RIP Tyler Skaggs

This is the biggest thing that happened in sports yesterday. It was tear-jerking. One thing they didn't do, which I wondered about, they didn't run out to the outfield fence and salute his poster there. Maybe they will later if they put together a miracle run to a playoff berth.
After Nick Adenhart died, when the Angels clinched the AL West, they ran out and sprayed champagne on Adenhart's picture during their postgame celebration. Of course they were criticized by those who find something wrong in everything that anybody does.

 

Admittedly I’m curious about cause of death, a 27 yr world class athlete just dies at home? But hey I’ve got to bust through speculation swirling in my head and give the guy the benefit of the doubt until told otherwise. Plus, even if it was something else, the person most affected has already paid the highest price so what’s it to me the peripheral fan? Here’s to you Mr. Skaggs, I’m hoping you’re at rest.

 

Toxicology taking until October strikes me as utter bullshit. What kind of chemistry takes four damn months? Tragedy, yes, but this smells of whitewash.

And if there is some illicit substance angle, could this scheme be protecting the possible person(s)/teammate(s) where he got it?

Was this really driven by the family, or the organization?

I’m skeptical of all of this. Tragedy, RIP, but the full story might turn out to be even more bad news, and delaying it could make it far worse and even scandalous.

 

This may sound like a weird question, but does the rest of Skaggs' contract get paid to his family? He was on a one-year deal for $3.7 mil. I have to imagine there is language that allows the contract to be voided in some instances. That's why I'm wondering about the "October" reference. Four to six weeks is the usual standard for tox results.

The Truth About Toxicology Tests

 

That’s an interesting angle. But couldn’t the Angels just pay it without any hoopla and without raising eyebrows and questions?

If PR folks came up with a strategy to handle it this way, it sure doesn’t seem like a good tactic as it’s inviting months of speculation.

 

Newspaper claims Skaggs died of opiate overdose, pulls article after alleged threats.

Tyler Skaggs: Santa Monica Observer Claims Threats Led To Story Scrub – Deadline

 

Have you never covered a death before? This is absolutely standard. Toxicology takes months. There's nothing unusual about this at all.

 

The retraction is bullshit. He's not saying he's wrong, he's saying he's afraid.

He's also referring to his paper's bullshit claims as "news." News stories contain facts. What his paper published was baseless speculation.

Fuck that guy and fuck his publication.

 

I watched the first pitch Friday night. The mom was shaken during her first pitch and before. Perfect strike.

I found it odd how much the wife was placed in the background. She appeared to be very calm.

The brother was loose and laughing. The field mic picked him up laughing and joking.

I dont have any further point. Just found it interesting.

 

I could see a backlog of cases in a certain area adding significantly to the timeframe. But I could also see someone’s particular case being put toward the front of the queue too, like a notable death, celebrity or, in this case, an MLB pitcher.

Again, I was earlier mentioning how long a test would take from a chemical or physical standpoint. And let’s not kid ourselves. Probably 90% of the time and effort is probably paperwork.

 

How long did it take for the tox report to come out about Prince? Or Michael Jackson?

 

In Price's case the first info from the toxicology report was released six weeks later. The AP got the actual report nearly two years after his death.