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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > July > 23 > Entry
COLUMN: Ryne Sandberg makes his pitch at Castillo trial
>Throwing was not at top speed, says coach
This was not the first time he put on a show in Dayton.
“My daughter got married here four or five years ago,” Ryne Sandberg said. “Her husband’s from this area and we hosted her wedding at the Dayton Art Institute. It was a really nice affair.”
This one was not.
The Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer was in a Montgomery County Common Pleas courtroom Wednesday, July 22, to testify on behalf of Julio Castillo.
One of his former players, Castillo’s been indicted on two counts of felonious assault for throwing a baseball that hit a fan in the head during a brawl between the Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs at Fifth Third Field on July 24, 2008.
Sandberg was the manager of the Chiefs, but was not in Dayton the night of the melee. He had gone to Cooperstown, N.Y. for Hall of Fame activities.
Now the manager of AA Tennessee Smokies — like the Chiefs, a Cubs farm team — Sandberg came to Dayton to talk about Castillo’s “good” character.
During his appearance — in a demonstration more theater than compelling testimony — he was brought from the witness stand onto the courtroom floor by defense attorney Dennis Lieberman to show the differences between a pitcher throwing from the mound and the way an infielder might throw a ball.
With Judge Connie Price — who’ll render the verdict — watching from the bench, there was one surreal moment.
“Were you an infielder?” Lieberman asked.
“Yes, I played infield,” Sandberg, one of the greatest second basemen ever to play he game, said without clarification.
And with that he uncorked a couple of imaginary throws for Lieberman. After showing how an infielder might throw to first base — and stopping to make sure his pressed pink dress shirt was still tucked into his cream-colored slacks — the tanned and still very fit Sandberg, who’s now near 50, went through a wind-up and throw as though he were on the mound.
The Cubs feel Castillo has been over-charged in this case — if convicted he could get up to eight years in prison — and Michael Lufrano, their general counsel and a vice president in the organization, addressed that:
“Julio knows he made a mistake and would have willingly pled guilty to a misdemeanor, but he’s not a felon. I don’t know why the prosector’s office is spending the resources of the Montgomery County taxpayers and pressing this. I’ve heard rumors it’s because the AP and ESPN and the national media will pick up on it and get them publicity and, if that’s the case, it’s unfortunate.”
The prosecution bristles at that and says Castillo’s throw — which sent Chris McCarthy to the hospital with a concussion and a headache when he went home that night — could have been deadly. And it says Castillo made the throw in anger.
In a private interview after his testimony, Sandberg questioned that and offered some other opinions about Castillo:
“He was always a very respectful young man and I never had any problem with him. I don’t condone any kind of retaliatory behavior — that’s not how I played and not how I teach the game — and I don’t think that was what he doing here.
“He made a mistake — you don’t throw a baseball — but I think he was throwing the ball at the dugout, trying to send a warning to the Dragons players to stay back. I don’t think he tried to hit someone and it is unfortunate that it did.
“I’ve seen a lot of baseball brawls over the years involving all kinds of incidents. Guys swinging bats, throwing baseballs, spiking people, punching them. Baseball has always dealt with these things, first with the umpires and then with suspensions and fines.
“It seems to me Julio was singled out here. I think he has paid a price already, both in sitting out a year and not being under contract any more. He has paid (some of McCarthy’s settlement with the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds, the Dragons parent club) out of his own pocket. And he doesn’t make much. Now his career — his whole life — is on the line.”
Wednesday, the prosecution countered with its own Cubbie connection, Eduardo Priego, a former Montgomery County jail prisoner.
Born in Mexico and fluent in both Spanish and English, he grew up in Chicago and said he’s a life-long Cubs fan. He said he talked to Castillo in jail and the pitcher told him he threw the baseball at Dragons players because he was angry. He also claimed Castillo said he was a a big “partier” and had a “girl in every port,” points disputed by two of Castillo’s former Peoria teammates, both who testified Wednesday as well.
Under cross examination, Priego admitted he told no one of that conversation until several months later when he was in the Butler County jail facing deportation for moral turpitude.
Priego claims the prosecution did nothing to help him with his deportation problems. Last month — after 10 months locked up in Butler County on immigration problems — he was released from prison. He now lives in Marion and has a job at a local motel.
He said he still has the autograph he got from Castillo in jail and in the hallway after he left the courtroom, he said: “I’ll feel bad if what I said ends up really hurting him.”
That will depend on whose pitch — Sandberg’s, Priego’s or neither — impressed the judge Wednesday.
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By Jack
July 23, 2009 11:46 AM | Link to this
This is about the pitcher, not the victim. Why should it matter what money he made off of this. It has nothing to do with the actual crime. Julio hurled a ball at a great speed and nearly killed someone. And yes, the prosecutor is making a statement, commit a serious crime and you get jail time. Julio didnt slap someone, didnt punch someone, he threw a ball as hard as he could and was trying to hit someone.
By Chad
July 23, 2009 11:37 AM | Link to this
This is not a felon. He’s young. He made a mistake during a baseball brawl. He doesn’t need to go to jail. This is a waste of taxpayer money.
