A little less than two years ago, former Major Leaguer Jose Offerman, playing for the independent league Long Island Ducks, charged the mound, bat in hand and started swinging. He broke the pitcher's finger, but the catcher he hit, John Nathans, suffered far worse:
He used to catch 95-mile-per-hour fastballs fired by Pedro Martínez, Bret Saberhagen, and Jon Lester in spring training. Now former Red Sox prospect John Nathans catches a large red rubber ball lobbed underhand by a physical therapist . . . sometimes. Other times it bounces off his face and he has to stop because he's dizzy or nauseated. Or worse, he has to go home, pull the covers over his head to shut out the world, and try again tomorrow. He can't tolerate much outside stimuli . . .
. . . Several times a week, Nathans goes to New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland for physical therapy. After one drill in which he shook his head side to side for two minutes, Nathan had trouble talking and had to sit down. "The words just won't come out," he says. "I get confused. It's frustrating." Another time, the physical therapist had to prevent him from falling. A third time he buckled up against a wall. "He has decreased tolerance of movement in general, but specifically head movements and bending movements," says Judy Sweeney, a staff physical therapist. "He has signs and symptoms that are consistent with an injury to the right side vestibular system."
Nathans struggles to be normal.
Offerman was arrested and charged for the incident, ended up getting probation and subsequently had his record expunged. There's a lawsuit pending, and he'll likely have to give up some cash too. In light of what happened to Nathan's baseball career, health and life, the punishment Offerman has received seems remarkably insufficient.
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Couldn't agree more with this story. Nathan may have never become a household name in the big leagues or made a boat load of money, but to be robbed of the opportunity to live a normal life is sad. Offerman should be accountable for more than a little money. He should have to walk in Nathan's shoes for a while and see exactly the devestation he caused
He probably should be in jail. The only real defense I can think of is that he wasn't trying to assault Nathans. I don't think that excuses him very much.
Here's a YouTube slideshow with horrible music that shows the charge. You can see Nathans get hit in one of the stills around 35 seconds in.
I can't believe he stayed in the game.
This is sickening. Had the attacker been white and the victim Hissspanic, he'd have gotten 5 years in jail. F'ing lawyers and judges have destroyed America. I hope Offerman gets the worst cancer imaginable!
Wow the ignorance in that comment is disturbing. Yeah white people have it so hard. Do you actually believe that white people are discriminated against and are more likely to go to jail if they commit a crime rather than the opposite being true?
Wishing cancer or any other serious disease on another person? Your heart is flat out cold. What he did was wrong and horrible, but I promise you a few things: had he known what would happen, he would never have done it; he'd take it back in a heartbeat if he could (and pay to take it back, too, I bet); he lives with this every day and rarely is able to forgive himself for what he did over something so minor.
Travis,
The thing is that he didnt even take time to think about what could happen. I'm sure he is well aware of what could happen swinging a bat. What did he expect no bodily harm to be done while swinging? If you saw someone swinging a bat at you, would you think "I bet hes not really trying to do harm to me?" As stated below, he has never even apologized for it.
RE: Travis W, Lexington
Just one question here...do you know Jose Offerman? You speak as if you do, but if not please do not say what you think he would do 'if' or how you think he feels...the fact is he has been around baseball for a long time, so the fact that he did this says something about him and his lack of thinking, period!
Also if he, Jose, "lives with this everyday..." than why, as reported, hasn't he said sorry to John? To me that makes ZERO sense, but consider the actions and there ya go!
There is a saying for people with Jose's meantality...People that don't get it, don't know they don't get it. Got it?!
Rich, Oh My Gosh. You actually feel that white people get the short end of the stick. Where do you live? In africa? I am actually speechless.
Living as a Minority all my life, that is one of the most prejudice statement against minorities i have had the honor of reading. Here, they pull you over if you even look from Mexico.
Let's move on; Rich in NJ-1083943, feel free to write your own article about race relations, or bring some evidence that Offerman's legal experience was racially influenced.
Right now, it seems you're trying to derail.
Rich -- I fail to see what race has to do with this at all. If you're going to throw bombs like that, back it up. If not, take it somewhere else.
Offerman got away with a huge injustice done to a promising young player.
And why pull the race card here.....?
I am curious if Offerman ever manned-up and apologized to Nathans for what he did. Or is he one of those arrogant a'hole athletes who feel entitled to do anything and everything, including destroying people who get in their way.
