August 19, 2005: Accusation Unfounded: Claims of bitter ex-teammate hold no water according to those present.
(AP)--The sporting world was stunned Thursday in the wake of a report out of
David G. Cesa, 22, a recent addition to
In his article, Desrochers described the emotions he experienced as a Red Sox fan listening to Game 4 of that series while traveling from an Ultimate Frisbee tournament in the Twin Cities back to Chicago. Ragged radio reception in the car of teammate Alexander “Nuprin” Louie made for a raucous story that seemed to cement Desrochers’ legacy as a raconteur.
Upon reading his article, however, Mr. Cesa had other impressions of Desrochers’ story-telling.
“Nuprin wasn’t in your car,” wrote Cesa to Desrochers. “I know because both [Mike] Stukel and Nuprin brought their own cars to that tournament. So each must have been in their respective car. And I fully remember Nuprin driving me back. So, yeah, sorry.”
The Sports World Reacts
When the associated press learned of Cesa’s correspondence Thursday, shockwaves emanated the sportswriting world.
“I am in a state of disbelief,” said Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated from his home in
“This news is more astounding than [Rafael] Palmeiro testing positive for steroids,” said hall-of-fame baseball writer Peter Gammons from ESPN studios in
News of the report reached as far as
“The Red Sox organization was disheartened and dismayed to learn of reports of Brendon Desrochers writing a false column about our team’s participation in the 2003 playoffs,” said Red Sox General Manager and Senior Vice President Theo Epstein through a spokesperson. “We are disavowing any relationship this organization has had with Mr. Desrochers, and we are seeking a restraining order to prevent him from future writing about the Red Sox. We assure the public that his nefarious actions do not reflect the character of the entire Red Sox Nation.”
The Truth Emerges
To confirm Cesa’s claim, the AP contacted the two young men Desrochers mentioned in his article as both witnesses and participants.
“I remember that clearly,” said Louie, 23, of
Mike Stukel, 23, was even more vociferous, directing his vitriol directly at Mr. Cesa from his laboratory at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in
“Cesa, you’re full of s---,” he began. “I was never able to get a car for tourneys so the plausibility of my driving to that one is unlikely. Next time you try to slander a man’s credibility, come up with a more likely scenario, or talk to the participants in the story first. Or stop being stupid.”
“[Desrochers’] memory is much better than Cesa’s," he added before confirming a statement from Desrochers' article. "I remember him yelling out the window to Wader [teammate Andy Wade].”
So, despite the original fallout from Desrochers’ presumed false column, it appears that Mr. Cesa, a math Ph.D student at Duke, will end up taking the bigger hit for his haphazard attempted besmirching.
"We will not tolerate this kind of action by one of our own," said Dr. Richard Hain,
Upon hearing of his vindication, Desrochers’ comments were restrained.
“I know what’s true and what’s not,” he said from his office in
Desrochers maintained that he will not pursue libel charges but will look to the future.
“This is the last time I will be speaking about this incident,” he continued. “I will instead focus on writing accurate and entertaining articles for the sports world’s consumption.”
(The quotes from Stukel and Nuprin are genuine.)
