Mark Grace on his firing: “I have nobody to blame but myself”

Mark Grace lost his job as the Diamondbacks’ TV analyst last season following his arrest for drunken driving. His second arrest, it must be noted. Yesterday he offered his first public comments on his arrest and firing. He’s waxing contrite and responsible:

“I have nobody to blame but myself ... I did this. The Diamondbacks didn’t do anything. I think it’s important to own this. I own this.”

He goes on trial for four felony counts of aggravated DUI, which will likely land him in prison since this is his second DUI in less than two years and folks who do that are not probation-eligible.

Of note, however, is the fact that, despite the fact the Diamondbacks fired him from the booth, they did allow him to participate in their annual fantasy camp, which is where these comments were made. Also:

“Mark has always been an important part of our family, so we would naturally be here to support him,” Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall said. “While he still has some legal issues to overcome, we look forward to his future involvement in the organization.”

Grace is extremely lucky to have this kind of support when he’s done nothing to truly deserve it. But deserve or not, the Diamondbacks’ willingness to keep Grace in the fold in however diminished a capacity may make it more likely that he’ll make better choices in the future than he would have had everyone turned their back on him.