The criminal prosecution of a major league pitcher who threw a fatal bean ball. The charge is homicide.
I watched a Phillies and Mets game in 2010 and saw the Mets reaction to a take-out slide by Chase Utley of the Phillies towards Rueben Tejada the Mets shorstop. There had been bad blood between the two teams since 2007. I began to fear for Utley and the genesis for my novel soon followed.
What would happen in today's society if a manager ordered his pitcher to intentionally try to disable an opposing batter with a pitch? What if the pitch turned into a lethal bean ball? Would the victim's family or the press demand a criminal investigation? If so, what would be the appropriate charge?
If there were criminal charges, what impact would that have for the way the game of baseball is played?
Would pitchers be fearful of throwing high and inside pitches? Would they fear that a prosecutor would be watching over their shoulder? Would baseball fans believe it was just part of the game or would the public see the bean ball as retaliation and no different from the motive in any criminal case?These questions are debated and vetted in my novel A Pitch for Justice
Excerpt
After a Major League Baseball player dies from a ball intentionally thrown at his head by a rookie pitcher, it is up to veteran prosecutor Jaime Brooks to investigate the matter and handle the prosecution. What began as a feud between two teams ends in a national spectacle and a sensational trial when the pitcher is investigated for murder.
Brooks must confront a possible criminal conspiracy among team members, an uncompromising widow bent on avenging her husband's death, corruption in the grand jury, and a national debate over the inherent risks of baseball and the accountability of its players. Should the pitch have been handled by the baseball commissioner, or was it a crime to be prosecuted in the courts?
A Pitch for Justice examines the unwritten rules of baseball on the twenty-year-old rookie who threw the pitch, the game itself, and our legal system. Did he compromise his moral compass for the team's honor? What was in his heart when he threw the fatal pitch?
Professional Reviews
Williamsport-Sun-Gazette
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Reader: Mike Reuther, political and business reporter.
What I read: "A Pitch for Justice" by Harold Kasselman
Synopsis: A young Major League pitcher faces possible consequences for unleashing a fatal pitch that kills an opposing player.
Stats: Amazon Digital Services Inc., 325 pages.
What I thought: What would happen if a Major League pitcher threw a ball that struck and killed an opposing player?
Should the pitcher face trial? What criminal charges would he face?
Author Harold Kasselman, a former prosecutor and defense attorney, decided to put together a legal thriller that explores these questions.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tim Charles is the ballplayer who throws the pitch that kills a New York Mets player.
Jaime Brooks is the somewhat reluctant prosecuting attorney who agrees to take on the case.
He's a big baseball fan and is very much aware that the unwritten baseball code of pitchers throwing at hitters - without necessarily trying to hit them - has long been part of the game.
The author does a nice job introducing the story and the events that lead up to the fatal pitch.
There's bad blood between the Phillies and the Mets, and the task of sending a message to the Mets falls to Charles.
The young hurler is a big talent, capable of throwing a ball 100 mph.
He has never thrown his overpowering fastball at hitters.
But in this case, what actually happened?
That's the big question in this story.
Much of the novel is played out in the courtroom prior to and during the ultimate trial.
Kasselman knows the legal world well.
Beyond that, the characters are believable, especially Brooks, a divorced veteran lawyer thinking of retirement who finds himself falling in love once again.
The Phils manager, a no-nonsense, old-school, hard-drinking sort, is facing trial along with Charles for apparently giving the go ahead for the fatal pitch.
There's the victim's angry widow determined to see justice done, no matter the costs.
The author breathes life into a story that explores some difficult questions while not getting bogged down in too much incomprehensible legalese.
Readers of "A Pitch for Justice" will likely share my experience as they near the end of this story: Clicking away the pages of their e-reading devices to find out if Charles will be convicted or acquitted
Tampa-Tribune Review-Robert D'Angelo
Pitching high and tight is a dangerous, yet acceptable part of baseball. Pitchers like Sal Maglie, Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson made their living off chin music, reasoning that fear and intimidation could tip the balance in their favor.
