‘Baghdad Bob’ Has Resurfaced in the D.R. [PHIL-OSOPHY]

Make no mistake about it, I'm so grateful that Big Papi is going to eventually make it back to wellness, after a lot of hard work and therapy. But I'm having a difficult time accepting the official pronouncement that the tragic shooting was a case of mistaken identity–as in wrong guy, wrong place.

The government of the Dominican Republic wants us to believe that the most recognizable national icon, who is a towering man, was mistaken for a well-known Dominican TV personality, Jhoel Lopez, who was sitting next to the muscle-protruding athlete, similarly dressed.

As I listened to the detailed explanation given by the Dominican Republic's Attorney General, Jean Alain Rodriguez, it dawned on me that the AG was dressed similarly to Baghdad Bob, the infamous Iraqi Information Minister who tried to convince the world that there were no American infidels in Baghdad, never!

Have you also noticed that the Dominican tourist officials are turning a blind eye to all the deaths of Americans vacationing there recently?

I'll cut to the chase: I can see why the Dominican officials want to protect Big Papi from any embarrassment, but if they think people across the globe are going to believe their wrong place, wrong guy story, I've got a bridge to sell you, cheap.

My inner voice tells me this doesn't pass the Paleologos stink test, and quite frankly, it raises a lot more questions into the mystery of why someone would want to kill one of the most well-known sports icons in the world.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.