Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mike Leake was arrested on shoplifting charges, after being accused of trying to steal sixty dollars worth of American Rag t-shirts from a downtown Macy*s. Sure, I used to work at Macy*s. I know the lines tend to get long, especially around "Friends and Family" time and sure, maybe our employees tend to lose their Macy*s "Magic" on occasion. But T-shirts? And not even design ones to boot? The man makes just about $425,000 a year. I’m sure American Rag would have been happy to send him boxes of t-shirts, if he just asked.
The 23-year-old starter was booked at the Hamilton County Justice Center on a first-degree misdemeanor charge of shoplifting, a charge carrying a maximum of 180 days in jail. I doubt that the Reds will loose too much sleep regarding their stop-gap measure for an injured Johnny Cueto. If Barry Bonds can lie to the US Government and walk, this punk won’t even see an ankle bracelet.
Leake was arrested two hours before Cincinnati pitchers were expected to take batting practice before the final game of the Pittsburgh series. Of course, he was out in time to make his next start and get the victory in an 11-2 win over the Pirates on Saturday. I’m sure if he made a salary closer to an employee at Macy*s, the CPD wouldn't have been so flexible.