But what if the unthinkable happens and a “purpose pitch” causes a batter’s death?
It has happened before. On Aug. 16, 1920, Ray Chapman of the Indians was hit in the head by Yankees pitcher Carl Mays and died the next day from a severe skull fracture. Mays voluntarily turned himself in to the police, and even though he had a reputation as a headhunter, he was quickly exonerated of all blame.
“I’ve always been haunted by Carl Mays and Ray Chapman,” Sarasota-based author Harold Kasselman said.
If that incident happened now in today’s litigation-happy society, would criminal charges be filed? Would there be a trial? Would it be prosecuted as manslaughter or as a homicide? And what would be the verdict?
“The verdict would come down to a value judgment as to whether the pitch was worthy of condemnation in a criminal court,” Kasselman writes in “A Pitch For Justice,” a thought-provoking novel that combines baseball and legal themes. It is available as an e-book for $2.99 on Amazon.com.
Kasselman, 67, is a lifetime Phillies fan who “cried like a baby” when Philadelphia beat the Rays in the 2008 World Series. He came up with the idea for “A Pitch For Justice” while watching a testy game between the Phils and the New York Mets.
“I was like a man possessed,” Kasselman said from his Sarasota home. “I’m not a writer, not in a million years.
“I sat down and it all came out.”
He wrote his original draft in three months, and then revised it by putting in another subplot just before publication.
Kasselman is no novice to the legal system. For 30 years, he worked for the Camden County (N.J.) prosecutor’s office, spending his final eight years as deputy first assistant prosecutor until he retired from the post in October 2004. He then worked in a private practice until retiring in 2010. Since 2005, he and his wife Robin have spent their winters in Sarasota.
“A Pitch For Justice” is the story of Tim Charles, a Sarasota-born pitcher with pinpoint control and even more sharply defined, high moral values. Charles begins the 2015 season in the majors as a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies. In a key, late-season series against the New York Mets, the 6-foot-6, 210-pounder is thrust into an uncomfortable position by his tough, old-school manager, Buck Sawyer.
The Phillies and Mets have been having a contentious three-game series, with knockdown pitches and spike-flashing slides. Sawyer wants retribution and tells Charles to deliver the message during a Sunday night game that was being televised nationally by ESPN.
Mets sparkplug Kenny Leyton is the victim. He squares to bunt with two runners on base in the sixth inning, but Charles comes inside and hits him in the head with a 95 mph fastball. Leyton apparently froze as the pitch was delivered, and Charles reacts with dismay and tells the umpire that he did not mean to hit the batter.
Leyton is taken to the hospital and later sent home, apparently with nothing more serious than a concussion. But the incident sparks debate in the sports talk show community and poses this question:
Does that intentional beaning, even if it is part of baseball’s unwritten code, rise to the level of criminality?
That answer comes swiftly enough, as Leyton’s condition deteriorates and he dies from swelling of the brain shortly after returning home. For the first time, the question of prosecution becomes real.
That’s where “A Pitch For Justice” takes off. Kasselman uses his legal expertise to take the reader through the grand jury process, with prosecutor Jaime Brooks assuming the lead role. It’s a fascinating read, and if you’ve ever wondered how a grand jury works, this is a good way to find out.
Kasselman introduces some interesting characters, including Brooks, a prosecutor who envisions a career someday as a singer in a piano bar; Theresa Leyton, the widow of the Mets player who pushes the prosecution and contemplates taking matters into her own hands; Barbara Jay, a dismissed grand juror who becomes the romantic interest; and Chris Meyer, a corrupt grand juror who will play an interesting role as the novel steams to its conclusion.
Sawyer is a cantankerous character who cannot believe he is even in court. During one memorable exchange, he opts to “take the Fifth Commandment,” to the amusement of the lawyers and the courtroom audience.
“That actually happened in court, but not by a baseball player,” Kasselman laughed.
