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February 13, 2004
Strike three
The following was extrapolated from an Internet Major League Baseball library: Aug. 25, 1980: At Toronto's Exhibition Stadium, Texas Rangers pitcher Ferguson Jenkins is arrested for possession of illegal drugs after customs officials discover an estimated $500 worth of cocaine, marijuana, and hashish in his suitcase. The arrest stuns the entire country, where Jenkins, a Canadian citizen, is considered a national hero. Sept. 8, 1980: Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Ferguson Jenkins indefinitely as a result of his drug arrest in Toronto. On September 22 arbitrator Raymond Goetz will overturn the suspension, the first time ever an arbitrator overrules a commissioner's decision. Dec. 18, 1980: Ferguson Jenkins is convicted on cocaine possession charges in a Canadian court, but has the verdict immediately erased by Judge Gerald Young because of his years of "exemplary" conduct. Yes, drugs were found in an equipment bag (suitcases don't go to the stadium) belonging to Fergie Jenkins after an international flight to play a game against a MLB team in Canada. No, he did not put them there. He figures a member of the team or an employee of the team used his bag to transport the items. Irony was that as a Canadian who traveled across international borders more than anyone ever in baseball, Fergie would have been stupid to try to smuggle drugs himself. Yes, by law the court had to convict. Yes, MLB had to react. However, because his lifestyle never reflected drug using behavior preceding the incident a Canadian judge then threw out the conviction and a baseball arbitrator overturned Bowie Kuhn's reaction to the conviction. By the way, this was the first time an arbitrator had ever overturned a commissioner's ruling so you can be darn sure it was looked at from every angle. By the way, the reason he is in the Hall of Fame is his behavior after the incident continued to reflect that he was not a drug abuser. Wish you did better research. Wish you knew Fergie. Ask someone in baseball about his tireless contribution to baseball related charities. Thanks, DARL DEVAULT FERGIE JENKINS' PUBLICIST |
