Latest news with #journeyman
National Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
HUNTER: Ex-MLB hurler's murder trial hears of lover, money feud with in-laws
Article content Dan Serafini never really got much beyond the backhanded sobriquet of 'journeyman.' Article content Still, ask any kid in the ballyard if seven years toiling around the MLB would be worth it, and it would be 100% in the affirmative. Article content Article content But sometimes, dreams go sideways even with multimillion-dollar contracts, the women, the cars, and the glamour. Some guys struggle when the cheering ends. Article content Article content Like Lenny Dykstra, Mel Hall, the tragic Pete Rose, O.J. Simpson, and former Maple Leaf Brian 'Spinner' Spencer, who was accused of murder and was eventually a homicide victim. Article content The graveyards and prisons are packed with former jocks who flew too close to the sun, who believed the things they were told when they were 12. Article content Former pitcher Serafini is just the latest in a long line of woe. He is likely to be reassigned to San Quentin. Article content Article content Serafini is charged with first-degree murder in the ambush murder of his father-in-law, Gary Spohr, 70, at his home in Lake Tahoe, California, in June 2021. Cops say Serafini also allegedly parked two bullets into the head of his mother-in-law, Wendy Wood. Article content She survived the bullets but not the heartache and took her life two years later, still despairing over the murder of her husband. Article content Now, Serafini, who toiled for the Minnesota Twins, the Pirates, Cubs, Reds, Padres and Rockies from 1996 to 2007, is on trial. The death penalty was taken off the table in October. Article content His gal pal and the family's nanny, Samantha Scott, has already pleaded guilty to being an accessory and is testifying against Serafini. Scratch beneath the surface, and there are more twists and turns than a screwball. Article content Among the bon mots: — According to prosecutors, the murder and attempted murder were part of a long-time family feud tied to money (isn't it always?). Like a lot of other former jocks, Serafini blew all his MLB dough on a watering hold called The Bullpen. — Just before the murder, Wood gave her daughter Erin a cheque for $90,000. Erin testified that her parents paid for the pair's Reno home and financially supported them. She and her sister, Adrienne Spohr, have been engaged in a legal war over the family will.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Legendary journeyman finally retires at 46 after playing more than 900 games for 52 clubs
A legendary journeyman in football has finally called time on his career after playing more than 900 games for 52 different clubs. Jefferson Louis, who featured for the likes of Oxford, Stevenage and Wrexham, started his playing days back in 1996 with Risborough Rangers, before embarking on the ultimate journeyman career. His final club was Thame United, who the forward played 54 times for before hanging up his boots. The most time he ever spent at a club was two seasons, and he one placed for five clubs in one year in 2011, playing for Gainsborough Trinity, Darlington, Weymouth, Hayes & Yeading, Maidenhead and Brackley all in the calendar year. More of his clubs included Lincoln, Newport and Crawley, but he spent almost all of his career in non-league also turning out once for the Dominica national side in a World Cup qualifier. Although he has waved goodbye to his playing days, he is remaining in football, with the 46-year-old now taking up a role as assistant first team coach at Slough Town. Louis once claimed his journeyman status had worked against him. He said: 'People say he must be a rebel, Jefferson must have been rude. 'It's tarnished me. Some managers think I must be a bad apple.' His new boss, though - Slough head coach Scott Davies - is backing him to be a success in the dugout. 'Football these days for me is more about mentality than ability,' he said. 'Every player at the level has ability which has allowed them to get to this point, but it's so important that we, as a management team, can tap into their psychological side too. 'Throughout the season, individuals will need one-to-one chats when things aren't going as well as they may have hoped. 'And I strongly believe that with myself, Yella and now Jefferson joining the group, we've got all bases covered with the wealth of experience we have that we can now give back to the players.'
