Grace indicted on 4 felony counts of DUI

[gracecollector]

Just passing along some facts on this, as there are some responses that have inaccuracies. For the record, I think Grace made some bad decisions, should do some jail time if convicted, deserved to be let go by the Diamondbacks, and needs to get counseling help for his drinking.

Grace was indicted on four counts. That means there was probable cause and he must now appear in court. He hasn't been found guilty.

This is his 2nd DUI, not 3rd or 4th. Both times he was slightly over legal limit. On his second arrest, he was driving with a suspended license and without the court-ordered interlock device - these two charges are both felonies in AZ. Each felony has a 1-3 year penalty, but penalties would run concurrently. If Grace pleads not guilty and is then found guilty on any of the charges, he will be sentanced to a minimum of 1 year in prison. If he pleads guilty and plea bargains, the jail time could be lessened.

No excuse for drunk driving. He deserves the penalty he receives. Thankfully he didn't hurt anyone. He's a very decent man if you ever get to meet him in person. Very polite to everyone, well mannered and respectful. He should have known better. I was very surprised it happened twice. I hope he gets the necessary help, sees the errors of his ways, and gets a second shot. It's time to man up. Everyone falls, it's how you get back up that determines your character.

I'm pretty amazed at the number of people that have written my website to offer their encouragement. I felt obligated to create a page for their letters:

 

[Austin]

I was very surprised it happened twice. I hope he gets the necessary help, sees the errors of his ways, and gets a second shot.

Oh come on, man. I know Grace is your man and own a Grace website, but this didn't "happen twice."
He got caught twice. He's most likely driven drunk hundreds of times, each time putting lives at risk.
I know you wrote he deserves whatever punishment he gets, but his behavior is beyond getting "a second shot" as you put it.
And this may be a low blow, but I don't care: You own websites of a multiple drunk driver and Cap Anson, one of baseball history's most documented racists. Bravo.

 

[HPC]

Can we please quit referring to driving while intoxicated as a mistake??

Driving while intoxicated is a BAD DECISION. There's a big difference.

People who continuously make the bad decision to drive while intoxicated (or any other crime for that matter) should be incarcerated. DUI punishments in this country are far too lenient. Multiple DUI offenders need to lose their driving privileges permanantly and should be subjected to at least MONTHS in jail and/or home confinement.

I've been saying the same thing about DUI laws.

I live in Arizona, where it was (at last check) in the top 3 strictest in the country for them. But, still, I dont feel it is enough. I also work in the court system and deal with DUI's and repeat offenders everyday.

While the penalties now do affect most people monetarily, I don't feel it's enough to deter them from doing it again.

Typical first offense, regular DUI, in Arizona entails:

-10 days jail with 9 suspended upon completion of court requirements
-$1500 in fines (can be more, but not less)
-court ordered counseling (which also costs money)
-License suspension of either 30 or 90 days
-interlock on your car for a year, plus $90 a month maintenance fees. Don't have a car anymore after the DUI? Tough, because until you put the interlock on a car for 1 year, you wont get your license back

...there are a couple more requirements but these are the major ones. If you hire an attorney, you are looking at anywhere from $3000-6000 for a first DUI.

Yet, this still is not enough to stop people from doing it again. More action needs to be taken. Nobody wants to get woken up at 3:00am being notified their family was killed by a drunk *******...especially one like Grace, who is rich and can afford a chauffeur to drive him to and from the bar any time he wants.

 

[TopOffLikeWALLACE]

Drinking and driving should only be illegal if it results in an accident.

 

[gracecollector]

And this may be a low blow, but I don't care: You own websites of a multiple drunk driver and Cap Anson, one of baseball history's most documented racists. Bravo.

Don't forget Hack Wilson - he was a drunk, too (and adulterer and deadbeat dad).

I don't gloss over any of these guys' personal demons. Read what I wrote in Chapter 4: Cap's Great Shame - Racial Intolerance. Then maybe you'll understand why I have the website. I present the facts so that they are not forgotten, and can be learned from. There are college professors that have asked me for permission to reprint this section so their students have a better understanding. It's easy to feel morally superior to Anson today, but times have changed. Anson was a product of his times, when at least 80% of whites felt superior to blacks. Team owner's drew the color line, not Anson. Anson never owned a team, and couldn't set policy - even if it was unwritten. Anson's a convenient scapegoat, who deserves some of the blame, but a small percent overall. Anson's racism mellowed with time too, he played in games with blacks later in life with his semi-pro team, and became friends with Rube Foster.

 

[WaxPax]

...and robbing a bank is only a crime if you get caught, right?

Drinking and driving should only be illegal if it results in an accident.

 

[Gwynn545]

Drinking and driving should only be illegal if it results in an accident.

