Bird dies week after being hit by thrown ball

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Associated Press


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The daddy osprey hit with a baseball allegedly thrown by a minor league pitcher has died, officials said.

Ozzy the osprey died Sunday at the Audubon Birds of Prey Center in Maitland, said Lynda White, a spokeswoman at the center. The bird was one of a breeding pair that lived for years on a 40-foot light pole in left field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Witnesses said Jae Kuk Ryu, a 19-year-old South Korean pitcher for the Class A Daytona Cubs, tried several times during pregame practice April 21 to knock the osprey from its perch with a baseball before finally hitting it.

At the time, Ozzy was nesting with its mate and a brood of fuzzy chicks.

Ryu was charged Thursday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with harming a protected bird. The second-degree misdemeanor carries a maximum fine of $500 and 60 days in jail.

Commission officials said Monday that the death doesn't affect the charges.

Ryu was later demoted to the Class A Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League. Cubs general manager Buck Rogers said Ryu was remorseful.

Ospreys are recognized by the state as a species of special concern, meaning their habitats are vulnerable.

The bird's mate, Harriet, will raise her chicks and probably take a new mate next season, White said. Another osprey already has been seen at the park, helping feed the babies.

Ryu isn't the first ballplayer to target a bird with a thrown ball. On Aug. 4, 1983, Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield killed a seagull in Toronto with a warmup throw. The Ontario police charged him with animal cruelty, although the charge was later dropped.

Do you think he was demoted because he hit the bird or the fact it took him several tries to hit it? This jerk probably could not hit the side of a barn with a 50 mph tailwind helping him. I guess he is going after an eagle next. Not a lugnut but a numbnut.

Why do you try to hit a bird before a game?

Stupid, stupid, stupid (well, at least he wasn't tied to South Carolina) - didn't know that about Winfield, either.

Anybody remember that Johnson pitch that accidentally hit that bird and turned it into a airy mess of feathers?

I remember that raptor, and there was another accidental bird-killing involving a pop fly in a Braves game, I think against the Cards several years ago. Remember that?

But, this jerk in Daytona deserves whatever punishment he got, and probably more. I agree, 64, the fact that he tried several times warrants punishment, let alone just trying once. Florida is VERY protective of their animals, whether in the water or out. What an idiot!

10MAN Wrote:I remember that raptor, and there was another accidental bird-killing involving a pop fly in a Braves game, I think against the Cards several years ago. Remember that?

But, this jerk in Daytona deserves whatever punishment he got, and probably more. I agree, 64, the fact that he tried several times warrants punishment, let alone just trying once. Florida is VERY protective of their animals, whether in the water or out. What an idiot!

10MAN, don't recall that Braves incident - but I still got that Johnson pitch in a loop in my head just thinking about it.

Yes, that punk is an idiot!! :mad:

techfan4 Wrote:
Why do you try to hit a bird before a game?  

maybe it is a tradition for good luck in Korea or something..apparently it did not work for him.

yeah, I remember that Johnson mess, I mean that was a freak accident, what were the odds of a bird flying across the path of the ball when pitching? Man.. I accidently hit a bird with a golf ball one time at a driving range. Was practicing my driving and the bird flew up from the ground right as I hit the drive, whack. Freaked me out.



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