The NY Post has reported that the Met’s long time equipment manager of 27 years has been charged with illegal gambling activity. It hasn’t been clarified whether or not he pulled a Pete Rose but investigators are saying that Charlie Samuels placed wagers ranging from a couple of hundred bucks to $5,000 on horse racing and NFL games.
It’s not the first a member of the Met’s extended crew has been pinched, but considering his title, this investigation is more concerning. There’s no indication right now that any players are involved but the thing about the equipment manager in baseball is that he’s the go guy for the players. He makes sure the players have all that they need, and you wonder if he’s making sure they get their bets in.
There’s is one thing you can almost guarantee, you know Charlie Samuels wasn’t stupid enough to be betting on the Mets to win games. But according to the article in the NY Post, he did allegedly phone in bets from work and place wagers for other employees. Let’s face it, this is only a big deal because of the country it takes place in, otherwise in many other countries with proper regulation of gambling this isn’t news, it happens everyday.
While the facts are still coming out, right now it’s hard for me to look at a man like Charlie Samuels and call him a criminal. Why? Because he’s devoted 27 years to his organization, has an exemplary professional record, is respected in the baseball community, but just because he placed some bets on some ponies and the NFL now he’s a criminal? How does that make sense? Pretty sure there’s worse criminals out there doing crimes that are actually hurting people. The only crime Samuels should be punished for is if he bet on baseball, but more specifically, if he bet on the Mets to win, that’s so stupid it’s unforgivable.