The article says that he has stated regret generally, but has not apologized to Nathans. His rationale: He wasn't trying to hit Nathans; Nathans just got in the way. I find that pathetic, but that's what Offerman seems to think.
Hello Rich, Your first three words were just fine. You should have ended right there if you get my drift!!!!
The wrongness of this is almost incomprehensible. I can't imagine extenuating circumstances sufficient to offer probation and, then, expunge the record of it ever happening. It goes against all logic. A baseball bat is a weapon. If I swung one at somebody, you can bet they would charge me with assault with a deadly weapon....no matter who it was I swung it at or who I hit with it. The fact that he hurt somebody he probably didn't intend to really doesn't matter. I agree that Money really isn't enough in this circumstance - he ought to do jail time. f**king scumbag
This is absolutely rediculous. How in the world could anybody get away with something like that? As Chi Town said, its assault with a deadly weapon. Hockey players have gotten worse than that for a fight on the ice. He probably pled temp. insanity because he was Roid Raging. A player of the Steroid Era was down in the minors and was doing whatever he could to get back up. It might be a little understanding if it was a young player who hadnt been hit by a pitch before, but this happened after a pro career, which he never allowed Nathans the privilege of having.
It is a deadly weapon in any other environment. Offerman was clearly using it outside of its intended use within his job description.... HE INTENDED TO INFLICT GREAT BODILY HARM ! If he had been walking on the street with a gun in his hand, aimed it at a gang member and accidently paralyzed a kid with an errant shot into a house down the street, HE'D BEING DOING TIME !! And let's not forget the liability of the team for which Offerman plays.... what the hell are they doing with an idiot on their team who feels it is OK to try to maim/kill an opponent with a bat?
The difficult call is what to do about the pitchers who PURPOSELY throw nearly 100mph fast balls at batters.... provoking a fight. Anyone who doesn't think that happens every day in baseball doesn't know much about the game. They have a convenient excuse.... "I didn't intend to throw it there.. I just missed on that one!" Running at the mound with a bat in hand after someone just threw at your head is a bit easier to call.
Until and unless an example is made of someone like this, this behavior will continue!
First, Offerman should be retrocharged with aggravated assault at the very least, and then he should pay Nathans the salary a run of the mill major leaque catcher would get for the duration of a typical career in that position...period.
Steve Riley Brownsville VT.
No one can know what Offerman is thinking, or feeling about this whole matter. The fact that the courts decided his offense should be judged leniently should not surprise anyone. I am sure that Offerman has much more money than was necessary to buy his way out of it. (He was a starter in the majors for many years and is undoubtedly a millionaire) Punishment should be inflicted in the civil litigation anyway(punitive damages). It is the only way that Mr. Nathans can be assured that he, and his family, will be adequately taken care of.
You're right, the fact is that noone ever knew what Jose was thinking...He is a genuine Narcisist...He twice pulled out a 38 on his wife and once he shot and missed as she ran for her life. he hit her a couple of times and was is the worst dad in the world.....Soon he'll pay for all that....When the system catches up to him. He is in arears of over 1 million dollars on child support and alimony. He is applying for his citenship and probably get it because the system is too slow to respond...He just got off probation, but if the judge knew what he did to his wife for 18 years he would have given him jail time....Frank Riccio his attorney wants what ever publicity he can get, Hes just a baseball fan that would do work for him without pay....Jose owes him money and he knows it...Frank himself said that Jose hasn't paid him, so why would he go out and represent him on his probation hearing? By the way Jose will never apologize, cause he still feels like he's some kind of God....Ask me II know him well....They should sue him, maybe they'll get something his kids can't get.....yet!
Thousands of people are charged (and convicted) every year in this country with Assault, for doing exactly what Offerman did. He attacked another person with a weapon (bat) with the intent to inflict bodily harm. I don't think he can deny that. Why does he get a pass? Civil/monetary penalties are certainly justified, but there are probably a lot of people doing time that are wondering where the fairness is.
12, 13 deleted, included:
ANGEL-843593 banned, racism.
Look folks,,,,,, this is America. Good money buys good lawyers. Be it with sports figures, criminals, civil litigants, politicians, whatever! That is why Lady Justice wears the blind fold. She is clueless as to what is going on. The scales drop to the side that has the most buckeroos.
