Punxatawney (AP)--Earlier today, Punxatawney noted that Luis Gonzalez was
happy to be traded from Spokane in a press release. While his quote was
accurate as published in the Hogs release, apparently Gonzalez must have
thought about the trade a bit after finding out about it. He then went on a
mad rampage in the Paladins clubhouse, even going so far as to urinate on
various lockers.
Shapiro's response to this was straightforward. "We expect our players to
be not merely athletes, but also role models. We play in a small town with
a small town atmosphere and small town people. If Gonzalez continues his
drinking, poor work ethics, and outbursts, he'll quickly find himself in
[AAA] Roswell. I don't think that we'll have a problem with him--Jose
Valentin, who won the MVP this year--was a bit rowdy when he first got here
but [Ryan] Klesko, our team captain, straightened him out. Luis Gonzalez
has already proved he is a stellar athlete. It is now time for him to learn
how to be a stellar human being as well."
To this point, Gonzalez has not yet arrived in Kissimmee, Florida, the Hogs
spring training facility. He is expected by tomorrow at midnight while
Shapiro hopes that he shows up in time to get some practice in tomorrow.
Gonzalez could not be reached for comment at this time.
