Dernell Stenson, 1978-2003

If you were not a total baseball nut, or an ardent Boston Red Sox or Cincinnati Red fan, you probably had never heard of Dernell Stenson before this past week. But if you have watched the evening news or read major news websites, you will know that he was a outfielder that was brutally murdered on an attempted robbery in Chandler, Arizona on Wednesday night.

I will talk about my thoughts on the incident but before that, Stenson was once a hot OF and then 1B prospect with the Sox. I pulled out my John Sickels' 1999 Minor League Scouting Handbook and it says, "How good will he become? Imagine Mo Vaughn [ed. note - Vaughn was good back then] with a decent outfield glove." He got a B+ grade which indicates that he's likely to be a regular big leaguer, even a potential all star. To give you an idea, other B+ in 1999 were Octavio Dotel, probable 2003 AL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, and all stars Freddy Garcia, Pat Burrell, Richie Sexson, and Mike Lowell. Yes, there were total busts in that group too but it gives you an indication of Stenson's raw ability. Sadly, another ballplayer in that group Padres OF Mike Darr was killed during 2002 spring training in an auto accident.

Professional and college athletes pass away every so often - usually from auto accidents because they're driving their sportscars or SUVs too fast, too drunk, or both. Steve Bechler died earlier this year because of complications from ephedra. But Stenson's death is the saddest I can remember given the circumstances.

It was originally reported as a possible hate crime as Chandler is not very diverse. It was later reported as a murder, execution style. Now it is being called a robbery attempt where Stenson was shot while trying to escape and run over in his own SUV. I know that I would never have known about this but for the fact that Stenson was a big league ballplayer. But to think, and I acknowledge we don't know all the facts yet, that this can still happen in a seemingly random way, makes me incredibly sick.

This was on the front page of many newspapers. It reminds me of a quote by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren (at least he has some legacy): "I always turn to the sports pages first. The sports pages records people's accomplishments. The front page nothing but their failures."