Offerman is a thug. What about the thousands of people in this country every year that are charged and convicted for the exact same thing.....assaulting another person with a deadly weapon? How many of them are sitting in a cell today wondering where the fairness is? Civil liability and monetary awards are certainly justified, but Offerman should be doing serious time now, with a permanent criminal record.
Unfortunately a certain amount of violence is tolerated in sports. Yet it is still a place of employment and they can avoid the punishment Joe Sixpack would have to be subject to. I wonder where this slob Offerman is these days? Certainly not in jail or prison for this particular act. What a first class bastard!
The fact that Nathans was a Red Sock justifies his injuries. If it had been a non-Red Sock player then I would understand the outrage and agree that justice was not done.
You must be one of those simpletons that fights anyone in another teams jersey...funny your comment is not....FAIL!
It is you Dougie that should have been clubbed upside the head for that remark.
Sorry you guys feel that way. I would consider any unfortunate event to happen to a Red Sox a very positive thing. I rejoice in the fact that they are a man down and hope similar acts in the future conclude in the same manner.
Oh quit trolling, Douglas F Forman. He was in an independent league at the time.
Folks, mind #1 of the Code of Honor, even if someone's trolling:
Douglas F Forman, keep trolling, end up suspended. Simple.
I have no idea what trolling is.
He maybe in an independant league, but he still has ties to the Red Sox. I do not belive these comments in any way are disrespectful nor are they inappropriate. If anyone in the Red Sox organization is taken out of service due to a splinter or a violent attack on the field so be it. Should Offerman be charged for what he did....Yes, there is no doubt.
Folks, Craig is right ... let's not bring race into this. Comments that are over the line will be deleted. Thanks.
Wow there's a lot of judgement going on here. Hopefully everybody can just agree that its a serious of unfortunate incident that have led to severe consequences, regardless of what Offerman was thinking or doing (as a Dodger fan, we often wondered what Offerman was thinking).
Regarding the penalty though - having been a former pitcher (through high school), I have personally used a pitch to send a message to a hitter, without necessarily being concerned about what the consequences would be if that pitch did land in ribs, or even worse, above the shoulders. This happens often in all sports - a late hit in football, in hockey, in basketball when a player going for a lay-up and is hit on the way up - all of them can lead to unintended injuries and consequences. Before we judge much here, as a baseball fan, was the last time that your team's best hitter was hit with a pitch, and you wanted retribution against the other team's best player - when you think that, when you ask for it, are you concerned with the long term consequences?
to whoever asked if offerman ever appologised the answer is NO. this article was on boston.com yesterday (longer w/ more details). great story - this kid had real potential & now a day doesn't go by that he isn't in pain b/c of some bat-wielding a-hole. the guy should've gone to jail.
ALSO -- he wasn't even hit by the pitch & even if he were, that's no excuse to swing a bat at someone's head.
Shows the lack of respect for human life when a man can get off scott-free for maiming another human being.
But it was a Red Sox, so its OK.
I think someone already took a bat to poor Dougie's head and he is unable to make a rational thought and put it on paper. He must still be upset about the 3-0 comeback or the fact that the Yankees cant buy a championship. At least thats all he has to live with everyday and not trying and usually failing to do things normal human beings do.
Emotions run high in the sporting world. Charging the mound is one thing, but bringing the bat is quite another. I do think that there should be punishment for this action, but let the courts handle this. I am sure that Jose Offerman now feels regret at this incident, and would like to go back and do things differently. We do not know what he is thinking. And Hanson is a major victim in this. All he was trying to do was to protect a team mate. Race has nothing to do with this.
Rich, you have a point...we history buffs can all attest to the big advantage persons of color have always had in the history of this country....right? Like that slavery gig...those people got their food and shelter for free. How unfair was that!??? And the Indians...they all got free reservations. What a gyp for us poor, disadvantaged white people.
Thats great. Don't forget that they got a free trip to America either. I don't know what that guy meant unless he meant athletes in general. But that would be giving him too much credit. What probably happened is this racist beat up some Hispanic kid because of his ethnicity and got charged with a hate crime and now he is bitter about his stupidity
Offerman is an ignorant thug and will eventually pay for it. He made a real poor decision and someone was seriously inured.
The Douglas is a far worse human being. Immature, ignorant and could also serve to encouage such behavior in young people in many sports.
Nathen is not just lost to the red sox, he is facing what looks like a lifetime disability and the medical and ongoing lifetime support is worth a lot more than 4.8 Mil, just in direct expenses!