That’s the worst article I’ve ever read, it seems like it was thrown together in 30 seconds. It seems like his ex just wants to get her name out there, and I also don’t see why a Detroit sports writer would try to vilify McCarty like that. We all know he wasn’t the best person in recent years, but we also know he’s doing his best to fix all that.

Posted by seeinred on 02/26/08 at 05:44 AM ET

An object lesson in why no one else should ever be referenced in a tattoo - only things that are important to you alone.

I know this might surprise some people because I don’t automatically side with his ex-wife, but I don’t find this so horrible.  There are very, very few ways to break up a mistaken relationship that aren’t ugly (whether there is a marriage or not) and badly hurt feelings are inevitable.  I do think he should pay her back the money he owes her, but I believe he will once he is a bit more stable in his life.  His priority right now should be his children ahead of either of his ex-wives because they need to have a sober dad in their lives.

It hurts, and I feel for her and hope she can move on, but she didn’t exactly marry a man who came into the relationship without baggage, either.  He should pay back his debts, but it might be a little while until he can do so.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/26/08 at 07:00 AM ET

if this is true DMac is a dirtbag,running up a credit card,leaving his wife.for what?a maybe shot at the NHL?he isn’t close to getting his life together.he already was a deadbeat dad,what a crock even signing this guy to an nhl deal.he should get a real job and raise his kids instead of chasing glory.

Posted by Speedy Sammich from DTown on 02/26/08 at 07:05 AM ET

I’m not all that surprised.  McCarty is still getting his life together, and he’s not far removed from the demons of his very recent past.  He’s been sober for a couple of months--that apparently includes a gambling addiction as well as marijuana use--he crashed with his ex-wife and kids until he headed to Grand Rapids, and he’s got a soon-to-be-ex-wife to take care of as well. 

McCarty made a lot of mistakes over the past three or four years, and he’s just starting to put himself back together, with the promise of playing for his hometown team as a big “get your s*** together, man” carrot.  He’s got debts to pay to everybody in his life, his kids, his ex, his current Mrs., and anything less would be unexpected at this point.  He will have to make good on his promises to use that $100,000 salary wisely. 

He could have been a dumbass and denied things.  He’s not doing that, and the first step to “making things right” is to admit that you screwed up.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 02/26/08 at 07:32 AM ET

mr. illitch has gotten rid of every bad apple when indicated. on both the wings and the tigers. there must be a very good reason the organization is letting d-mac back into the fold. as for his past. who cares. what’s done is done and it is really no ones business. every one deserves a second chance.

Posted by kate from pa. on 02/26/08 at 08:06 AM ET

nothing dmac has done has indicated in anyway his pattern has changed.gambling is as tough to overcome as alcoholism,maybe tougher.leaving a woman you owe 20 g and taking her car is proof of change?a 2nd chance was given in detroit when he relapsed,then in calgary.when does the priviledge of playing in the nhl become a right for a 2nd chance.ilitch hung onto probert for years,guys like that destroy team chemistry and drag a team down with personal troubles.time to let go.

Posted by Speedy Sammich from DTown on 02/26/08 at 08:19 AM ET

So which wife should he have stayed with?

The first he left with four kids?

Or the second in Calgary?

He doesn’t have any other way to make a living than hockey - if he’s going to pay back what he owes, he needs to have a job.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/26/08 at 08:22 AM ET

he can’t get a regular job like any other human?stay with the one he ran up the 20 g debt with.so easy to give him sympathy even tho he’s spending other ppls money.he is irresponsible as hell making 4 kids and then running away,re-marrying and running up that debt,then running away again.go for the easy cash.DMac is gonna be glorified for his return by many.i doubt he makes an impact.

Posted by Speedy Sammich from DTown on 02/26/08 at 08:27 AM ET

Stay with the second wife and abandon his kids?

There aren’t really any good choices, only bad and worse.  His kids should come first and all other obligations fall behind - both women are adults and will recover without him, but his kids need a sober dad.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/26/08 at 08:35 AM ET

And I don’t think he’s a hero.

Just an incredibly fallible human being trying to piece his life back together in as sustainable a fashion as possible.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/26/08 at 08:37 AM ET

What’s so wrong with giving someone another chance?  Everyone screws up, and they’ve said all along that the only reason he’s going to get another chance is if he takes it seriously and works hard, which he has.

If McCarty can get to the spot where he can pay back old debts, then I will be proud that the RedWings gave him that chance to right himself.

Posted by BuzzFledderjohn on 02/26/08 at 08:41 AM ET

i’m just saying why can’t he do anything but hockey?not saying he can’t have a 2nd chance,which he’s actually had more than a few.is he that illiterate or incapable of getting a regular job?given his history,maybe a job NOT in the spotlight might further his ability to manage his life.just seems he’s going for the quick fix for his money problems,may not be true but it appears that way.

Posted by Speedy Sammich from DTown on 02/26/08 at 08:52 AM ET

Seriously?  If you had a choice of making 20G a year doing something you have no talent at (or interest) or making 100+G a year doing something that you love and that you are excellent at, what would you choose to fix your life?

I want to see you work at McDonalds rather than play pro-hockey.  And playing pro-hockey isn’t necessarly a place where you let your life go.

Posted by Chris from Grand Rapids on 02/26/08 at 09:26 AM ET

If he’s going for the quick fix for his money problems, so much the better - it will enable him to discharge his debts that much quicker.

