Brewers sign Jung Ho Kang to a minor league contract [Latest: Haven’t reached an agreement yet]

[KeithStone53151]

DUI's don't necessarily mean he has a drinking problem, moreso poor decision making while drinking. It was one thing when fans didn't want the Ray Rice's of the world playing for their team, but this level of self-righteousness is pretty bad when you're too good to cheer for a guy with 3 DUI's. I made sure to bold out the fact that the date rape thing was allegations only. I don't think he was even charged. Sooooooo, that's completely irrelevant.

 

You don't seem to have a lot of exposure to alcoholism in your life if you don't think that 3 DUIs isn't at least a sign of a pretty serious problem. I've known numerous people with multiple DUIs and each one had a chronic problem with alcohol. Each one required pretty intense rehab, two are fortunately recovering and the other is now dead .

I could understand one isolated incident for an individual, people in control of their drinking don't end up with 3 DUIs, that simply does not happen.

 

#2, no one said I was "too good" to cheer for a guy with 3 DUI's, that was your words. #3, if allegations are irrelevant, Addison Russell should never have been suspended, yes? Allegations certainly come into play when considering signings. Standing by your own existing players is different than bringing new ones in.

 

I know a guy with 3 DUI's who decided after the last one to simply stop drinking entirely. He hasn't had a drink in years. He never had a drinking problem, he just made stupid decisions when he drank...had a kid on the way...decided it just wasn't for him anymore. I know plenty of people who have had 1 and are now simply far more responsible about it. Never ever drive and rarely get that drunk. Most of these instances were early-mid 20s. People grow up and get smarter, Kang's last incident was 2016 and it was a pretty significant one...he's been notably a model citizen since then, so may be he truly learned from it.

[KeithStone53151]

If they came up and tore it up I'd obviously be happy about it. I'm not gonna buy the jersey of a guy like that or go around pretending he's a great guy, like so many fans do. I think it's severe delusion when a fan base suddenly defends a guy's character because he plays well, like Johnny Jolly or something. I'd enjoy watching him play well and end it there.

 

I can completely agree with this. Those DUI's are certainly enough to justify him never being your favorite player if you choose, but if he's a Brewer...i want him to do well in our uniform. For me it ends there, I prefer to stick with the baseball side and not be overly judgemental of players character. Again, that's to a point. I don't want Ray Rice or Adrian Peterson or Ray Lewis on my team to name a few examples.

[tmwiese55]

Don't want to wade much into such a bad argument. But let's not forget that probably 5-10K commit a DUI when they leave Miller Park every game. I don't think those same fans are going to be up in arms about it...

 

 

That estimate is almost certainly comically high. I don't dispute people do it, but most people make the smart choice to have 1 or 2 or have a DD.

 

As far as a DUI not being an indicator of a drinking problem, I can agree...once. After that, you've got a drinking problem. I do have friends with multiples and every one of them can't cut themselves off.

 

The amount of people who drink alcohol, period, is exaggerated because drinkers tend to put it out there. Random fact, but while the USA has the highest ratio of binge drinkers, it also has the highest % of its population that doesn't consume alcohol at all - about 50% of its adults.

 

yea the number is high as I didn't factor in how much carpooling at a normal game. 35K people doesn't mean 20K+ in cars, so that was my mistake in the estimate. So rephrase that thousands of people are operating at DUI level every game. It's not hard at all to be above .08. Still, you know what I meant in that it's just such a big part of WI culture and obviously for Brewers specifically the tailgating plays right into it.

 

FYI:Quick google says 7% of WI population has a DUI. Of course factor in how many in the population are below 20ish years old and that percent goes up quite a bit. Frankly, I was expecting higher.

[JimH5]

The culture of drinking in Wisconsin is pretty perverse if a guy can get 3 DUI citations and still be defended as not having a drinking problem.

