MLB Pitcher Goes 1-10 As A Starter, Leaves Baseball, And Then Steals $145K As An Accountant

A former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher who went 1-10 in the big leagues has admitted to stealing at least $145,000 while working as an accountant in Minnesota.

Benjamin J. Hendrickson, who finished his MLB career in 2006 with a 7.41 ERA after just 14 appearances over two seasons, pleaded guilty last week in Anoka County District Court to two counts of theft by swindle, which covered roughly $145,000 of the $250,000 he was accused of stealing from Floors Northwest in Fridley.

You hate to see this. The warm-hearted NCAA has done their best to educate children across this country that 99% of student-athletes will go pro in something other than sports, but Ben Hendrickson just did not listen. He put all of his eggs into the baseball basket, and it turned out he actually sucks. So when that didn’t pan out for him (1-10 with a 7.41 ERA), he had to go off an use his degree in…..accounting. I would blow my brains out if I was an accountant. High hours and low pay. A little different from what he expected as an MLB pitcher. So I understand why he started embezzling money. He went from throwing baseballs in front of tens of thousands of fans to working in a cubicle with ten other losers.

I get why he did it, but that does not make it any less illegal. And in this country, when you do the crime, you do the time. Stealing $145,000 will put this disturbing criminal away for…..90 days? Talk about risk vs. reward. 90 days is a kick in the bucket. $145,000 would change my life. And I would rather be in jail for 90 days than have to be an accountant, anyway. So while we usually stray away from getting political on this site, I would like to reach my toes outside the boundaries a little bit here. The judicial system did a BAD JOB on this one. Especially when you factor in that he only got charged for the $145,000 of the likely $250,000 he stole, per the reports. Someone tell me if I’m wrong, but this dude just pocketed another hundred grand for 90 days of free food and shelter. Not a bad deal!

Although it was a good scam, I’m not sure what’s going to be next on the career path of Ben Hendrickson. He probably won’t be able to get back into the accounting game, and he definitely won’t be able to get back into the pitching game. Unless some team in the show is looking for a starter to give up 6 earned runs without recording an out…