Is it just me or does it seem as if there isn't a lot of outrage over Jung Ho Kang's legal problems in this country and in South Korea?
Sure, there is dismay over the potential negative impact on the Pirates if Kang misses much of the baseball season or even just the start. He is the team's best power hitter. It needs him to be its everyday third baseman if it is going to have any chance of catching the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central Division.
But there doesn't appear to be much angst over the reasons Kang is in a couple of legal jackpots. He was accused of sexual assault in Chicago last summer, a case that remains open, apparently because police have not be able to find his accuser for additional questioning. The time has come for him to be charged or exonerated. The case has gone on too long. Kang's problems in South Korea are more clear-cut. He was charged with his third DUI there in December after he wrecked his rented BMW and is scheduled for trial Wednesday. His case is complicated because he fled the accident scene.
There should be a lot more outrage with Kang.
Let me put that another way.
You might want to see Kang in the Pirates lineup, but do you really want to see him driving on our streets?
If I'm reading Pennsylvania law correctly, a third DUI would mean jail time from 10 days to five years, depending on the perpetrator's blood alcohol concentration. Kang's was .084 after the December crash, which would have put him just over Pennsylvania's legal limit of .08. South Korea has a stricter standard for drunken driving, .05.
No one _ including the Pirates _ knows with any certainty how Kang's case will be adjudicated or what its aftermath will bring. Maybe he will be ordered to pay a fine and not have to do jail time. It's possible, though not likely, he could join his teammates in Bradenton, Fla., by the end of the week as long as another DUI conviction doesn't delay a work visa for him to get into the United States.
But it's hard to say Kang should get any break from the South Korean legal system after watching dashcam footage of his accident. He is shown traveling too fast to navigate a right bend in the road. He runs over the median before hitting a barrier and careening back on the highway. He is lucky he wasn't injured or killed. He is lucky he didn't injure or kill anyone else.
Kang should go to jail as a three-time DUI offender based on that video alone.
Kang will be lucky if he's able to resume his baseball career any time soon.
Pirates management has expressed its extreme disappointment in Kang but pledged to support him through his trial and when/if he rejoins the team. That is no surprise. The organization knows how valuable Kang is. The team has options at third base _ David Freese, John Jaso, newly acquired Phil Gosselin, maybe Josh Harrison _ but none is as good as Kang. A good lineup would be severely weakened without him. So would the bench.
Word out of South Korea is Kang is embarrassed and remorseful. He has agreed to enter an alcohol treatment program. That, too, is no surprise. Kang has nearly six million reasons to make things right. He is due to make $2.75 million this season and $3 million next season.
It will be interesting to see fan reaction to Kang when/if he makes his 2017 debut at PNC Park. He quickly became a fan favorite his first year here _ the 98-win season in 2015 _ and received a tremendous ovation when he was wheeled out on the field before the wild-card game against the Cubs after his traumatic leg injury that September. There was not a lot of negative blowback against him last summer after the allegations in Chicago became public.
Now?
After a third DUI?
My guess is fans will cheer Kang when/if he plays again, especially after he hits a home run or gets his first big hit. But they'll be glad if they don't see him driving on their way home from the ballpark.
