Ruh roh:
SAN CRISTOBAL, Dominican Republic -- Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe may sit out the 2007 season after a judge ordered him to make twice-monthly court appearances in a Dominican Republic shooting case.
"I am going to decide if I am playing in the major leagues or not this year," Uribe said Friday. "It looks very ugly to be accused of something. But first I am going to resolve this and then I will go to the major leagues."
And here's the translated copy of the Spanish version, thanks to Adrienne:
SAN CRISTOBAL. - The
Instructing Judge of the Judicial District of the region, Regina Carvajal,
approved last Friday a resolution ordering the White Sox bomber, Juan Uribe
Tena, to appear on the 15th and 30th day of each month before the
court-appointed lawyer, Fernelis A. Rodriguez Castillo.
The judge approved
the resolution after the preliminary hearing
for the ballplayer, who is accused of violating articles 2.296 of the Penal
Procedural Code in injuring the worker Antonio Gonzalez. Uribe Tena is accused
by Antonio Gonzalez of shooting a bullet into his left arm in a confusing
incident occurring on October 13th in the city of Juan Baron. The judge
also rejected the request of the plaintiff, represented by Roberto Faxas and
Carlos De la Cruz, who had asked for bail of 10 million pesos and one count of
coercion against the bomber. The White Sox player will have to appear on the
15th and 30th before the court-appointed lawyer, thus fulfilling the resolution
ruled by Judge Carvajal. The Public Ministry has three days to appeal the
hearing. The well-known hearing in the Palace of Justice in this city yesterday
began at 11am and ended at 12:06pm. At the end of the hearing, the lawyer of the
plaintiff, Roberto Faxas, said that the player had "noted a first mistake" to be required to attend every 15 days before the Office
of the Public Prosecutor. The player said nothing in regards to what happened in
the problems of October 13th in his native Juan Baron.
I'm
still confused, and it would've been nice if the Chicago media followed this case a little more closely instead of concentrating on manufactured verbal "warfare." A team missing its starting shortstop because of an alleged shooting warrants more than casual attention, especially if the case and proceedings against Uribe are as sketchy as they seem. Nobody's even mentioned if there's actual evidence!
His actual words don't mean much to me right now, because I'm sure his mind's not on baseball right now. I'm taking them with the same weight as somebody saying "I'll eat my hat" in response to a preposterous suggestion. If he talks to Kenny and they both come out saying that Uribe could miss 2007, then I'll start to get worried.
Update: Juan Uribe
sounds a bit more confident...
"When [it] all happened, I was at home talking to my father," he told
Enrique Rojas of the Spanish language Web site. "There are a bunch of
people that can corroborate my version. Nobody saw me [at] that place
during the shooting.
"Better yet, the Dominican police found out that my gun was not
discharged, and the paraffin tests on me were also negative. I'm
innocent and I will prove that in court. I hope that this can be solved
very soon to [clear] my name and my family can relax."
...but Kenny Williams has yet to hear from him.
But as of late Saturday night, Williams had tried to reach out to Uribe
and had been unable to connect with him. One point where Williams left
absolutely no doubt is the direction the White Sox would move if the
Uribe legal issue remains murky.
"Very simply, if it turns out he is in more trouble than we
originally thought, decides not to report, or is distracted and can't
play at a championship level, Alex [Cintron] will take his job," Williams said
via e-mail Saturday night.