[tmwiese55]

The culture of drinking in Wisconsin is pretty perverse if a guy can get 3 DUI citations and still be defended as not having a drinking problem.

 

For sure. Even as one acknowledging how bad it is, I'm still surprised someone is making that case.

[sveumrules]

There is a really interesting comment thread with a few anecdotal bits about South Korean drinking & driving culture on this FG article from when Jung Ho got his third DUI a couple years back that makes it sound like SK used to makes Wisco look like Utah when it comes drinking & driving (though I also read they have allegedly cracked down hard since the start of 2019)...

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jung-ho-kang-reportedly-denied-work-visa/

 

A buddy of mine in Daegu in the mid 00s got very drunk and drove home. The week before he had driven into a bongo truck and bashed the front of this car.. also drunk. When he was driving home, his hood flipped up unto his windscreen so he had to look out his window to drive to the side of the road… where there were several cops breathalyzing people. So he got caught, obviously. He blew over. They asked him if he drank beer or soju. He said beer. They put him in a cell for a few hours, gave him water and then made him blow again in the morning. He blew under. They let him go home without a charge.

 

I also know a girl who drove into the front of a pizza shop while drunk and was found sleeping in her car. She lost her license but was not criminally charged to my knowledge.

 

My point is.. if he got charged with DUIs in Korea as a pro baseball player, then he is out of control and probably got caught umpteen times before as well. Either that or Korea has massively improved on this issue in the last 5 years or so. Which IS possible cos that country moves fast.

[ZBTMP]

Im not buying his jersey for my kid anytime soon, but Im ok with the Brewers taking an occasional chance on a guy.

From a baseball prospective, Kang is 190 at bats removed from a 132 wRC+ season. Its not hard to envision him as better than Perez and there is a possibility he can still be an MLB regular if Arcia or Shaw never come around.

[tomwopat]

There is a really interesting comment thread with a few anecdotal bits about South Korean drinking & driving culture on this FG article from when Jung Ho got his third DUI a couple years back that makes it sound like SK used to makes Wisco look like Utah when it comes drinking & driving (though I also read they have allegedly cracked down hard since the start of 2019)...

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/jung-ho-kang-reportedly-denied-work-visa/

 

A buddy of mine in Daegu in the mid 00s got very drunk and drove home. The week before he had driven into a bongo truck and bashed the front of this car.. also drunk. When he was driving home, his hood flipped up unto his windscreen so he had to look out his window to drive to the side of the road… where there were several cops breathalyzing people. So he got caught, obviously. He blew over. They asked him if he drank beer or soju. He said beer. They put him in a cell for a few hours, gave him water and then made him blow again in the morning. He blew under. They let him go home without a charge.

 

I also know a girl who drove into the front of a pizza shop while drunk and was found sleeping in her car. She lost her license but was not criminally charged to my knowledge.

 

My point is.. if he got charged with DUIs in Korea as a pro baseball player, then he is out of control and probably got caught umpteen times before as well. Either that or Korea has massively improved on this issue in the last 5 years or so. Which IS possible cos that country moves fast.

 

While it's certainly no excuse, it's also worth pointing out that there's much more societal and institutional pressure to drink in SK. To refuse a drink from your elder or superior can be considered disrespectful and can jeopardize your standing and relationship with the person or the company. It's not uncommon to see business men in full business attire passed out a bus stops or on the side of the road after a long night with their coworkers.

 

I'd like to think he's taken the necessary steps to correct himself and give him one final chance, even though as @sung_minkim notes the Korean Baseball Organization league has much stiffer penalties.

[MadScientist]

Don't want to wade much into such a bad argument. But let's not forget that probably 5-10K commit a DUI when they leave Miller Park every game. I don't think those same fans are going to be up in arms about it...

 

 

That estimate is almost certainly comically high. I don't dispute people do it, but most people make the smart choice to have 1 or 2 or have a DD.

