04/24/24
July 16, 2004
Frost was target,: Danton pleads guilty. Wolfmeyer pleads innocent. Prosecutors to allow time to be served in Canada (in prison, not in Cold Lake). Hockey fans wondering when Frost will be arrested for being creepy as hell.
CBC comes to its senses and retains Cherry I hope that crusty old fart-bag dies live on the air. More likely he'll spontaneously turn into dust and disintegrate like an Egyptian mummy. Hockey fans wondering when Frost will be arrested for being creepy as hell. Agreed.
posted by molafson at 12:37 PM on July 16, 2004
What a strange case. This David Frost is a character for the ages. How many times has he insisted he wasn't the target, and that "the truth will come out, you just watch"? I hope that crusty old fart-bag dies live on the air. More likely he'll spontaneously turn into dust and disintegrate like an Egyptian mummy. Tell us what you really think!
posted by Succa at 12:52 PM on July 16, 2004
I like how Don Cherry as status quo generates more reaction than the murder-for-hire plot. What a great country.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 01:00 PM on July 16, 2004
Which country?
posted by NoMich at 01:05 PM on July 16, 2004
I prefer salary arbitration over things such as murder-for-hire plots and Don Cherry, but thats just me.
posted by Stan Fields at 01:40 PM on July 16, 2004
What scares me is we obviously only hear about the murder-for-hire plots that don't work out because they always involve undercovers or informants. How many of these damn things actually succeed?
posted by usfbull at 03:01 PM on July 16, 2004
I hope Brendan Morrison makes out like a bandit. That guy is awesome. I hope Kaberle gets smacked down to reality. Chara, Aucoin, and Neidermeyer should get handsome raises. I'm surprised by Thornton's move, but considering Lapointe's salary, its understandable. Gomez should get a nice raise, as well. Kvasha is gonna get a monster raise. Nabokov shouldn't be going for more, but Ekman definitely should, and will get it. Kubina will get a nice bump, along with Ruslan.
posted by garfield at 03:01 PM on July 16, 2004
oh yeah, this is a neat tool for looking up salaries
posted by garfield at 03:02 PM on July 16, 2004
ION, Heatley was indicted. I hope he gets some community service from the judge when this is all over, because I think he has served a pretty tough sentence already.
posted by garfield at 03:06 PM on July 16, 2004
Heatley: What sentence has he served already? Please don't tell me about anguish over his friend's death, that would excuse a large percentage of criminals from jail time. And his injuries, while serious, were self-inflicted: no one told him to drive faster than a speeding bullet just because he could. Cherry: ROFL. But if he's so widely hated as the constant commentary here implies, why is he coming back for a 23rd year? Nabakov and Gomez: Worth every penny they can get.
posted by billsaysthis at 07:44 PM on July 16, 2004
What happened to the whole lurid 'gay lover' factor here. It seems like it has been erased Soviet-style from all of the recent press accounts. How come?
posted by BigDaddy at 11:21 PM on July 16, 2004
I wouldn't brand Heatley a criminal. A reckless driver, no doubt, but a criminal? And yeah, I think killing one of your best buds in a car wreck is pretty traumatizing.
posted by garfield at 12:11 AM on July 17, 2004
Heatley crashed about 1.5 miles from my condo. I've seen the road & it's very twisted and he knew exactly where he was going (he lived down the street) & he didn't set out to kill Snyder, so I'll give him time served & mental anguish. I crashed a car once with a passenger. Totally my error. If my guy died, do I deserve to serve time in jail for bad judgement? It's not like I came at him with a knife. And Snyder's parents are totally on Heatley's side. Sometimes, you gotta let the law of the affected judge the punishment.
posted by usfbull at 12:19 AM on July 17, 2004
The Danton gay-lover angle has changed into the controlling-svengali angle. There may have been sex involved, but it seems the issue was more about one older man controlling a younger man's life, cult-style, than anything like a normal relationship, regardless of gender or fetish or whatever. That was the kind of creepy vibe I got from Frost, and in that light, the whole "gay thing" kind of fades into the background. Admit it, from the outside looking in like we all are, getting out from under the thumb of someone in that position of power over your life sounds like a much more plausible motive for murder, innit?
posted by chicobangs at 02:00 AM on July 17, 2004
the "gay thing" was just a rumour. if it wasn't true then it justifiably fades away. there is always lots of misinformantion floating around at the start of tabloidy cases such as that. that Frost guy sounds creepy though so it is not surprising if some strange and false things were implied.
