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View Full Version : Scott Spiezio making a comeback!!!



suave1477
05-09-2008, 04:41 PM
Spiezio's legal issues finally resolved
Assault, battery charges from December incident dropped
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
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ATLANTA -- When the Braves signed Scott Spiezio to a Minor League contract last week, they knew his alcohol-related legal issues would soon be resolved.

That resolution occurred on Monday, when Spiezio pled guilty to driving under the influence and hit-and-run charges that stemmed from a December automobile accident in Orange County, California.
With the plea agreement, Spiezio will be able to continue playing baseball without any interruption. The 35-year-old utility player was sentenced to three year's probation and ordered to undergo a three-month alcohol awareness program. In addition, he's required to attend Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and complete 80 hours of community service.
"When we met with him a week ago, that's what we expected to have happen with this case," Wren said. "So there were no surprises."
One of the biggest surprises over the past week relating to Spiezio was the fact that the Braves were willing to take a chance on him. He left the Cardinals last August after he voluntarily sought treatment to combat substance abuse issues.
On Feb. 27, when the Cardinals learned of the extent of events surrounding his Dec. 30 car crash, they released him. They'll still pay him the entirety of a $2.4 million salary this year and exercise his $100,000 option for 2009.
Wren and Braves manager Bobby Cox met with Spiezio last Monday and gained the sense that he was ready to turn his life around. Thus they agreed to sign him with the hope that he might be able to strengthen their bench at some point this season.
"We knew the facts going in," Wren said. "The most important thing for us going in was to get a sense of his mindset, to see if he was contrite and see if he was a different person than he'd been the year before." Entering Monday, Spiezio had played just two games for Triple-A Richmond. Because he didn't play at all in March, the Braves will likely give him time to get sufficient at-bats before promoting him to Atlanta. He has hit .255 with 119 homers during his 12-season big league career

Dewey2007
05-09-2008, 05:18 PM
"We knew the facts going in," Wren said. "The most important thing for us going in was to get a sense of his mindset, to see if he was contrite and see if he was a different person than he'd been the year before."

Hopefully Speizio is ready to turn his life around. Seems like a good guy. It's funny how these guys can claim to get a sense of his mindset and that he's ready to be a different person. Speizio's got alcohol problems and until he's seriously ready to do what he has to do to take care of himself he can tell these guys anything they want to hear about how he's ready to change and how things will be different. Hopefully he's going through his alcohol program while playing too or he might be setting himself up for failure. Not much risk on the Braves part though since the Cards are footing his salary. I wish him luck.