Where is the Justice in our Justice System?

Here, in the Tampa Bay area, we are constantly bombarded with coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. Having been summoned for jury duty 10 times and serving 5 times I am familiar with the routine. In fact I have summons number 10 sitting on my desk and I am scheduled to report on July 18th.

The first jury I served on was the case of a Police Officer who was working off duty at an office of the DMV. YIKES! He got into a scuffle with a man and was punched in the face. Of course he arrested the man for disorderly conduct and the charge of assault on a law enforcement officer (LEO) was later added. He was in court fighting the assault charge. Based on what? The fact that the officer was working a "side job" and therefore not really a law enforcement officer so how could he be charged with assault on a LEO? Really? These officers are on duty all of the time, are they not? Does and off duty cop not step in when he sees someone violate the law, whether the uniform is on or not?

We listened to 2 days of testimony. The Defense based its case on the fact that at the time of the assault, the officer was not on the City payroll, yet he was in uniform. Then the Defense argued whether or not the officer clearly identified himself as a LEO. Really? For me the uniform, gun and shiny badge would have been a huge clue. Closing arguments were made and we deliberated, briefly. Guilty on all counts.

I just can't wait to see what this next jury experience holds. I'll keep you posted.

Spring Training

It seems like forever ago when Buster Posey caught the last strike of the 2010 World Series! I have watched the off season wheeling and dealing. The deals that some teams have made clearly reflect the economy, as they buy generic or geriatric! Others throw a wad of cash and come out looking like geniuses.

I grew up a New York Yankees fan and was sad when we moved to Tampa Bay and found no professional sports at all! We did get the Rowdies, a very fun professional soccer team but the void left with no baseball or football was huge. The Bucs came along and although my heart belonged to the Washington Redskins, I adapted. College baseball became my fix. The USF Bulls had some success and it was a lot of fun to go to their games but it just wasn't the same. Then the Tampa Yankees became my dose of baseball. We saw many future stars get their start on the same field that the USF Bulls played on. This was well before Legends Field, now known as Steinbrenner Field, was ever thought of. My oldest daughter developed a crush on a teen aged Derek Jeter there. We watched Andy Pettitte grow into a pitching phenom and believe it or not, Mariano Rivera's English hasn't always been as good as it is now!

My first Spring Training game of the season is this Saturday. I find myself wondering what I will wear. I need to buy sunscreen. Is there room in my score book for more than a few games? How weird will it be to look up at the Boss's box and not see him sitting there, signing baseballs for the kids and giving them hats? I am certain it will be weird!

Is it Saturday yet?