Reznet

In this Oct. 2, 2007 file photo, New York Yankees Joba Chamberlain runs in from the outfield after a workout at Yankee Stadium in New York.AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File

Joba's Arrest: Pouring Alcohol on an Open Wound

By Dalton Walker

Everyone makes mistakes. Even superstars such as New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain.

Chamberlain, 23, later apologized for being pulled over by police for driving under the influence.

But is apologizing enough?

To the most of us, yes. But not as a New York Yankee.

Now Chamberlain opened a can of worms. And the New York tabloid newspapers are making him pay for it.

On Oct. 19, Chamberlain was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence near Lincoln, Neb, his hometown.

According to reports, Nebraska State Patrol stopped Chamberlain at about 1 a.m. Saturday. He was then taken to the Cornhusker Place Detox in Lincoln, a normal protocol. Other charges he will be facing include having an open container and speeding

Chamberlain, a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, grew up in Lincoln. He pitched for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He is also one of only three Native professional baseball players. Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox and Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals are the others.

Bickering With Red Sox Fan

When another Native hero of ours, Ellsbury, and his Red Sox battled to keep their playoff hopes alive, Joba and his multi-million dollar right arm was bickering with a Red Sox fan.

Reports say he jarred with the fan at a Lincoln area strip club hours before being pulled over in his BMW 750i going 71 in a 55 mph zone. Chamberlain's blood alcohol level was 0.134 in a state where the legal limit is 0.08, according to reports.

As a huge fan of Chamberlain and all successful Native athletes, I am disappointed. He should know better. He is better than this.

Now the stuff in the closet is coming out.

As expected, the New York Post and Daily News have both thrown shots at Chamberlain. Joba is the most discussed, read and emailed topic on the Daily News Web site.

Both tabloids are digging to find Chamberlain's secrets.

The Daily News opened a wound with a published column today.

Mike Lupica, a respected columnist, wrote: "The troubling add-on with Chamberlain is that problems with alcohol run in his family. His mother. The mother who hasn't been a part of his movie-of-the-week story. It comes out now that she has struggled throughout her life with liquor and pot and even meth."

It doesn't help that ignorant readers are posting stereotypical and degrading comments about Chamberlain being Native and alcohol. One reader wrote: "First off, he is an American Indian. They cant drink."

Huge Fan, but Huge Mistake

I've written about Chamberlain before. I've been a huge fan of his through the years.

Unfortunately a season full of highs and lows for Chamberlain didn't help a depleted Yankees team reach the playoffs. Still, Chamberlain was a fan favorite and championed by management and local media as the future of Yankee baseball.

Once I heard about Joba driving under the influence, I texted a friend that it pushed us 10 years back as Native people.

In his past interviews with reporters, Joba proudly talked about his Native lineage. He is one of us. And no, Chamberlain alone has not pushed us back 10 years.

He only has himself to blame. The weight on his shoulders is his alone. Driving under the influence is no joke. Someone could have been seriously hurt.

Did Joba succumb to the pressure? Or was it a fluke incident made by a bad decision? Only Chamberlain knows.

I'll still cheer for Joba.

Everyone makes mistakes. Hopefully Chamberlain learns from his.

Dalton Walker, Red Lake Anishinabe, is a reporter at the Argus Leader newspaper in Sioux Falls, S.D. Walker is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and the American Indian Journalism Institute. A longtime reznet staff writer and a Chips Quinn Scholar, Walker had reporting internships at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and The New York Times.

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