...and robbing a bank is only a crime if you get caught, right?

And Rape is the work of God's plan...

 

[1st4040]

Brad,

no need to defend the player you collect.. look who I collect and I have no reason to defend anything he's done off the field. I collect because what he did on the field was what got me to watch baseball in the first place. He can be a total idiot off the field and I don't care because I don't idolize him.

 

[sportscardtheory]

Grace generally seems like a good guy. I hope he gets this disease under control before he hurts or kills someone. He already lost his job and his public perception is tainted. With the money he will have to spend in the courts and counseling he will have to take, all that should be enough punishment this time around. Hopefully he turns everything around.

 

[matfanofold]

Just passing along some facts on this, as there are some responses that have inaccuracies. For the record, I think Grace made some bad decisions, should do some jail time if convicted, deserved to be let go by the Diamondbacks, and needs to get counseling help for his drinking.

Grace was indicted on four counts. That means there was probable cause and he must now appear in court. He hasn't been found guilty.

This is his 2nd DUI, not 3rd or 4th. Both times he was slightly over legal limit. On his second arrest, he was driving with a suspended license and without the court-ordered interlock device - these two charges are both felonies in AZ. Each felony has a 1-3 year penalty, but penalties would run concurrently. If Grace pleads not guilty and is then found guilty on any of the charges, he will be sentanced to a minimum of 1 year in prison. If he pleads guilty and plea bargains, the jail time could be lessened.

No excuse for drunk driving. He deserves the penalty he receives. Thankfully he didn't hurt anyone. He's a very decent man if you ever get to meet him in person. Very polite to everyone, well mannered and respectful. He should have known better. I was very surprised it happened twice. I hope he gets the necessary help, sees the errors of his ways, and gets a second shot. It's time to man up. Everyone falls, it's how you get back up that determines your character.

I'm pretty amazed at the number of people that have written my website to offer their encouragement. I felt obligated to create a page for their letters:

Just to play devils advocate....

You say he is a decent man, but is not ones merit of charecter based on his actions? I would hardly call a repeat offender who by willingly puts lives in jeopardy for selfish reasons a decent man. Will he smile and be polite in person? Sure, many less than desirable charecters had a persona of kindness on the surface. Also, you ask he be afforded a second chance, but is not this most recent alligation his second offense? Would that not require a third chance then as his second chance was used up after the first DUI conviction...

 

[Lancemountain]

Hey gracecollector, man your website is really good.

Hope Grace chills for a bit and makes better choices. Drinking alcohol and driving is inexcusable

 

[Therion]

Just to play devils advocate....

You say he is a decent man, but is not ones merit of charecter based on his actions? I would hardly call a repeat offender who by willingly puts lives in jeopardy for selfish reasons a decent man. Will he smile and be polite in person? Sure, many less than desirable charecters had a persona of kindness on the surface. Also, you ask he be afforded a second chance, but is not this most recent alligation his second offense? Would that not require a third chance then as his second chance was used up after the first DUI conviction...

I'm going to start by saying that I have no real opinion about Grace. I have never met him and I am only familiar with his baseball career.

As men, we all make terrible mistakes. These mistakes do define us but they are not the total representation of our moral worth. Grace has made a terrible series of bad decisions. They have, thankfully, resulted in little harm. Hopefully he points his moral compass in the right direction before he makes a decision that is a permanent moral indicator.

 

[rehmus]

Just to play devils advocate....

You say he is a decent man, but is not ones merit of charecter based on his actions? I would hardly call a repeat offender who by willingly puts lives in jeopardy for selfish reasons a decent man. Will he smile and be polite in person? Sure, many less than desirable charecters had a persona of kindness on the surface. Also, you ask he be afforded a second chance, but is not this most recent alligation his second offense? Would that not require a third chance then as his second chance was used up after the first DUI conviction...

I don't think anyone to ever live is absolutely good or absolutely evil. There are decent (guilty) men in prison and there are total ********* walking the street. I'm not a Joe Paterno defender but as an analogy to Grace (or at least GC's argument) he works well: years and years of decency (supreme goodness in Paterno's case) and a few incidents of total crap. Deep down this is what drives the Penn State fans ballistic over Paterno's public drubbing... all in all he was a better-than-great guy with a total body of work which was really impressive. I don't know enough about Grace to say the same about him, but as a non-fan of either guy I can tell you I know much more about their bad qualities because SportsCenter isn't running stories about their better deeds. When GC says Grace is 'decent' I would speculate it's because he cares enough to know about the good things Grace has done and how dramatically they outnumber the bad.

