Delmon Young Had Too Much To Lose
By: Terry Foster
There is an old saying that says "never engage with somebody who has more to lose than you."
My guess is that is what happened with Tigers left fielder Delmon Young. Now he is the one paying for it. He sat over night in a New York drunk tank. He won't be in the lineup Friday night when the Tigers take on the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
I don't know the details of Young's walk on the wild side other than to know he was drunk and in a bad mood. Was it the booze that got him in the bad mood or was it the guy that he shoved to the ground?
It was probably a combo meal. Let's say the guy was bothering Young. He wanted an autograph or called him a name. You walk away. It is as simple as that. Young has more to lose than this guy. Now Young will miss a game that he is badly needed in. He will be called a drunk when he returns to play. He has to fight the notion that this was a hate crime because he reportedly screamed anti-Semitic stuff at this Jewish guy.
Here is my advice to professional athletes before they go off on somebody. Sit and ask yourself some questions, which is probably hard to do when you are blasted.
But what do I have to lose? How does this make my organization look? How much money am I making? And can I just walk away?
Delmon Young failed to ask any of those questions. My guess is he has anger management issues and the Tigers are going to deal with him the rest of the season and boot him. That's a lot to lose for Young for another foolish act.
Police will investigate this as a hate crime. If they conclude that it was then the Tigers should release Young.
