures into territory that a) could be political, which isn't allowed here, or b) could be so emotional that it would bring more angst than productive discussion. I'm not saying that would happen, but that might be the fear.

Ultimately, I understand your frustration (for lack of a better word). I'm just not sure anyone had anything insightful to add to such a tragedy. It's not that ketchup is more important than this, it's just that the pressure isn't as great to be meaningful.

There are certainly other places in the U.S. that are discussing this topic, passionately.
