imgreat95
09-02-2003, 06:56 PM
The nerve of some people
August 31, 2003
BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
If you believe in second chances, as I do, you wish the best for William Ligue Jr. But he's not an easy guy to root for. Ligue claims he has changed for the better, and I hope that's true. But I can't shake the feeling that he still doesn't get it. Sure, Ligue is saying all the right things these days. But his actions still seem to be saying, "[Bleep] you,'' to the White Sox.
After being spared a jail term by a Cook County judge with an apparent grudge against baseball, you might think Ligue would go about rebuilding his life quietly, like the changed person he claims to be. But he recently returned to the scene of his crime, taking in a White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field. I didn't expect that. Not so soon. Not less than a year after he attacked Kansas City Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa during a game there.
I never expected to see an image of Ligue singing with an Elvis impersonator outside the ballpark, either. As though Ligue is just another fun-loving Sox fan.
The Elvis shot came courtesy of the TV show "Inside Edition.'' The show wanted to do a follow-up story about Ligue, whose sneering face was broadcast across the country last September. After he agreed to the interview, Ligue suggested the cameras follow him to a Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field. Some nerve.
Major League Baseball and the Sox tried to get Ligue banned from U.S. Cellular Field after he and his teenage son attacked Gamboa. But Judge Leo Holt rejected their plea. Ligue was not the problem, Holt wrote. Baseball was the problem. In Holt's convoluted mind, baseball is a violent sport that encourages such fan violence.
With Holt's blessing, Ligue went back to the park. Supposedly, Ligue wanted to take in one last game before his court-ordered 7 p.m. curfew kicked in. But I can't shake the feeling that this supposedly changed person really just wanted to snub his nose at the Sox. I can't shake the feeling that Ligue went to U.S. Cellular Field--wearing a Sox T-shirt of all things--precisely because he isn't welcome there. And that's twisted.
In his "Inside Edition'' interview, which will air Tuesday, Ligue says he regrets attacking Gamboa. He also says he doesn't recognize himself from that night.
"When I look at the tape ... it just wasn't me,'' he said.
True, the bare-chested maniac of that evening hasn't reappeared, at least not publicly. The long black hair is long gone, having been cut short before his arraignment. A pair of conservative eyeglasses completes Ligue's new look. But Ligue wasn't referring to these cosmetic changes. He insists he's changed inside, too.
At the time of the attack, he was traumatized by the death of his infant daughter, Ligue tells the show. Drugs and alcohol contributed to his actions, he says. But he's clean and sober now.
"I was like a time bomb waiting to explode,'' he said. "Just a lot of anger built up. And frustration. And I just exploded that night.''
Thanks to Ligue, Gamboa's eardrum nearly exploded that night. You wonder whether Ligue comprehends that.
"Inside Edition'' forwarded an image of Ligue sitting in the stands at U.S. Cellular Field. Something about the picture seems eerie. Why do I suspect that Ligue's presence at the park was not so innocent, that he's sharing a sadistic joke with himself?
I know that Gamboa, who suffered permanent hearing loss as a result of the attack, wouldn't find Ligue's presence at the park amusing. If Ligue truly had learned from his crime, wouldn't he stay away from U.S. Cellular Field for a while--say, a decade or so--if only out of respect for the Sox' organization? And if for some reason--say, as part of his recovery--Ligue thought he must return, wouldn't he want to keep his visit low-key? Inviting the "Inside Edition'' cameras guaranteed it would be anything but.
What's next? Ligue throws out the ceremonial first pitch in the Sox' first playoff game? Of course, that never will happen. But I get the feeling he might ask.
And what about Ligue's son, now 16, who was sentenced to boot camp for his role in the attack?
"It's going to help us both,'' Ligue told the show. "It's a terrible incident that happened, and someone got badly hurt over it, but it's going to help our lives out.''
Like I said, Ligue is saying all the right things these days. Maybe you believe him when he says he's a different person than he was a year ago.
I want to take him at his word. But if you ask me whether I'd feel comfortable sitting next to him at a game, my honest answer would be, "No way.''
