FROM THE FIELD: HELPING HIMSELF IS PHILLIPS' TOP PRIORITY.Byline: MARC J. SPEARS It was about a month ago that a disturbed Tony Phillips The leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. Strategy Leadoff hitters must possess certain traits to be successful: they must reach base at a proficient rate and be able to steal bases. said another reporter, whom he didn't trust, questioned him about an argument he had with a fan entering Anaheim Stadium. Phillips said he was bothered by the reporter's line of questioning Noun 1. line of questioning - an ordering of questions so as to develop a particular argument line of inquiry line of reasoning, logical argument, argumentation, argument, line - a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the over the small incident and asked why so many reporters are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. dirt. I answered by telling him I'm not looking to find anything to ruin his career, but if something out of the ordinary comes by me, I have to do my job and write about it. I then told him the last thing I want to do on a day off or during some free time is work on a story about a DUI, a drug charge or a sexual assault involving a player. But I also have to do my job and write it. Phillips said he understood and avoiding negative press just boils down to players staying out of trouble. Ironically, on Sunday, Aug. 10, I was with a friend at my apartment on an afternoon off when a shocking phone call came. ``Guess what happened to Tony?,'' the caller said. ``He was busted bust·ed adj. 1. Slang a. Smashed or broken: busted glass; a busted rib. b. Out of order; inoperable: a busted vending machine. 2. with the possession of cocaine late last night.'' As I shook my head in disbelief, I remembered the recent conversation with Phillips. Now a week-and-a-half later, the Phillips situation has perhaps reached its climax. The fiery player had his suspension by the Angels overturned by arbitrator Richard Bloch Richard A. Bloch (January 15 1926—July 21 2004 and he will probably be in uniform today. The Major League Baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Players' Association tries to help its own. But if they were really doing that, they would be more concerned about the player's well-being as a human than a baseball star. Anaheim police have said Phillips, who received a felony possession charge of cocaine and drug paraphernalia drug paraphernalia Controlled paraphernalia Substance abuse As defined in a regulatory context, DP is a hypodermic syringe, needle, metal or plastic (snorting) tube, or other instrument or implement or combination adapted for the administration of controlled , was seen with drugs on another occasion. In essence, the Angels' team leader has a problem. A problem he hasn't admitted to. ``My feeling is cocaine is an addictive drug,'' said Anaheim Police sergeant Joe Vargas. ``He needs help and there are too many people who have been hurt by a state of denial. How many sports figures have been hurt by this?'' For the sake of himself and his family, I hope Phillips will end up being a wise man who admits to his problem and gets the necessary help. If not, I could be forced to write about another sports tragedy on a day off. |
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