Shin-Soo Choo of the Cleveland Indians became the sixth Major League Baseball player to be arrested for drunk driving in 2011 on Monday, and thankfully I can report that he didn’t resist arrest and stab or be stabbed by his wife. The Korean born Indian managed to fulfill two cultural stereotypes by driving badly and being drunk at the same time.
The ball club is taking the “this is America” approach to the news.
“I talked to him. He’s human, just like every one of us,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He made a mistake. We all make mistakes. The main thing is he’s learning from it. He’s very remorseful. He’s a guy I’m not going to look at any differently because of that. He’s a great kid, very high character and we’re moving on.”
Choo was actually pulled over twice — the first time he was sent on his way after explaining he was lost and needed directions. He was pulled over a second time when he twice crossed the double-yellow lines and drifted into a bike path, so thank goodness nobody in Cleveland rides a bike. He was unable to complete a field sobriety test, causing passersby to assume he was hopped up on goofballs. A breathalyzer showed he had a blood-alcohol level of .201, which is more than double Ohio’s legal limit of .08, but slightly lower than the average Ohio driver.
Meanwhile, Milton Bradley got thrown out at first and ended up fined and suspended. So, I mean.
