MLB star Cal Ripken hires Dante Bichette, a known child abuser, to ambassador a children’s baseball event
June 18, 2024
These are screenshots from a highlighted instagram story on Dante Bichette Jrs instagram. His IG: @good_ol_dbj
32 comments
I’m pretty sure the majority of that entire generation has an honorary PhD in child abuse.
I once interviewed with the Rockies for an intern position in the mid 90s. It was the first day the star players arrived at spring training. Dante was walking on the field greeting teammates…. He looked like the Michelin man, just “supplement” bloated, nothing to see here.
>In 1992, when Mark Schrader was a deputy in the Palm Beach County, Fla., sheriff’s office in West Palm Beach, he was summoned to the scene of a domestic violence incident involving a 28-year-old major league baseball player, Alphonse Dante Bichette, and his pregnant 19-year-old girlfriend, Marianna Peng, who is now his wife. Bichette was just a year away from making it big with the Colorado Rockies, but that is not why Schrader remembers him. It was, says Schrader, a curious encounter: “I’d never heard of the guy until I arrested him. His girlfriend said he grabbed ahold of her and threw her around. She was pretty upset. I had no idea who he was until she showed me his baseball card–she had a stack of them–and asked if I wanted his signature. It seemed kind of strange.”
>It was a pleasant arrest, as aggravated batteries go. “I remember him being a gentleman,” Schrader says. “He basically said what she said was true, and we took a ride to the jail. I remember seeing some of the doors to their home had been kicked in. She told me this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Like all the rest, she said she was going to leave him, but I guess she didn’t.”
So there is some historical evidence out there that Dante was indeed a wife abuser. Per a little more Googling, they started dating when she was an 18 year old college freshman and he was around 27, which wasn’t as frowned upon at the time but still is an obvious power dynamic issue.
The gist of this seems to be that Ripken has given a lot of money and airtime to the organization, so they’re willing to sweep anything that presents him, his associates, and the organization poorly under the rug. Hopefully a lot of the families, coaches, and players will see this and make the best decision going forward. This is awful.
As lifelong oriole fan, and someone who *idolized* Cal more than any other athlete *ever*, this has ruined my Tuesday.
If you were around in the 90s, these stories about Bichette aren’t new. Sad situation. Having him around kids is not a great look.
On top of all this, Dante Jr was kicked out of the family by his mom 7 years ago. Must be a huge family feud. Now Bo is definitely going to be asked about this a lot. Wonder if a court case will come of this?
I didn’t know any of this it explains a lot about why he flamed out he came out like gang busters and tgen his swing completely broke down. With all that stuff in the background how could you focus. and also that scares me because Sr. Left a job with the rockies to train Beau….what the hell happened to him that draft year and beyond
For anyone wondering, it’s definitely Ripken Jr that’s being mentioned in the last quote. Phil Regan was only the manager of the Orioles for the 1995 season, and Ripken Sr was done as a coach after 1992. He wouldn’t have been around the team then.
As someone who grew up in the MD area and played baseball collegiately, in the Ripken league, as well as attended a camp (and did some tournaments hosted by them.) This shit does not surprise me. The air of superiority by the staff always irked me.
Wow I actually had no clue he was abusive
What? He was one of my favorite players as a young tyke in the late 1990s… that is disappointing.
I’d heard of Dante being a piece of shit, but Cal is new.
Yikes. Cal Ripken’s a piece of shit too?
The info on Cal being involved in hazing isn’t new. That whole team in the late 90s was talented but threw off a douchebag vibe.
Bichette Sr. looks like an evil version of John Kruk
So was the catcher Devarez or Zaun?
Has Bo commented on any of this? Or even Dantes abuses in general?
Not saying Dante was an idol of mine, but never meet your childhood heros.
Oh damn, my kid did the Cooperstown All Star Village tournament last summer, the week Ripken spoke during the opening ceremonies. It was pretty cool. He then had a smaller meeting with all of the coaches. He said a lot of the right things about playing the game the right way, don’t push 12 year-olds too hard, etc. He had some hilarious stories about Ricky Henderson. This is disappointing to find out.
I went to the same high school as Bo and would catch the baseball games regularly. I remember seeing his parents there at times. Never would’ve guessed the family dynamic was so fucked up.
Just want to point out this is Cooperstown All Star Village. NOT Dreams Park. Dreams Park is the one you think of when you hear about MLB players playing in Cooperstown as kids. Dreams Park is about baseball. All Star Village is about money.
You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. Didn’t see Cal filling that role
I’ve been a baseball fan for 40 years, never knew about Bichette being an abuser. POS
Wasn’t Joe Girardi best friends with Bichette, to the point of naming his son after him? Makes your eyes go to the side.
Never realized Dante was a piece of shit. Before Bo made his debut Dante was playing softball at the same fields I was and I’d always stop after my game to watch him hit and play a few innings just to kinda marvel at the athlete even at his age.
That’s inexcusable. Fucker needs to charge his phone. What is that, 4% battery life?
I wonder if Cal Ripkens kids sent Kevin Costner a Fathers Day card.
How could they let bichette be around kids? Enabling abusers is insane behavior
Maybe this bad publicity will help un-do this hire.
Cal Ripken always seemed kinda like a dipshit. Like I’m supposed to think you’re a hero cause you never missed a day of work? All the old guys I’ve ever worked with who bragged about never missing days were always big assholes
I didn’t know any of this and it’s giving me this awful feeling in my throat.
32 comments
I’m pretty sure the majority of that entire generation has an honorary PhD in child abuse.