posted by gspm at 06:00 AM on July 17, 2004
"ACCORDING TO THE FBI COMPLAINT , (and a criminal complaint filed in federal court) Danton and his housemate had a heated argument last week about Danton's "promiscuity and alcohol use". Uh, when did FBI complaints become 'rumors'?? Also, at least one federal agent has told St. Louis media outlets the intended victim was Danton's boyfriend. BTW, a correction. There has been an attempt to hide gay angle from the beginning. From who? None other than David Frost who flat out said Danton "was not gay." (He also said he was not Danton's target. So much for his credibility!) But the complaint said Danton was concerned this 'acquaintance' for whom the hit was arranged, would speak to the management of the Blues about his promiscuity and ruin his career. The idea that alcohol abuse and/or heterosexual promiscuity could ruin the career of a professional hockey player is laughable. No, it sounds like they don't want to get into the gay thing. And eerily enough, the 'explanations' proffered by some of the other posters here help confirm my suspicions. For example, after googling the subject, I found this little bit of damage control from gay activist Bo Folsom: “My take is that the gay angle on this is not relevant. … While there may be a sexual relationship involved... this appears to be more about Frost's exertion of power and control than a reciprocal relationship." Hmmm...where have I heard that explanation before? Ps The OBVIOUS answer is that, the gay community does NOT want this guy to be the poster boy for gay professional athletes. Especially since he would be the FIRST one ID'd while he was still a player. So, like I said from the beginning, in a Soviet-style 'scrubbing' campaign, the gay angle goes away. Meanwhile gay activists everywhere are trying to out (against their will) ANY gay republican staffer who is against same sex marriage.
posted by BigDaddy at 07:54 AM on July 17, 2004
usfbull, I think that anyone who has a major auto accident while travelling seriously in excess of the speed limit, especially on a bad road like the one where this happened, is criminally negligent and should do jail time in the event of a death or serius injury to another person. If (and I'm not saying there was in the situation, don't remember) there's alcohol or drugs involved, then an even longer sentence is the right thing. garfield, I'm not suggesting Heatley isn't traumatized or in anguish over what happened, I'm saying that is not punishment enough. Otherwise you could get off from almost any crime of passion involving a loved one or close friend with that reasoning.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:51 AM on July 17, 2004
sorry BigDaddy (welcome to Spofi), i don't really care about this case beyond providing a few (uninformed, apparently) comments in spofi threads. i have only followed the headlines and if these rumours have a basis in fact that is no longer being emphasised or reported it is not something I was aware of or am searching out. I figured it was just a rumour because I hadn't heard much about it since the first few days of this case. but if there has been some 'scrubbing' effort that I wasn't aware of then I will fully defer to somebody with a more informed look at the case like yourself. it is not a big deal but this story cropped up three months ago so your note of like I said from the beginning only extends back to the first comment you made on spofi, yesterday, earlier in the thread so I hope I wasn't irking you by belabouring any weak viewpoint on the issue 6 hours after your first opinion on the issue was expressed. and while the obvious answer for the 'gay community' is to distance themselves from the possibly gay Danton i don't think they are alone. I doubt the Blues would want to hold him up as an example of a good Blues player. I doubt the NHLPA will want to use him as an example of a good union member. I doubt hockey fans want to cite him as a "good guy". he pleaded guilty of a pretty serious crime. pretty much nobody will want to embrace him as one of their own. Frost seems to be avoiding the gay issue too, no? does he have something to hide? of course he would support the emphasis moving away from any gay angle if he is in the closet or has had potentially damaging relationships with other young men.
posted by gspm at 06:51 PM on July 17, 2004
Billy - so eager to throw people in jail. Heatley won't see prison any faster than OJ. The American justice system has proven the point time and time again. I certainly wouldn't defend it. But then again, I don't want to see Heatley go to jail at all. Why? It serves absolutely no purpose other than to satisfy some infantile urge for revenge - but for who? Certainly not the victim or his family who have been unwavering in their support for Heatley.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:18 PM on July 19, 2004
Weedy, sorry we disagree. And while the family sentiment might weigh in to lessen the time behind bars, I don't think we can afford to let someone off because they're a big time athlete. Not again. Of course our courts are a joke, as you intimate, so I wouldn't be shocked, just disappointed if he was let off with probation or less.
posted by billsaysthis at 08:32 PM on July 19, 2004
Probation and community service are the best for Heatley and his community, imho. Putting him behind bars isn't constructive for either Atlanta or the player. Heatley can probably save some lives by doing public speaking about all that he has gone through since that care-free night. But that's just me. Making him an example is another way to go. But I don't think its appropriate.
posted by garfield at 09:54 AM on July 20, 2004
Making him an example is another way to go. So essentially you're saying that the highly criticized athlete as role model to starry-eyed youth is the reason Heatley should not go to jail, but if he was just some unknown bloke driving a fast car then jail would be okay?
posted by billsaysthis at 10:09 AM on July 20, 2004
bill, true justice isn't blind to the circumstances. If Heatley hadn't handled the situation like he has, then perhaps further rehabilitation behind bars would be appropriate. But my proximity to this story makes me believe that educating others through reliving the tragic event is a tough punishment, and one that Heatley doesn't take lightly.(i've read many an article about this, and from that I consider Heatley to be one helluva stand up guy). Maybe I'm wrong, but its not because he is a star that I think he should avoid prison. It's because of the type of person he is that I think it would be tragic to waste this kid's gift.
posted by garfield at 12:37 PM on July 20, 2004
ION: CBC comes to its senses and retains Cherry.