Cincinnati Reds starter Mike Leake famously skipped the minor leagues on his way to the Reds rotation as a rookie in 2010, but there's a distinct possibility that he doesn't realize he's not currently in the Pacific Coast League. Leake was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly shoplifting six $9.98 t-shirts from a Macy's in Cincinnati, and security cameras apparently show Leake removing the security tags before he walked out the door, which makes the accident defense somewhat difficult.
↵The report from the Cincinnati Enquirer helpfully points out that Leake makes the MLB minimum salary, which is presently $425,000. That might lead someone to a life of squalor and shirt-theft in Manhattan, but I'm told Ohio is exceedingly livable for doctors, lawyers, and young baseball players on even $200,000 a year. Your correspondent manages to keep himself in $10 t-shirts on slightly less than that.
↵Leake's next start comes Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but neither Leake nor the Reds nor the American Shoplifting And Theft Union nor Winona Ryder have released further comments at this hour.
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