Oregon state star and draft prospect a sex offender

[AZTwin]

http://deadspin.com/report-oregon-state-star-pitcher-charged-in-2011-for-m-1795936107?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

 

This is one of the most disturbing things I've ever read. If the Twins draft this guy, I'm no longer a fan

[Thrylos]

That's horrible.  I just don't see how anyone can draft this guy.

 

He was 43rd in BA, 76th in Klaw's (before he removed him today), and 108th in MLB.com charts

 

 

That said.  I am not sure what to think regarding Deadspin unsealing minor (age) offender records and making them public.  Bit conflicted here, but, gee, his offense with a 3 to 5 year old never the less is just hideous...

[snepp]

 

That said.  I am not sure what to think regarding Deadspin unsealing minor (age) offender records and making them public.

 

Deadspin didn't unseal anything, it was merely an article referencing a much larger piece from elsewhere (cited conveniently in the very first paragraph).

 

Per the original source article...

 

 

OSU's top pitcher was 15 years old when the crime occurred in his family's home in Puyallup, Washington, according to court documents obtained last week by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request. Juvenile court records in Washington, unlike in Oregon, are not automatically confidential.

 

 

[gunnarthor]

Man, that's horrible. 

[twinsnorth49]

I trust he won't be getting his start in the Super Regionals any longer.

[Otto von Ballpark]

To play devil's advocate: should this guy never be allowed to play anywhere again?  To go to school anywhere?  To pursue a career?  And if he's still not allowed now, 5 years after the incident, then when?

[bluechipper]

 

To play devil's advocate: should this guy never be allowed to play anywhere again?  To go to school anywhere?  To pursue a career?  And if he's still not allowed now, 5 years after the incident, then when?

He can try. Nobody's going to give him the chance to play baseball anymore though I wouldn't think.

[nicksaviking]

To play devil's advocate: should this guy never be allowed to play anywhere again?  To go to school anywhere?  To pursue a career?  And if he's still not allowed now, 5 years after the incident, then when?

I don't like to judge 15-year-olds; we all likely did regretful things. But boy, this is bad stuff, and it wasn't a one time incident.

 

He should have the right to pursue a career and schooling, but every employer or school should have the right NOT to be forced to suffer the consequences that would be placed on them by taking on this young man and his offensive crime.

[Otto von Ballpark]

It's a pretty specific crime, though, for which he's received counseling and of which his employers (now) and law enforcement are fully aware.  He's not working with children at Oregon State, nor would he be in professional baseball.

 

I'm glad I don't have to root for him on my team, but the only reason this will be an issue is if people protest the school or his eventual pro teams.  And I'm not really sure what basis people would have to protest them.  Caution, discomfort, sure. But protest? I don't know.  If the guy is not around kids and is keeping up with his legal responsibilities, I'm not sure it's productive to protest his school and career choices going forward.

[Vanimal46]

What family would let him in their house when he's pitching in minor league ball? 

 

People do very stupid things as teenagers, myself included. This is a different level of awful, and he admitted to doing it for a couple of years. 

 

I hope the Twins are one of the teams that took this person off their draft board entirely. 

[gunnarthor]

Klaw said someone will draft him on the third day and then depending on PR and how he answers the team's questions, they might keep him. I've also read that Callis thinks no one drafts him. So, I dunno. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

What family would let him in their house when he's pitching in minor league ball? 

If they have small children, probably none, but I don't think living with a host family is a requirement of the job.  Players also live in apartments, motels, etc.

[Ben Noble]

Man, this is disgusting. That being said, in the vast majority of cases like this, the perpetrator of child sexual abuse was also formerly a victim of child sexual abuse themselves. It's a horrible, horrible cycle.

 

I don't know the details of this specific case but, if Heimlich was in fact molested himself when he was younger, I question how much weight we should put on the (abhorrent) actions of a 14/15-year-old former victim of child sexual abuse that hadn't received proper therapy and treatment.

 

If he received counseling and therapy, and is continuing to receive treatment, I would at least keep an open mind on him as a person. Not so much as a Twins draft pick, though; that's a lot of baggage.

 

Again, I'm speculating A LOT here.

[spanman2]

Unbleeping believable but yet totally believable as these stories seem to pop up on a daily basis of young kids enduring this.  We all did dumb things as 15 year olds but this a different animal all together. 

[KirbyDome89]

 

I don't like to judge 15-year-olds; we all likely did regretful things. But boy, this is bad stuff, and it wasn't a one time incident.

He should have the right to pursue a career and schooling, but every employer or school should have the right NOT to be forced to suffer the consequences that would be placed on them by taking on this young man and his offensive crime.

I agree, he does have the right to pursue a career just as an employer has a right to choose not to hire him. I guess the question is what are the consequences and who is enforcing them? He completed his treatment program and served his 2 years of probation so from a legal standpoint I'm not seeing how any sanctions would be placed on a potential employer. 

[Thrylos]

 

 I'm not seeing how any sanctions would be placed on a potential employer. 

 

Sanctions?  Nah.  Negative press, boycott, and demonstrations outside the ballparks when he is pitching will be enough.

[KirbyDome89]

 

Negative press, boycott, and demonstrations outside the ballparks when he is pitching will be enough.

