Broadcasting the Wrong Message about Alcohol

by: Mike Miller
6/10/2016

It seems like every week some celebrity, professional athlete or noteworthy person is getting arrested for driving under the influence. These people make millions of dollars but prove they are human and make very stupid decisions by drinking and driving. Add Former Chicago Cubs all-star first baseman Mark Grace to that list.

Grace’s arrest comes less than a week after NFL great Joe Montana’s son, Nate Montana, was booked under the same charges. Montana is the starting quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He is currently a broadcaster for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Grace spent 15 years in the major leagues, most of it with the Cubs. A career .303 hitter, Grace finished with 2,445 hits and made the All-Star team five times before retiring in 2003.

He was arrested last month after an officer in Scottsdale, Arizona spotted his 2009 Jaguar swerving around the road.  It was 1AM.  Grace admitted to having a few drinks and when asked how he performed his field sobriety test he responded with, “Not well enough.”

What Grace did have was a young woman in the car, but no wallet or driver’s license. His blood test has not come back with what his blood alcohol concentration was at the time, but he was nevertheless arrested and booked with DUI.

While it saddens me to see the affable guy with the great left-handed swing arrested, it really is just another story of a millionaire making a dumb decision to drink and drive. Maybe we'll see him in one of our online alcohol awareness classes?