 

As far as a DUI not being an indicator of a drinking problem, I can agree...once. After that, you've got a drinking problem. I do have friends with multiples and every one of them can't cut themselves off.

 

The amount of people who drink alcohol, period, is exaggerated because drinkers tend to put it out there. Random fact, but while the USA has the highest ratio of binge drinkers, it also has the highest % of its population that doesn't consume alcohol at all - about 50% of its adults.

 

yea the number is high as I didn't factor in how much carpooling at a normal game. 35K people doesn't mean 20K+ in cars, so that was my mistake in the estimate. So rephrase that thousands of people are operating at DUI level every game. It's not hard at all to be above .08. Still, you know what I meant in that it's just such a big part of WI culture and obviously for Brewers specifically the tailgating plays right into it.

 

FYI:Quick google says 7% of WI population has a DUI. Of course factor in how many in the population are below 20ish years old and that percent goes up quite a bit. Frankly, I was expecting higher.

 

That number of DUI per game is still beyond ludicrously large. You are seriously suggesting that 10%+ of the people who drive to the game get plastered enough (at MP beer prices) to still be impaired an hour after they are done drinking (no sales the last couple of innings). If it were anywhere near that level, the police would just test everybody leaving the game. They'd be irresponsible not to.

[82brewcrew82]

 

DUI's don't necessarily mean he has a drinking problem...

 

Seriously?

 

If you get busted 3 times for drunk driving, how many times do you think he did it without getting busted? 10, 20, 100 times? More?

 

3 DUIs is for 100% certainty, a drinking problem.

 

So maybe he made the bad decision to drive after drinking a lot of times and only got caught 3. But it's a decision thing, it's not a drinking problem thing. I'd bet pro athletes are out getting hammered often on non-gamedays, I'd bet a lot drink a heck of a lot more than Jung Ho Kang...they just don't drive and nobody knows.

How do you know it's not a drinking problem thing? Most people tend to learn after the first time they get busted. Those that don't, by and large, have a drinking problem. This guy didn't get it and his willingness to put other people's lives in danger (twice more) because he has A DRINKING PROBLEM is beyond reprehensible particularly when there are plenty of available alternatives. I would be willing to bet that if he'd killed your family while driving drunk you'd have a pretty different perspective on the issue. In any case, I have no use for the guy and I'd much rather be on the self righteous side of this issue than on the cavalier side. If that makes me self righteous, then damn right I'm self righteous.

[SeaBass]

This is the most recent article I found after not looking too hard that details Kang's issues.

 

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2018/01/04/jung-ho-kang-visa-update-nexen-heroes-dominican-republic-winter-league-cut-kbo/stories/201801040083

 

By accounts of other Google searching, Kang gave up drinking after his third DUI. If this is true and he continues to hold to it that is a good thing. It doesn't excuse past DUI behavior but fortunately he didn't hurt anybody. For that reason he perhaps deserves some benefit of the doubt. It is still something I wouldn't feel comfortable just casually brushing aside in a "oh these things happen" manner.

 

The alleged sexual assault is more murky and potentially more serious. Sounds like it is still an open case but the authorities have had trouble getting the alleged victim to cooperate. It's a Bill Cosby type situation, allegedly Kang invited her to his hotel room in Chicago, gave her a drink after which she drifted in and out of consciousness while Kang assaulted her. No charges were filed against Kang.

 

All this totals up to me being somewhat ok with the guy getting a chance. I'm not thrilled about his past actions and I don't feel particularly motivated to defend him against people that want to be more critical of him. If he catches on as a Brewer I guess I'll deal with that when it happens but I can certainly understand those that don't want any part of him in the organization. It wouldn't break my heart if things don't work out between him and the club.

[pacopete4]

Tonight’s game can’t get here fast enough.

[Brew crew 92]

A.) bad citizen/good baseball player

B.) good citizen/bad baseball player

 

I’ll take A.

Hoping change of scenery can help get his bat going.