If he is going to get his life back on track and keep it there, he needs to have a support system - and if Detroit is better for him than Calgary, then he should be in Detroit.

It’s only been a few months since he really started setting a constructive course.  Give him a chance to see what he does once things are stable.

If he doesn’t move to start making some things right with his second wife once he has the financial and emotional ability to do so, and leaves her to his own devices to pay off the debts he left her with, then he should be considered about 18 different kinds of a bipedal jackass and be castrated for his irresponsibility in throwing away another chance to get his life back together and betraying the trust of all those who tried to help him and gave him the second chance that so many screw-ups would kill for.

I’m just saying give him a chance to prove he doesn’t deserve the help and support of others to get his life together.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/26/08 at 10:52 AM ET

Whoops!

That should read castigated, not castrated.

(Preview is only your friend if you use it!)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/26/08 at 10:53 AM ET

I have no major interest in the players’ personal lives, aside from wanting to see them get any derailments back on track.  But that’s up to them, not up to us or the organization or guys like Sipple who go and dig up the dirt on them like sleazy tabloid reporters.  But there are a couple things I find interesting here:

First, that people believe what they read in the papers, online, etc.  A big dose of skepticism is a healthy thing to have, and it won’t help you to be too much in awe of journalists, who have agendas to sell like everyone else.  And just because somebody said something doesn’t make it a fact any more than me saying here that the sky is green makes the sky green.  Long before the advent of mass media, a wise and iconoclastic man who flew a kite with a key attached made an observation that will always hold true: “Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.”

Second, the willingness of some people to unreservedly condemn a man for mistakes made.  I’d be quite impressed if those who do so have never made mistakes even half as heinous as those D-Mac is accused of making.  Maybe they haven’t left ex-spouses and blameless children in their wake, but they’ve hurt people too by their mistakes.  Would they want a second chance if they were given one, or would they apply the same judgment to themselves that they do here?

The organization made a judgment call and decided he was worth another chance, that he could add something here.  Accordingly, they offered him another contract, something that he’ll need in order to get his life back on track.  He’s doing what he knows how to do, and provided he fulfills the terms of his contract, I frankly don’t see how it’s much of our business how he goes about patching up his life or ruining it again.  Obviously, I hope for the former, but in the same way that I hope for world peace-- a vague, powerless hope to see things change for the better.  I have no bearing on it and I don’t see why I should even have a window into it through the eyes of the media.

McCarty is taking the first steps back on the road to recovery.  The Red Wings are meeting him halfway.  This alone should be reason to celebrate, not denigrate.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from a long and checkered past like the rest of you on 02/26/08 at 11:05 AM ET

There are tragic stories all around us, don’t even have to look for them. 

Yet from the MSM we get another ‘Glass half full’ feature.

It is no wonder the Ilitch Organization goes out of its way to protect their athlete’s privacy...Wings and Tigers.

On Mac: Conquering his gambling addiction....Seems like a comeback is one big gamble…

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 02/26/08 at 12:34 PM ET

i could careless what mccarty does,i think he is toast as a player.all i know is he isn’t gonna get a free ride or pass like his last relapse.i can’t relate to guys having all that loot and going bankrupt like mac or sprewell.its like a lottery winner just blowing thru all his winnings.i don’t wish ill upon him,just curious why a guy who is pretty much washed up gets 100,000.i just don’t see him getting back.but whatever i hope he finds a good result.

Posted by Speedy Sammich from DTown on 02/26/08 at 04:02 PM ET

Maybe this is a rehash of what’s already been said… maybe a little bit different slant.

I’ve made more than a few mistakes in my life, and along the way I’ve hurt more than a few people, myself included.  I can’t go back and change any of that, because what’s done can’t ever be undone.  But, eventually, I tried to learn from those mistakes and I’ve worked at changing for the better because of them… to the point where I now look at some of those mistakes as the best things that could have happened to me, even though at the time they were the worst things that could have happened to me.

I’ve seen a lot of other people face similar situations, and I can say now that the folks I respect the most aren’t the ones who swear they’ve never fallen.  The ones I respect the most are the ones who have fallen, then decided to and struggled to stand tall again.

McCarty may be one of those people or he may be a fraud.  There’s no way I can know what’s in his heart.  I can judge him, but that says nothing about him, only something about me.  So I’ll pull for him to turn his life around… I’ll hope Anna’s hurt softens, and I’ll hope she will learn from it, too.

Sorry if this comes out too syrupy and maudlin… some of this stuff pushes a little button inside.

Posted by BobTheZee on 02/26/08 at 07:35 PM ET

And I’ll hope McCarty does well with the Wings because I’m a Wings fan, and I’d love to see them kick some serious ass this year.

Posted by BobTheZee on 02/26/08 at 07:36 PM ET

I just want to point out that Darren wouldn’t have left her like that if she had agreed to let him do what he felt he needed to do instead of refusing to compromise.

Posted by Justin on 02/27/08 at 01:22 AM ET

Sipple is a jack off just like a lot of the other media fatties who write about sports they can’t play.

Posted by Wings_Fan on 02/28/08 at 12:07 AM ET

Wow, talk about a typical “jock” comment from a moron…

Sipple doesn’t exactly register on the Richter scale, and lots of people who write about sports can and do play them, not that that has anything to do with writing a story about the life of another human being…

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 02/28/08 at 12:51 AM ET