No Laughing Matter
Spousal abuse is a very serious topic. Normally I would never make light of any situation where spousal abuse was even hinted at, but a case of spousal abuse came to light in Orange County, Ca today that is just too much not to a least talk about. The reason this case is so news worth are not only the participants, but the actual events themselves. The parties involved in this case are Cleveland Indians pitcher Chuck Finley and his wife actress Tawny Kitaen. The events are reported as this: Finley was driving home from the ballpark with Kitaen on Monday night when the two began to argue. Kitaen kicked him with her high-heeled shoes in the thigh, in the leg, in the arm, she grabbed his ear and twisted it. At one point, her high-heel shoe was on top of his foot pressing the accelerator to the ground. A third party called 911 after the couple arrived at their Newport Beach home. Police arrested Kitaen after noticing abrasions and scrapes on Finley. The description of the events comes from Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office.
Finley was scratched from his start this evening against the Anaheim Angels but he is expected to rejoin the team in Detroit by the weekend.
When I read this story, my first thought was to snicker… here is an athlete being beaten up by his wife, what a wimp. Then I started thinking about it. This man was driving a vehicle when his wife began assaulting him and kept control of it through the attack even when she pinned his foot and the accelerator down. There is no report of him striking her back in any way. If anything, Finley handled the situation in an exemplary fashion. A trained athlete striking a woman could do immense damage, but in this situation some form of defense would be justified. Finley did nothing but keep his cool, control his vehicle and deal with the pain his wife was inflecting on him.
Baseball clubhouses can be a very cruel place. I am hoping that Finley’s teammates will think about the real circumstances before making jokes. As I see it Finley did everything he could to deal with an almost impossible situation with class and dignity.
Spousal abuse is a very serious topic. Normally I would never make light of any situation where spousal abuse was even hinted at, but a case of spousal abuse came to light in Orange County, Ca today that is just too much not to a least talk about. The reason this case is so news worth are not only the participants, but the actual events themselves. The parties involved in this case are Cleveland Indians pitcher Chuck Finley and his wife actress Tawny Kitaen. The events are reported as this: Finley was driving home from the ballpark with Kitaen on Monday night when the two began to argue. Kitaen kicked him with her high-heeled shoes in the thigh, in the leg, in the arm, she grabbed his ear and twisted it. At one point, her high-heel shoe was on top of his foot pressing the accelerator to the ground. A third party called 911 after the couple arrived at their Newport Beach home. Police arrested Kitaen after noticing abrasions and scrapes on Finley. The description of the events comes from Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office.
Finley was scratched from his start this evening against the Anaheim Angels but he is expected to rejoin the team in Detroit by the weekend.
When I read this story, my first thought was to snicker… here is an athlete being beaten up by his wife, what a wimp. Then I started thinking about it. This man was driving a vehicle when his wife began assaulting him and kept control of it through the attack even when she pinned his foot and the accelerator down. There is no report of him striking her back in any way. If anything, Finley handled the situation in an exemplary fashion. A trained athlete striking a woman could do immense damage, but in this situation some form of defense would be justified. Finley did nothing but keep his cool, control his vehicle and deal with the pain his wife was inflecting on him.
Baseball clubhouses can be a very cruel place. I am hoping that Finley’s teammates will think about the real circumstances before making jokes. As I see it Finley did everything he could to deal with an almost impossible situation with class and dignity.
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