[MrTPlush]

I find it weird everyone is freaking out here when we currently have Jeremy Jeffress and Ryan Braun on this team.

[brooks_quichenick]

I find it weird everyone is freaking out here when we currently have Jeremy Jeffress and Ryan Braun on this team.

 

I'm sorry but using marijuana to cope with epilepsy and doing steroids have no business being compared to allegations of drugging and raping a woman.

[Outlander]

Plus plenty of people do not like Braun both as fans of the Brewers and fans around baseball. However, he never really harmed anybody else besides arguably the collector and never put other lives at risk.

[MrTPlush]

I find it weird everyone is freaking out here when we currently have Jeremy Jeffress and Ryan Braun on this team.

 

I'm sorry but using marijuana to cope with epilepsy and doing steroids have no business being compared to allegations of drugging and raping a woman.

 

A) Was he found guilty of that, no.

 

B) Jeremy Jeffress has a DUI and went to rehab after it...one can come to the conclusion he had a drinking problem and that likely wasn't the first time.

C) He was caught for marijuana three times before he was diagnosed. Once he got diagnosed they essentially suggested the marijuana use was possibly him self-medicating for his seizures/anxiety. Regardless of the truthness to that self medicating with drugs not exactly right...as he clearly has medication that is legal now I would assume.

 

D) Ryan Braun committed fraud and if he was doing PEDs from his time in Miami/college (entirely plausible) he did it to the tune of about $150mil in contracts by cheating...then of course all his model citizen behavior after that. Now of course such fraud isn't a crime and teams aren't allowed to back out contracts for it...but when you think about it, pretty messed up (potentially).

 

All I am trying to say is we don't exactly have a team that is 100% model citizens and historically you could pull up a lot of names too...most notably Francisco Rodriquez. Please spare me the nitpicking about how Kang is worse etc. etc. etc. If he was actually found guilty of drugging and raping someone, a little different of a story. Obviously that is on a whole new level of messed up and he wouldn't even be able to play baseball anymore.

[patrickgpe]

this thread is destined to be blocked, so lets get that over with now.

 

anyway, i can't see this more as a depth move for San Antonio. They did trade away a starter in Dubon and did lose Hiura to the big club. They can only bring up 3 players on Sept 1, doubt Kang will be one of those 3 or I'd be shocked if he ever came up to Milwaukee for a minute.

[DuWayne Steurer]

C) He was caught for marijuana three times before he was diagnosed. Once he got diagnosed they essentially suggested the marijuana use was possibly him self-medicating for his seizures/anxiety. Regardless of the truthness to that self medicating with drugs not exactly right...as he clearly has medication that is legal now I would assume.

 

 

I can say as someone who's dealt with seizures for about 12 years, most of seizure treatment is trying combinations of drugs to see what works. When something doesn't work or stops working, they try something else. A lot of prescribing is guessing what works, and trying different dosing levels, and when something stops working, or doesn't work, it can be super frustrating. Marijuana is pretty effective for dealing with seizures, regardless of the legality of it. When you're dealing with health issues and doctors are literally just guessing, and you're getting frustrated, I can understand where the guy is coming from.

[tmwiese55]

That estimate is almost certainly comically high. I don't dispute people do it, but most people make the smart choice to have 1 or 2 or have a DD.

 

As far as a DUI not being an indicator of a drinking problem, I can agree...once. After that, you've got a drinking problem. I do have friends with multiples and every one of them can't cut themselves off.

 

The amount of people who drink alcohol, period, is exaggerated because drinkers tend to put it out there. Random fact, but while the USA has the highest ratio of binge drinkers, it also has the highest % of its population that doesn't consume alcohol at all - about 50% of its adults.

 

yea the number is high as I didn't factor in how much carpooling at a normal game. 35K people doesn't mean 20K+ in cars, so that was my mistake in the estimate. So rephrase that thousands of people are operating at DUI level every game. It's not hard at all to be above .08. Still, you know what I meant in that it's just such a big part of WI culture and obviously for Brewers specifically the tailgating plays right into it.

