On an otherwise nondescript January morning, word spread rapidly that 21-year-old Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro had been accused of sexual assault back in September. A few hours later, the Cubs pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Andrew Cashner and a minor league outfielder to the Padres for Anthony Rizzo and Zach Cates, and the feverish interest in Castro’s story wouldn’t again reach the same zenith.
There was an uptick at the Cubs Convention when Castro returned to Chicago and met with police. But there hasn’t been much in the way of new information or any kind of update since that first Friday of January when the original report surfaced.
Today, Castro made his opening appearance at the Cubs’ 2012 Spring Training, and addressed reporters for the first time about the allegations, although he wouldn’t discuss them directly.
“I cooperated with the police,” Castro said, referencing his January meeting. “I don’t have anything else to say about that. I’m ready to play baseball and practice hard and help this team win games.”
“In the beginning it was tough,” Castro said of the experience, “but I put it out of my mind to prepare to play baseball.’
No one was expecting Castro to say much more, but he did add one thought about something he’s learned from what has happened.
“You have to be careful because there are a lot of bad people in the world,” he said.
Is Castro talking about those who attacked him without an entire set of facts? His accuser? Others? I don’t expect we’re going to find out. Nor are we going to find out just what happened back in September.
We can’t rightly condemn or excuse, we can only move on, and watch Castro play baseball.