Pitcher traded for bats found dead.

[BJ Sands]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

But in sports, they don't trade for human lives. They trade for what a guy can do on the field, or whatever helps the club. His former team couldn't use him, and from all accounts I've read couldn't unload him anywhere else. They thought they could use the bats more than his services. They got something for him. That's sports, and specifically in this case, minor league sports.

As for BJ, I'm pretty much done debating with him. He's letting his modest-at-best connection to the guy get in the way of reason and realism.

All I'm doing is thinking about him as a human being, not a story. Something you're obviously unable to do.

[Milo Meningocele]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

But in sports, they don't trade for human lives. They trade for what a guy can do on the field, or whatever helps the club. His former team couldn't use him, and from all accounts I've read couldn't unload him anywhere else. They thought they could use the bats more than his services. They got something for him. That's sports, and specifically in this case, minor league sports.

As for BJ, I'm pretty much done debating with him. He's letting his modest-at-best connection to the guy get in the way of reason and realism.

All I'm doing is thinking about him as a human being, not a story. Something you're obviously unable to do.

No, I'm able. It's just that reasonable people have much thicker skin.

[patsox]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

But in sports, they don't trade for human lives. They trade for what a guy can do on the field, or whatever helps the club. His former team couldn't use him, and from all accounts I've read couldn't unload him anywhere else. They thought they could use the bats more than his services. They got something for him. That's sports, and specifically in this case, minor league sports.

As for BJ, I'm pretty much done debating with him. He's letting his modest-at-best connection to the guy get in the way of reason and realism.

All I'm doing is thinking about him as a human being, not a story. Something you're obviously unable to do.

No, I'm able. It's just that reasonable people have much thicker skin.

It's not a thick skin issue, it's a having no heart issue.

[BJ Sands]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

But in sports, they don't trade for human lives. They trade for what a guy can do on the field, or whatever helps the club. His former team couldn't use him, and from all accounts I've read couldn't unload him anywhere else. They thought they could use the bats more than his services. They got something for him. That's sports, and specifically in this case, minor league sports.

As for BJ, I'm pretty much done debating with him. He's letting his modest-at-best connection to the guy get in the way of reason and realism.

All I'm doing is thinking about him as a human being, not a story. Something you're obviously unable to do.

No, I'm able. It's just that reasonable people have much thicker skin.

Dude, I'm a sports writer who puts his byline on stories, some of them which get pretty heavily criticized by readers, coaches, parents, et cetera. To do my job well (which I do, despite all of the time I spend here) I have to be reasonable and have pretty thick skin.

[Milo Meningocele]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

But in sports, they don't trade for human lives. They trade for what a guy can do on the field, or whatever helps the club. His former team couldn't use him, and from all accounts I've read couldn't unload him anywhere else. They thought they could use the bats more than his services. They got something for him. That's sports, and specifically in this case, minor league sports.

As for BJ, I'm pretty much done debating with him. He's letting his modest-at-best connection to the guy get in the way of reason and realism.

All I'm doing is thinking about him as a human being, not a story. Something you're obviously unable to do.

No, I'm able. It's just that reasonable people have much thicker skin.

It's not a thick skin issue, it's a having no heart issue.

No, it's about proper perspective. On both our part, and his.

[floydnimrod]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

You never saw Eric Milton play for the Reds did you?

[Milo Meningocele]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

But in sports, they don't trade for human lives. They trade for what a guy can do on the field, or whatever helps the club. His former team couldn't use him, and from all accounts I've read couldn't unload him anywhere else. They thought they could use the bats more than his services. They got something for him. That's sports, and specifically in this case, minor league sports.

As for BJ, I'm pretty much done debating with him. He's letting his modest-at-best connection to the guy get in the way of reason and realism.

All I'm doing is thinking about him as a human being, not a story. Something you're obviously unable to do.

No, I'm able. It's just that reasonable people have much thicker skin.