 

FYI:Quick google says 7% of WI population has a DUI. Of course factor in how many in the population are below 20ish years old and that percent goes up quite a bit. Frankly, I was expecting higher.

 

That number of DUI per game is still beyond ludicrously large. You are seriously suggesting that 10%+ of the people who drive to the game get plastered enough (at MP beer prices) to still be impaired an hour after they are done drinking (no sales the last couple of innings). If it were anywhere near that level, the police would just test everybody leaving the game. They'd be irresponsible not to.

 

--

 

Yes, I've thought for years how comical it would be if the cops standing right there watching people drive out buzzed up gave everyone breathalyzers like a checkpoint. This is just one of those things everyone looks the other way on for the Brewers. Again, .08 is not difficult to get to. I'm also not justifying, I'm merely saying expecting some kind of fan outcry over this issue seems unlikely considering how many people in the stadium are doing it each night and how common folks do it in WI culture as already somewhere in the 10-20% range of the adult population have a DUI themselves. (take that 7% number and then take out people under 20ish)

[tmwiese55]

To the player. I probably would've just passed and looked elsewhere since it's been years since he's been good now. But basically it's a low risk gamble hoping to get lucky, it really can't hurt much. If he doesn't show anything, cut and move on. And I'd hope of course they did their research on him cleaning up his act the last few years.

[IIAY]

this thread is destined to be blocked, so lets get that over with now.

 

anyway, i can't see this more as a depth move for San Antonio. They did trade away a starter in Dubon and did lose Hiura to the big club. They can only bring up 3 players on Sept 1, doubt Kang will be one of those 3 or I'd be shocked if he ever came up to Milwaukee for a minute.

 

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure that this rule change doesn't go into affect until 2020. This year, teams can still have 40 guys up in September if they choose to.

[SeaBass]

Nope, new rule applies to this season, max of 28 players beginning September 1st.

 

EDIT: I take it back, it does start in 2020. I thought I had looked this up last week and saw otherwise but I guess not. Expansion to a 40 man active roster stays in effect for 2019.

[MrTPlush]

C) He was caught for marijuana three times before he was diagnosed. Once he got diagnosed they essentially suggested the marijuana use was possibly him self-medicating for his seizures/anxiety. Regardless of the truthness to that self medicating with drugs not exactly right...as he clearly has medication that is legal now I would assume.

 

 

I can say as someone who's dealt with seizures for about 12 years, most of seizure treatment is trying combinations of drugs to see what works. When something doesn't work or stops working, they try something else. A lot of prescribing is guessing what works, and trying different dosing levels, and when something stops working, or doesn't work, it can be super frustrating. Marijuana is pretty effective for dealing with seizures, regardless of the legality of it. When you're dealing with health issues and doctors are literally just guessing, and you're getting frustrated, I can understand where the guy is coming from.

 

I’m not doubting Jeffress went through a lot and marijuana isn’t a good cure...but he wasn’t diagnosed back then and it didn’t really seem like he was seeking a doctor to help. It sounded like he was just trying to self treat some problems. I don’t think it was a case of getting no answers from doctors and he just got frustrated. But it was pretty vague back then and when it got brought up after his success it wasn’t really a detailed story either.

 

On another note I have always wondered the number of people who drive out of Miller Park drunk. I’d imagine it would be way more than I would want to know. Really generically speaking 6 beers for a 225 pound guy is going to put him right on the brink of safe/not safe if he started when gates open. That ain’t much.

 

I mean people are worried about drinking problems for a player and I probably know more people with a drinking problem than not. Wisconsin is horrid for drinking problems, he should fit right in if you ask me. It’s like drunk driving is almost socially acceptable in this state.

[wallus]

Someone start a thread on the horrors of DUIs and leave this one about the player they just signed to a minor league contract.