I once interviewed with the Rockies for an intern position in the mid 90s. It was the first day the star players arrived at spring training. Dante was walking on the field greeting teammates…. He looked like the Michelin man, just “supplement” bloated, nothing to see here.
I hadn’t heard about this before but a quick Google search came up on a Chicago Tribune article from 1995 about athletes abusing their wives where [Dante admits to hitting his pregnant wife](https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/09/17/domestic-abuse-at-athletes-hands-is-rage-like-screams-inevitable/)
>Dante Bichette called it an isolated incident–“a one-time thing”–that time three years ago he hit his pregnant wife.
Then [this archived 1995 SI piece](https://vault.si.com/vault/1995/07/31/sports-dirty-secret-when-scarcely-a-week-passes-without-an-athlete-being-accused-of-domestic-violence-it-is-no-longer-possible-to-look-the-other-way)…
>In 1992, when Mark Schrader was a deputy in the Palm Beach County, Fla., sheriff’s office in West Palm Beach, he was summoned to the scene of a domestic violence incident involving a 28-year-old major league baseball player, Alphonse Dante Bichette, and his pregnant 19-year-old girlfriend, Marianna Peng, who is now his wife. Bichette was just a year away from making it big with the Colorado Rockies, but that is not why Schrader remembers him. It was, says Schrader, a curious encounter: “I’d never heard of the guy until I arrested him. His girlfriend said he grabbed ahold of her and threw her around. She was pretty upset. I had no idea who he was until she showed me his baseball card–she had a stack of them–and asked if I wanted his signature. It seemed kind of strange.”
>It was a pleasant arrest, as aggravated batteries go. “I remember him being a gentleman,” Schrader says. “He basically said what she said was true, and we took a ride to the jail. I remember seeing some of the doors to their home had been kicked in. She told me this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Like all the rest, she said she was going to leave him, but I guess she didn’t.”
So there is some historical evidence out there that Dante was indeed a wife abuser. Per a little more Googling, they started dating when she was an 18 year old college freshman and he was around 27, which wasn’t as frowned upon at the time but still is an obvious power dynamic issue.
The gist of this seems to be that Ripken has given a lot of money and airtime to the organization, so they’re willing to sweep anything that presents him, his associates, and the organization poorly under the rug. Hopefully a lot of the families, coaches, and players will see this and make the best decision going forward. This is awful.
As lifelong oriole fan, and someone who *idolized* Cal more than any other athlete *ever*, this has ruined my Tuesday.
If you were around in the 90s, these stories about Bichette aren’t new. Sad situation. Having him around kids is not a great look.
On top of all this, Dante Jr was kicked out of the family by his mom 7 years ago. Must be a huge family feud. Now Bo is definitely going to be asked about this a lot. Wonder if a court case will come of this?
I didn’t know any of this it explains a lot about why he flamed out he came out like gang busters and tgen his swing completely broke down. With all that stuff in the background how could you focus. and also that scares me because Sr. Left a job with the rockies to train Beau….what the hell happened to him that draft year and beyond
For anyone wondering, it’s definitely Ripken Jr that’s being mentioned in the last quote. Phil Regan was only the manager of the Orioles for the 1995 season, and Ripken Sr was done as a coach after 1992. He wouldn’t have been around the team then.
As someone who grew up in the MD area and played baseball collegiately, in the Ripken league, as well as attended a camp (and did some tournaments hosted by them.) This shit does not surprise me. The air of superiority by the staff always irked me.
Wow I actually had no clue he was abusive
What? He was one of my favorite players as a young tyke in the late 1990s… that is disappointing.
I’d heard of Dante being a piece of shit, but Cal is new.
Yikes. Cal Ripken’s a piece of shit too?
The info on Cal being involved in hazing isn’t new. That whole team in the late 90s was talented but threw off a douchebag vibe.
Bichette Sr. looks like an evil version of John Kruk
So was the catcher Devarez or Zaun?
Has Bo commented on any of this? Or even Dantes abuses in general?
Not saying Dante was an idol of mine, but never meet your childhood heros.
Oh damn, my kid did the Cooperstown All Star Village tournament last summer, the week Ripken spoke during the opening ceremonies. It was pretty cool. He then had a smaller meeting with all of the coaches. He said a lot of the right things about playing the game the right way, don’t push 12 year-olds too hard, etc. He had some hilarious stories about Ricky Henderson. This is disappointing to find out.
I went to the same high school as Bo and would catch the baseball games regularly. I remember seeing his parents there at times. Never would’ve guessed the family dynamic was so fucked up.
Just want to point out this is Cooperstown All Star Village. NOT Dreams Park. Dreams Park is the one you think of when you hear about MLB players playing in Cooperstown as kids. Dreams Park is about baseball. All Star Village is about money.
You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. Didn’t see Cal filling that role
I’ve been a baseball fan for 40 years, never knew about Bichette being an abuser. POS
Wasn’t Joe Girardi best friends with Bichette, to the point of naming his son after him? Makes your eyes go to the side.
Never realized Dante was a piece of shit. Before Bo made his debut Dante was playing softball at the same fields I was and I’d always stop after my game to watch him hit and play a few innings just to kinda marvel at the athlete even at his age.
That’s inexcusable. Fucker needs to charge his phone. What is that, 4% battery life?
I wonder if Cal Ripkens kids sent Kevin Costner a Fathers Day card.
How could they let bichette be around kids? Enabling abusers is insane behavior
Maybe this bad publicity will help un-do this hire.
Cal Ripken always seemed kinda like a dipshit. Like I’m supposed to think you’re a hero cause you never missed a day of work? All the old guys I’ve ever worked with who bragged about never missing days were always big assholes
I didn’t know any of this and it’s giving me this awful feeling in my throat.