Sawyer reminded me of Dallas Green, who led the Phillies to their first World Series title in 1980, but Kasselman said the character was mostly a composite of managers from the 1930s era.
Kasselman is a lifetime Phillies fan, who idolized pitcher Robin Roberts and saw his first game at Shibe Park in 1951, a doubleheader against the Pirates (the Phils won both games that day — June 3 — 11-2 and 8-3).
“I saw Ralph Kiner that day. I loved it. When I saw that green field, I was in heaven,” Kasselman said.
While taking his father to a World Series game in 1980 was a big thrill, Kasselman said his biggest baseball thrill was meeting members of the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia.
Back to the book. The romantic subplot between Jaime and Barbara is a good diversion from the legal battles in the courtroom, and Kasselman writes it in a sly, winking style. He switches sports metaphors in one passage, writing that “after some heavy-duty breathing on the couch, just shy of the goal posts, Jamie headed back home ...”
I have to admit I had a good laugh out of that line.
“I still fantasize that George Clooney will play Jaime Brooks in the film of the book,” Kasselman said.
And who plays the Barbara Jay role?
“Maybe Jennifer Aniston. When I sign over the movie rights, I’ll let them worry about it,” he laughed.
It’s hard not to have sympathy for Charles, who exudes a wholesome, Tim Tebow-like quality. And surprisingly, it is easy not to have sympathy for Theresa Leyton, whose outbursts during the trial and inflammatory comments to the media make the widow a very abrasive character.
“You do come across a true believer and it’s understandable,” Kasselman said. “Where they are totally inflexible.”
So how does the book end? Is there a conviction? Is a legal precedent set?
Sorry, I am taking the Fifth Commandment on that one. You will have to buy the book to find out. The ending might surprise you
Kindle Book Review
The Kindle Book Review
5.0 out of 5 stars Justice vs. Vengeance, January 23, 2013
By The Kindle Book Review (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviewsThis review is from: A Pitch for Justice (Kindle Edition)
Author Harold Kasselman has given us a uniquely realistic story of the ramifications that could result from a baseball pitch hitting a batter in the head and ultimately resulting in the death of the batter. Is this a situation that should be handled by the Commissioner of Baseball or is it one that should be treated as a crime and brought before a Grand Jury?
The rivalry between the Phillies and the Mets is palpable and retaliation is the name of the game. Rookie pitcher Tim Charles is embroiled in a conspiracy endorsed by manager Buck Sawyer to throw a pitch to intimidate and hit second baseman for the Mets Kenny Leyton. The pitch hits Leyton in the head and he drops to the ground. He suffers a concussion and against doctor's orders goes home to rest. The next day he is having great difficulty and is rushed to the emergency room where he subsequently dies from his injuries. Leyton's Widow Theresa masks her grief behind anger and vengeance and is determined to get justice for her husband's death no matter what the cost.
This book brings to the surface the competitive nature of baseball and the lengths that players are expected to go to in order to be competitive and support the players on their team. Does the fact that this type of retaliation has always been part of the game make it acceptable?
This is not just a book about baseball; it is also about the morals and values of those in the game and the inner workings of the legal system in their quest for justice. The process of the Grand Jury deciding to prosecute and the inner workings of this process as well as the trial that ensues are riveting and informative. You have a glimpse into the inner workings of the legal system and the compromises and deals that are made before a case gets to trial.
The characters of Tim Charles the pitcher, Buck Sawyer the team manager and Jamie Brooks the prosecutor and an avid baseball fan are extremely well-developed. They successfully draw you into their lives as the drama and intensity of the legal issues bring them together.
This is a very realistic story written with knowledge and depth. The Author's background as an attorney is evident as he leads the reader through the court system with intelligence and ease. The style of writing is easy to follow, filled with interesting characters and portrays the inner working of the legal system with great fascination.
By: Marilou George The Kindle Book Review
This cozy murder mystery takes place aboard luxury liner, Queen Elizabeth II, as wealthy couple celebrate their silver wedding anniversary with family and friends.