Unfortunate but true.

[twinsnorth49]

I wonder if the victim has been able to put their life together?

 

I care very little whether this guy gets to pursue his dream of playing baseball.

 

Stupid mistake? Tell that to her.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I wonder if the victim has been able to put their life together?

 

I care very little whether this guy gets to pursue his dream of playing baseball.

 

Stupid mistake? Tell that to her.

I think we all have plenty of compassion for the victim. I certainly would never describe it as a "stupid mistake." That compassion, though, is not mutually exclusive from wondering what good it does to restrict his education and employment opportunities today.

 

If there is any evidence that he or his family has shown a lack of compassion or responsibility toward the victim or her family since the incident, perhaps we could judge the penalty was too light and he shouldn't have this much freedom today, but I don't think any of us have that kind of information, right now.

 

I understand not rooting for the guy, but I think apathy might be the more appropriate reaction than wanting to see him kicked off his team or get effectively blacklisted from pro ball. (Barring further info, of course. Right now all we know is that it happened, he admitted it, and he has accepted and satisfied the terms of his legal punishment for ~5 years.)

[jimbo92107]

As a society we have to set limits on punishment for specific crimes, taking into consideration the damage done, the victims, the circumstances, etc. What this young man did at 15 was indeed horrible, and his victim may suffer permanent psychological harm. 

 

But if this young man has received psychological treatment, if he has been punished, if he has showed no signs of repeating the behavior, what then? Do we still condemn him for life? Is he for some reason barred from baseball, other sports? Can he be a fireman? A soldier? Some of our soldiers have done far worse than this, and returned home as heroes. 

 

I agree that drafting this guy would make me uncomfortable, but that's mainly because I don't know if the young man has learned to understand what he did, that it was wrong, that he can never do anything like that again. If he is an incorrigible child molester, then fine, ban him, shun him. But if he has learned to be horrified by his own behavior, if it was a temporary dark place he was in, then I cannot in good conscience condemn him forever. 

[AZTwin]

I can't believe people are actually sympathsizing with him. I'm sorry there are certain things you do and deserve the reprecussions. Murder is one. Tormenting a 4-6 year old and scarring her for life is another. Why does he deserve a chance at Professional baseball and be a role model for young kids? Sorry he just doesn't. He's done. If the twins draft him, I'm done. I could no longer justify being a fan.

[drivlikejehu]

Preventing someone from going to school or having a regular job is different from preventing him from playing professional baseball. I think in Heimlich's situation it seems preferable that he be a functioning member of society, albeit with registered sex offender status, since the legal system is otherwise done with him. 

 

But that doesn't mean that he belongs in professional sports. Clubs sign amateurs when they are young, heck the international players are often 16, barely older than Heimlich was when the molestation was ongoing. So whether or not Heimlich can ultimately go the rest of his life without further transgressions, professional baseball is not necessarily the right avenue.

[KirbyDome89]

 

I can't believe people are actually sympathsizing with him. I'm sorry there are certain things you do and deserve the reprecussions. Murder is one. Tormenting a 4-6 year old and scarring her for life is another. Why does he deserve a chance at Professional baseball and be a role model for young kids? Sorry he just doesn't. He's done. If the twins draft him, I'm done. I could no longer justify being a fan.

Stop conflating support for his right to work in baseball as sympathy. I haven't seen a single post express any amount of sorrow for him. He committed a terrible crime, he served his sentence in both therapy and on probation, and now he has the right to seek employment in an area that doesn't violate his terms as a registered sex offender. Baseball falls into that arena. Nobody agrees with his actions, and you don't have to want him on the team you root for, but the idea that he "doesn't deserve to play baseball," is exactly why social justice has the reputation that it does. 

[AZTwin]

Stop conflating support for his right to work in baseball as sympathy. I haven't seen a single post express any amount of sorrow for him. He committed a terrible crime, he served his sentence in both therapy and on probation, and now he has the right to seek employment in an area that doesn't violate his terms as a registered sex offender. Baseball falls into that arena. Nobody agrees with his actions, and you don't have to want him on the team you root for, but the idea that he "doesn't deserve to play baseball," is exactly why social justice has the reputation that it does.

Okay how is baseball the right fit? I'd love to hear this. Aren't most people that go to the ballpark families? Who tries to get signed balls? Who looks up to these players? I get that they're not all choir boys but this is a different story entirely

[KirbyDome89]

 

Okay how is baseball the right fit? I'd love to hear this. Aren't most people that go to the ballpark families? Who tries to get signed balls? Who looks up to these players? I get that they're not all choir boys but this is a different story entirely

WTH is a "right fit?" 

[Otto von Ballpark]

You said professional baseball fell into the arena of acceptable jobs for child prederators. Please explain how that's remotely possible.

How is it not possible? The job involves zero private interaction with minors. Practically zero interaction with minors, period, if he doesn't do autographs.

[Monkeypaws]

Nature vs. nurture is a common paradigm. In my experience, nurture can help, or hinder nature. Nurture doesn't corrupt, it merely hinders if it is bad.

 

This is nature all the way to me.

 

EZ pass.

[nicksaviking]

Well I guess this topic can't be discussed civilly. As so, I'm locking it.