Dude, I'm a sports writer who puts his byline on stories, some of them which get pretty heavily criticized by readers, coaches, parents, et cetera. To do my job well (which I do, despite all of the time I spend here) I have to be reasonable and have pretty thick skin.

I was talking about Odom.

[rangerfan94]

The man was 26 years old. At that age he had a future in front of him, whatever it may have been. Music? as the article says he played gutiar. Does anyone know what he was doing in the several months before his death? Accidental overdose? with all the drugs in his body...man that is pretty bad. He needed help for his drug problem and no one was there for the dude, from what I read. You dont just go to your drug dealer and say, gimme this and this and wait....what am i forgetting? oh throw in some smack. I dont know the guy, and im not all torn up about his death but, if it were my son.....I would be devistated.

[BJ Sands]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

But in sports, they don't trade for human lives. They trade for what a guy can do on the field, or whatever helps the club. His former team couldn't use him, and from all accounts I've read couldn't unload him anywhere else. They thought they could use the bats more than his services. They got something for him. That's sports, and specifically in this case, minor league sports.

As for BJ, I'm pretty much done debating with him. He's letting his modest-at-best connection to the guy get in the way of reason and realism.

All I'm doing is thinking about him as a human being, not a story. Something you're obviously unable to do.

No, I'm able. It's just that reasonable people have much thicker skin.

Dude, I'm a sports writer who puts his byline on stories, some of them which get pretty heavily criticized by readers, coaches, parents, et cetera. To do my job well (which I do, despite all of the time I spend here) I have to be reasonable and have pretty thick skin.

I was talking about Odom.

Oh. Didn't make that clear.

Thick skin or not, what happened was very difficult for him. Reason has nothing to do with it.

[rams80]

No one is worthless enough to be traded for bats. It's sort of funny on the surface, but symbolically it is awful. Human life is always going to be more valuable than sticks made of wood.

How is trading for bats any different than a major league team trading for an "expiring contract?"

[Lee.]

Thick skin or not, what happened was very difficult for him. Reason has nothing to do with it.

I would make the point, however, that when you decide to be a pro athlete at any level, you need to develop that thick skin. When you're going into an opposing ballpark (or arena, or what have you), fans can get on you and break you down in a hurry.

If you're not mentally prepared to deal with any of that, then it's time to call it a day and go get your real estate license or learn to sell copiers.

At the end of the day, he got to eke out a living doing what he loved, and got some infamy out of the deal. Granted that infamy could have led to his downfall, but in the end, we'll never know exactly what made him do what he did. He succeeded in ways that most of us could ever dream of, and died in a manner none of us could think of.

But he was still less than a footnote in history. Let's all just let it die already.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Remember remember, the suicide of November.

[Shumway]

Remember remember, the suicide of November.

I highly doubt anyone on here will. Heck, I already lost interest.

[fiasco!]

In November, we were all Broncos.

[Jigga]

Remember remember, the suicide of November.

I certainly don't remember.

However, the third of September, that day I'll always remember. Yes, I will.

[chestnutz]

At this point, I express my condolences for the 10 bats that were traded.

BUT YOU DIDN"T KNOW THEM PERSONALLY! WRONG WRONG WRONG

For what it's worth, Milo is right on all this.

[BrySmalls]

At this point, I express my condolences for the 10 bats that were traded.

BUT YOU DIDN"T KNOW THEM PERSONALLY! WRONG WRONG WRONG

For what it's worth, Milo is right on all this.

I'm sorry

[Lee.]

Remember remember, the suicide of November.

I certainly don't remember.

However, the third of September, that day I'll always remember. Yes, I will.

Ah, yes. That was the day that your daddy died.

[fiasco!]

Remember remember, the suicide of November.

I certainly don't remember.

However, the third of September, that day I'll always remember. Yes, I will.

Ah, yes. That was the day that your daddy died.

He was a rolling stone, after all. Wherever he laid his hat was his home.

It was inevitable.

[Jigga]

I never really got a chance to see him. I never heard anything but bad things about him.