Miguel Tejada was busted back in August for a failed drug test. Now, he's in trouble with the Dominican Winter League.
If you blinked, you probably missed him. That's not true. If you're a San Diego Padres fan, there was nothing you missed about the 2010 season. Miguel Tejada included. His 59 games with the club culminated with a loss to the San Francisco Giants that ended San Diego's postseason hopes. While Tejeda was done in San Diego, he certainly wasn't done making headlines. Tejada was suspended in August of this past season for testing positive for amphetamines. Now, he's in trouble down south.
Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com says Tejada has been suspended for the remainder of the Winter League season for purchasing ownership shares in a rival club. Tejada had been playing for Aguilas Cibaenas, but three years ago, he purchased a 72% stake in the company that owns the Gigantes del Cibao. Here's more from Dioniso Soldevila of MLB.com Spanish Language site*:
Tejada played for Cibao Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League and admitted earlier this month that three years ago bought the 72 % stake of the company that ran the franchise for the city of San Francisco de Macoris.
*Big thanks to Google Translate for that one!
The official reasoning behind Tejada's suspension is simple: He violated the written rules of the Dominican Baseball League. While we have at times grown used to what may seem to be arbitrary suspensions and punishments in Major League Baseball, the Dominican Baseball League apparently has clearly-written rules.
The resolution states that Tejada may be reinstated next season "only after making repeated public admission of his mistake and have asked the national fans around the country and also publicly through mass media, excuses for misconduct."
Get to work on that social media and television interview tour, Miguel! You need the DBL if you are going to continue playing, it seems.
In Tejada's 59 games with the Padres, he hit .268/.317/.413. It's hard to be too mad at Tejada because that season was a special one. It was the last time we fans had a chance to really get emotionally invested to the point of vomiting. It was the last time we got to rip the caps from our heads and throw them at our televisions in disgust, because the games meant that much. It was the last time San Diego finished above .500 in a season. It was also the first time the club has won 90 games since 1998.