It's way too soon for that.
August 31, 2003
BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
If you believe in second chances, as I do, you wish the best for William Ligue Jr. But he's not an easy guy to root for. Ligue claims he has changed for the better, and I hope that's true. But I can't shake the feeling that he still doesn't get it. Sure, Ligue is saying all the right things these days. But his actions still seem to be saying, "[Bleep] you,'' to the White Sox.
After being spared a jail term by a Cook County judge with an apparent grudge against baseball, you might think Ligue would go about rebuilding his life quietly, like the changed person he claims to be. But he recently returned to the scene of his crime, taking in a White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field. I didn't expect that. Not so soon. Not less than a year after he attacked Kansas City Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa during a game there.
I never expected to see an image of Ligue singing with an Elvis impersonator outside the ballpark, either. As though Ligue is just another fun-loving Sox fan.
The Elvis shot came courtesy of the TV show "Inside Edition.'' The show wanted to do a follow-up story about Ligue, whose sneering face was broadcast across the country last September. After he agreed to the interview, Ligue suggested the cameras follow him to a Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field. Some nerve.
Major League Baseball and the Sox tried to get Ligue banned from U.S. Cellular Field after he and his teenage son attacked Gamboa. But Judge Leo Holt rejected their plea. Ligue was not the problem, Holt wrote. Baseball was the problem. In Holt's convoluted mind, baseball is a violent sport that encourages such fan violence.
With Holt's blessing, Ligue went back to the park. Supposedly, Ligue wanted to take in one last game before his court-ordered 7 p.m. curfew kicked in. But I can't shake the feeling that this supposedly changed person really just wanted to snub his nose at the Sox. I can't shake the feeling that Ligue went to U.S. Cellular Field--wearing a Sox T-shirt of all things--precisely because he isn't welcome there. And that's twisted.
In his "Inside Edition'' interview, which will air Tuesday, Ligue says he regrets attacking Gamboa. He also says he doesn't recognize himself from that night.
"When I look at the tape ... it just wasn't me,'' he said.
True, the bare-chested maniac of that evening hasn't reappeared, at least not publicly. The long black hair is long gone, having been cut short before his arraignment. A pair of conservative eyeglasses completes Ligue's new look. But Ligue wasn't referring to these cosmetic changes. He insists he's changed inside, too.
At the time of the attack, he was traumatized by the death of his infant daughter, Ligue tells the show. Drugs and alcohol contributed to his actions, he says. But he's clean and sober now.
"I was like a time bomb waiting to explode,'' he said. "Just a lot of anger built up. And frustration. And I just exploded that night.''
Thanks to Ligue, Gamboa's eardrum nearly exploded that night. You wonder whether Ligue comprehends that.
"Inside Edition'' forwarded an image of Ligue sitting in the stands at U.S. Cellular Field. Something about the picture seems eerie. Why do I suspect that Ligue's presence at the park was not so innocent, that he's sharing a sadistic joke with himself?
I know that Gamboa, who suffered permanent hearing loss as a result of the attack, wouldn't find Ligue's presence at the park amusing. If Ligue truly had learned from his crime, wouldn't he stay away from U.S. Cellular Field for a while--say, a decade or so--if only out of respect for the Sox' organization? And if for some reason--say, as part of his recovery--Ligue thought he must return, wouldn't he want to keep his visit low-key? Inviting the "Inside Edition'' cameras guaranteed it would be anything but.
What's next? Ligue throws out the ceremonial first pitch in the Sox' first playoff game? Of course, that never will happen. But I get the feeling he might ask.
And what about Ligue's son, now 16, who was sentenced to boot camp for his role in the attack?
"It's going to help us both,'' Ligue told the show. "It's a terrible incident that happened, and someone got badly hurt over it, but it's going to help our lives out.''
Like I said, Ligue is saying all the right things these days. Maybe you believe him when he says he's a different person than he was a year ago.
I want to take him at his word. But if you ask me whether I'd feel comfortable sitting next to him at a game, my honest answer would be, "No way.''
It's way too soon for that.