By Pete Rose
July 23, 2009 11:21 AM | Link to this
Put him in a cell with OJ.
By Gary
July 23, 2009 10:58 AM | Link to this
follow the law- You are correct that other factors are considered in a plea bargain. So how about the fact that baseball stepped in and suspended Castillo for a year? This incident has apparently ruined any chance he may have had at a baseball career. Also, Castillo’s lawyer said in the article “Julio knows he made a mistake and would have willingly pled guilty to a misdemeanor, but he’s not a felon”. So it appears that the Prosecutor refused to plea bargain and is trying to make some sort of statement with this case. Also, I am not blaming the victim but pointing out how in today’s lawsuit happy society, any injury you may suffer, serious or not, is like winning the lottery, especially with deep pocketed defendants like two MLB teams.
By Jack
July 23, 2009 10:57 AM | Link to this
AJ, we are dealing with intent. The pictcher intended to hit someone with the ball. Did he intend to hit a fan, no, but he intended to hit a Dragon (“transferred intent”). Similar to someone shooting a gun at someone, they miss, but hit the person behind their intended target. Should they get zero punishment because they were not trying to shoot the victim? No, does not make a lot of sense, does it. We are talking about a serious crime.
By follow the law
July 23, 2009 10:41 AM | Link to this
Gary- When doing plea agreements a number of considerations are made. Yes, one of considerations is if the person has a long string of prior convictions. However, that is not the only factor taken into consideration. Maybe an offer was made to a misdemeanor and he refused it…we don’t know. Taking a baseball to the head is serious. Isn’t it easy to sit at our computers and blame the victim and point to a settlement. All of these events where started when the player made the decision to throw the ball in anger with the intent to harm someone,
By Gary
July 23, 2009 10:32 AM | Link to this
You posters (like baseball and follow the law) who claim that somehow this pitcher is getting off easy are wrong. Unless Castillo has a string of previous crimes this case should have been plea bargained just like any other regular citizen’s first offense and never gone to trial. As for the “serious injury”, I’ll take a baseball to the head and a headache for the large chunk of change that I’m sure McCarthy got from the Cubs and Reds. McCarthy was probably laughing all the way to the hospital/bank.
By Lee
July 23, 2009 10:28 AM | Link to this
I do agree he wanted to hit someone, but im sure he wasnt trying to hit anyone in the stands. Which also shows he will never be ready for AAA or the Show, his control/Aim is awful. All those Dragon players in front of him and the ball goes into the stands.
By Scott
July 23, 2009 10:23 AM | Link to this
Not only should he receive the full sentence. What no one mentions is that Castillo, after being taken back to the dugout, came out of the dugout with a bat in hand wanting to confront someone.
By follow the law
July 23, 2009 10:17 AM | Link to this
This case is not about a bat or baseball slipping out of the hands of a player. This is a case where the person’s intent was to hit someone. Watch the video, this was not a mistake.
By aj
July 23, 2009 10:13 AM | Link to this
Every time some players’s bat slips out of his hands and winds up three rows deep in the stands, clubbing some poor schlub who is not paying attention, who usually gets blamed? Usually its the jackass thats on his cell phone and is eating a hoagie…and he winds up getting free tickets and autographed bats and the jazz… Clearly the kid wasn’t aiming for the fan. And clearly this fan should have been watching the field…especially during a fight…
By aaron
July 23, 2009 10:06 AM | Link to this
They always say to keep your head on a swivel when at baseball games. This guy should have done what any self-respecting baseball fan would do and duck. Now some kid’s whole career is on the line…
By follow the law
July 23, 2009 10:05 AM | Link to this
Misdemeanor instead of a felony? Do you know what the statutory difference is between a misdemeanor and felony? He caused serious physical harm = felony. Or is it because of who he is that it is a misdemenor? It is a slipperly slope to start determining who get a felony or a misdemenor based on who they are or what they do for a living.
By flipper
July 23, 2009 10:01 AM | Link to this
The sad epilogue will be that he “just made a mistake” and no punishment will be metted out. Which will not prevent him from doing it again. Fined or not, jailed or not, he shound be banished from baseball.
By dragonfan111
July 23, 2009 9:57 AM | Link to this
This is crap, should be a misdemeanor and thats all.
By soccertam
July 23, 2009 9:43 AM | Link to this
Fine him and move on-he’s guilty of a misdemeanor not a felony
By baseball
July 23, 2009 9:37 AM | Link to this
Yet another case of “just look the other way” when it involves a sports figure. I especially love the comment of the attorney stating that the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s office is looking for ESPN to pick up the case. I have yet to see a press conference given by the Prosecutor’s office since this trial has started. However, we are subjected to an article with many quotes and comments by people connected to this baseball player. The reality is that this grown man got angry and threw a baseball. He caused great pain to the victim in this case. That is what most crime is, a person losing their temper and doing something foolish. I am glad that the Prosecutor is standing up and saying just because you play a sport it does not absolve you of having to play by the same rules as everybody else. How many other people who actually stood up and took responsbility for their criminal actions would have liked to have used the “I just made a foolish mistake” defense? And how many of would accept that….why then with this guy?