My phone rang a few minutes ago and the voice on the other end stunned me.
“Kirby, this is Adam Kennedy.”
Silence. On both ends for a few seconds.
Then Kennedy, who the Seattle Mariners had signed this offseason hoping he would instill veteran leadership and some on-field talent to a club that needs both, spilled his thoughts on what happened last night.
Kennedy was arrested in Southern California on suspicion of DUI.
“I want to express my regret, and my apologies cannot be expressed enough,” he said. “It’s not in character for me to do something like this. I feel really terrible about the negative attention I brought to Jack (Zduriencik, Mariners GM) in Seattle. It’s not how I want to make a first impression.”
Kennedy didn’t dodge the question of what happened last night.
“It started with dinner with a couple of buddies,” he said. “On the way home about 8 o’clock I was stopped for speeding, which led to the arrest. I failed a breath test.”
Where does he go from here?
“This step one,” he said. “Opening up to you guys and talking about it, letting you know that it’s not who I am and what I hope to bring. You know something is wrong and not until you have it stare you in the face do you realize your consequences. It’s been a long day.
“You’re sitting in a place you don’t belong and don’t want to be in . You’re trying to make an impression and make a team. You think about Jack (Zduriencik) and how he stuck his neck out and offered you a contract. This is how you repay him. You’re not looking forward to that phone call you’re going to have to make.”
Kennedy said Zduriencik was extremely stern when the two spoke. “He told me this is not acceptable,” he said.
What this means for Kennedy’s future as a Mariner, he doesn’t know. He hopes to get past this, show up in Peoria next month and bring to the club what they signed him for.
“That’s the plan as of now,” Kennedy said. “They have every right to do whatever they want. But that is the plan today and hopefully that stays the same.”
Kennedy said it was his decision to make the call and express his regret.
“I thought it would be best to face the music,” he said.
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