By extension this is why it's so frustrating to be called a 'homer' in discussing sports. It's not that homers are always blinded by their love, it's often that they care enough about the team/player/whatever to see the full picture of that entity. Some homers are, of course, blinded by their love, but still.

 

[James52411]

Some people need a "reality check" before they will change bad behavior. Hopefully Mark will learn that if he is going to have a few drinks, he needs a DD or a cab.

 

[Wes]

Drinking and driving should only be illegal if it results in an accident.

-_______-

 

[markakis8]

While I think drunk driving terrible, and Grace can't spend enough time in jail, I'll stop short of calling him names or thinking he's evil. I think he has made a mistake and should suffer serious reprecussions for his recidivism, but I won't change my personal view of him. I just want him taught a lesson. No drunk driver ever means to kill someone; but they do and should be punished, but I tend to believe their sorrow. But I also don't care about their sorrow, I care that they spend hard time.

Am I making sense, or is that too muddled?

Chug another!! :lol: J/k bud. I feel ya.

 

[sportscardtheory]

Just to play devils advocate....

You say he is a decent man, but is not ones merit of charecter based on his actions? I would hardly call a repeat offender who by willingly puts lives in jeopardy for selfish reasons a decent man. Will he smile and be polite in person? Sure, many less than desirable charecters had a persona of kindness on the surface. Also, you ask he be afforded a second chance, but is not this most recent alligation his second offense? Would that not require a third chance then as his second chance was used up after the first DUI conviction...

No decent human being has ever driven drunk? Give me a break. Alcoholism is a disease and inhibits people's ability to make the right decisions. That doesn't make anyone who makes the wrong decision to drive drunk an indecent person. It merely exposes the fact that they have a problem/disease.

 

[PadresFan86]

Grace just needs a slump buster.

On the definition of a "slumpbuster", after being pressed by host Jim Rome in a now-infamous 2003 interview on the television show "Rome is Burning" to clarify the baseball slang term (this is the "official" word-for-word transcript from the interview)... "A slumpbuster is if a team's in a slump, or if you personally are in a slump, you gotta find the fatest, gnarliest, grossest chick and you just gotta lay the wood to her. And when you do that, you're just gonna have instant success. And it could also be called jumping on a grenade for the team."

Sent from my HUAWEI-M920 using Sports Cards by Freedom Card Board.com

 

[gracecollector]

I don't think anyone to ever live is absolutely good or absolutely evil. There are decent (guilty) men in prison and there are total ********* walking the street. I'm not a Joe Paterno defender but as an analogy to Grace (or at least GC's argument) he works well: years and years of decency (supreme goodness in Paterno's case) and a few incidents of total crap. Deep down this is what drives the Penn State fans ballistic over Paterno's public drubbing... all in all he was a better-than-great guy with a total body of work which was really impressive. I don't know enough about Grace to say the same about him, but as a non-fan of either guy I can tell you I know much more about their bad qualities because SportsCenter isn't running stories about their better deeds. When GC says Grace is 'decent' I would speculate it's because he cares enough to know about the good things Grace has done and how dramatically they outnumber the bad.

By extension this is why it's so frustrating to be called a 'homer' in discussing sports. It's not that homers are always blinded by their love, it's often that they care enough about the team/player/whatever to see the full picture of that entity. Some homers are, of course, blinded by their love, but still.

Yes. Grace still does many charitable events a year, helping Leukemia patients and Boys and Girls Clubs and others. He has a strong history of giving his time and money to worthwhile causes.

His drinking has become a problem. But for someone who has followed his career for 23 years, it doesn't define his whole character. For those of you who want two bad days in his life define his image in your eyes, so be it. But I think you're being shortsighted.

I hope he gets help and returns to being the person I respected. I hope he does it for his two boys most of all.

 

[matfanofold]

No decent human being has ever driven drunk? Give me a break. Alcoholism is a disease and inhibits people's ability to make the right decisions. That doesn't make anyone who makes the wrong decision to drive drunk an indecent person. It merely exposes the fact that they have a problem/disease.

Slow down hot wheels!

I gave an opinion that a person who willingly chooses to drink and drive, repeatedly, should not be classified a decent person. You can see it however you wish, this is my opinion. You assume he has a disease and that somehow makes everything ok? Crack heads have a disease too but I'm not going to give repeated 'passes' to them because it makes them go and rob people for money to fund their addiction. Give you a break? Give Grace a Break? He is a selfish tool that denies responsibility and continually puts lives in danger for his guilty pleasure. Not once but twice now. And let us not pretend this is the only 2 times he has ever got behind the wheel under the influience, and just had the 'bad luck' to be cought both times. This 'decent person' has probablly put the lives of others in jeopardy dozens, if not hundreds of times without guilt or reservation. Yeah, real decent person...