DRUNK DRIVING DOESN'T MATTER TO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Do you know who this is? This is Tiffany Woodham.  She is a 19 year old woman who was pregnant.  She was also killed by an alleged drunk driver.  It's not only shocking to read those words, it's devastating to her family and friends.  Read about Tiffany HERE. No, Tiffany Woodham was not involved in what I'm about to write about, but read on... it's all gonna make a helluva lot of sense in a few moments...

Now, think about this...Yovani Gallardo is a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.  He was also pulled over on April 15th for drunk driving.  ESPN has the story HERE, but read this: " pulled over at 2:10 a.m. for driving slowly and deviating lanes. McLaughlin said Gallardo failed a field sobriety test and later registered a blood-alcohol level of .22, nearly three times the legal limit in Wisconsin."

Enough for a pretty hefty suspension right? Wrong. He pitching today for the Brewers.  Now, in his personal life, Gallardo "will not face jail time but will receive citations of $300 for operating while intoxicated -- first offense, with an extra $300 because of the level of intoxication and $178.80 for lane deviation." In baseball life, he's rewarded.  Now, sure, Gallardo didn't kill anyone, but he could have and as far as I'm concerned, the fact that Major League Baseball hasn't done anything about this is ridiculous.

Now, to give you the full story, "Under the Major League Baseball collective bargaining agreement with the players' union, it is mandatory that a player charged with drunken driving or off-field violent contact be referred to a treatment board, which establishes and supervises and individualized treatment program.

When referred to the treatment board for an alcohol violation, a player is assessed by a physician to determine if it was a one-time event or if there is an ongoing problem with need for further treatment or counseling." That comes from the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel (HERE). But, all I ask is, why wouldn't the guy get a suspension?

Think about this, and this is a big kudos to Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk who I read religiously. He breaks down what happens to players who do other things, and then they get fined or suspended for them. Check out this list (Full piece HERE):

• "Carl Crawford is likely getting fined for wearing mismatched shoes;
• Ozzie Guillen has been suspended for voicing an unpopular political opinion and intemperate tweeting, among other things;
• Delmon Young was suspended for walking while drunk and then spewing some hateful rhetoric;
• Yunel Escobar was suspended a few games for writing stupid crap on his eye black;
• Minor leaguers get suspended for using substances that are less harmful than alcohol in the privacy of their own homes;
• A broadcaster was once suspended indefinitely and then fired because he liked to wear suits.

All of that was just in the past year or so.  There are countless other examples if you go back through even recent history. Baseball and its teams can and often do suspend players and coaches for stuff that has nothing to do with baseball at all. And which involve behavior far less odious and dangerous than getting behind the wheel of a multi-ton automobile while intoxicated."

Not only was Craig's list brilliant, it really opens eyes. What does 19 year Tiffany Woodham or Craig Calcaterra's list have to do with Gallardo? Everything.  Drunk driving shouldn't be ignored, EVER, whether you kill someone or not.  Meanwhile, there are suspensions for mismatched shoes? Really?

Gallardo is sorry, he's apologized and for all we know, he's a nice guy who made a mistake, but he also needs to be suspended, not rewarded with pitching today.  Remember, the incident happened 3 days ago. Who knows... maybe I'm just a tight ass who's missing something here.

I do believe that we need to examine this "policy" alittle closer though. That's just my opinion of course.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in