As if losing the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona for the foreseeable future wasn’t bad enough, it looks like the Tribe will be without him for quite some time even once he’s back in the United States.
Marlins pitcher Juan Carlos Oviedo, formerly known as Leo Nunez, was also caught playing under a fake identity this offseason. And now that Oviedo is back in the States, Major League Baseball is reportedly suspending him for six weeks.
One can only assume a similar punishment will be handed down to the pitcher now known as Robert Hernandez once he’s back with the Tribe.
I find this suspension very odd. Countless players have lied about their age over the years – Miguel Tejada, Orlando Hernandez and former Indian Enrique Wilson, just to name a few. So what makes this situation different?
The obvious difference is that lying about your age to scouts and fabricating a birth certificate are very different in the eyes of the government. But since when does MLB suspended every player who breaks the law?
How many players have been arrested for DUIs this offseason? And how many of them have been suspended?
It certainly seems as though Major League officials have their priorities in the wrong place.
Great, just what we need-mlb going all Roger Goodell on us.
Falsifying ones identity is about offensive in the eyes of the law as getting a DUI. I believe they are both minor felonies or high misdemeanors. However, if MLB believe that the “crime” for which Roberto and Juan Carlos were caught is wide-spread enough, they are hoping to send a message that this behavior is not tolerated. But to your point, if this is gonna be enforced, then so should DUIs.