Mark Grace Goes To Jail

Former Cubs first baseman Mark Grace began his four-month work-release prison term Sunday, according to the Arizona Republic:

Grace pleaded guilty to reduced charges last month stemming from an August arrest in Scottsdale, which marked his second DUI arrest in 15 months.

He was booked in the Lower Buckeye jail Sunday morning but will serve his term in Tent City, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies said.

Grace will report to Tent City from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. until June 1O. He will be allowed to leave to work during the day.

Grace, who was fired from his job as color commentator for the Diamondbacks after the DUI arrest last summer, does have a day job; he was rehired by the team as a coach/instructor:

The D-backs confirmed Monday that Grace will be an assistant coach. He will work as an infielding and hitting instructor during Spring Training and will roam between minor league teams during the regular season.

"Mark's going to have a great influence, of course he had a special career but in addition to that he can now talk to them and teach them the rights and wrongs off the field," Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said. "He's a perfect example and he's told us he's willing to do so." 

This sounds like a good thing both for Grace and the team. The Arizona Republic article indicates that Grace seems determined to get his life back on track:

Grace is in counseling and participates in a group for people who have problems with alcohol, his attorney, Larry Kazan, said in court.

Grace, he said, "has really taken this matter to heart."

Good for him, and I hope he continues on this path. Incidentally, you might have heard of the controversial "Tent City"; this link describes some of the conditions:

One Tent City employee who worked as a cook for the inmates claimed ingredients had often expired, and the kitchen was filled with roaches and rats.

Others complained about having no cold water or proper shelter from the monsoon dust storms that swirled through the tent camp. That inmate reported that they were prohibited from adjusting the tent flaps for no apparent reason, and the dust filled the tent and stung their eyes.

Over the last 2 decades more than 4OO,OOO men and women inmates have served time in Tent City, with a maximum capacity of over 2,OOO inmates at one time. It’s the largest of its kind and has seen many protests, and has been condemned by numerous human rights organizations as being cruel and unjust.

Please don't make the discussion of this political. All I'll say is that I'm sure Mark Grace will want his four months to go very quickly.