Researching David Hale

Hale made his debut for Oxfordshire in the 1984 Minor Counties Championship against Berkshire. Hale played Minor counties cricket for Oxfordshire from 1984 to 1991, which included 31 Minor Counties Championship matches and 10 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches. He made his List A debut against Leicestershire in the 1987 NatWest Trophy. He played 3 further List A matches for Oxfordshire, the last coming against Surrey in the 1991 NatWest Trophy. In his 6 List A matches, he scored 50 runs at a batting average of 10.00, with a high score of 30.

Playing for Oxfordshire entitled Hale to represent the Minor Counties cricket team. He played 2 List A matches for the team in the 1989 Benson & Hedges Cup against Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. In total, he made 6 List A appearances. In these he scored 58 runs at a batting average of 11.60, with a high score of 33. With the ball, he took 5 wickets at a bowling average of 41.20, with best figures of 2/35.

He had previously played Second XI cricket for the Hampshire Second XI in 1983 and 1984.

Growing up in Marietta, Georgia, Hale played high school baseball for The Walker School. He was primarily an infielder, but began to pitch during his senior year. Although his performance drew attention from MLB scouts, Hale chose to honor his commitment to play college baseball for Princeton University. He spent three years with Princeton before the Braves selected him in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft. Hale spent several seasons in the Braves' farm system, alternating between the starting rotation and the bullpen before making his major league debut in September 2013.

The Braves traded Hale to the Rockies in 2015 in exchange for two catching prospects, and Colorado's subsequent acquisition of Eric Stults pushed Hale back into the minor leagues. Hale was designated for assignment in April 2016 and spent the remainder of the year playing for the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A affiliate. Throughout 2017 and 2018, Hale signed a series of minor-league contracts and made brief major league appearances with the Yankees and Twins. After being designated for assignment four times in one year, he spent the final part of the 2018 season with the Eagles. Hale returned to the Yankees in 2019, but his season was derailed due to a pair of injuries, and he spent the better part of the 2020 season in the farm system. Hale was traded to the Phillies in August 2020, but was designated for assignment in June 2021.

Hale graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1967 and served as a company commander in the 82nd Airborne Division in the Vietnam War. In Vietnam, he was awarded the Silver Star for picking up an enemy grenade in a foxhole and throwing it away during a firefight. In 1989, he led the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division during the United States invasion of Panama (Operation Just Cause). Later posts included Chief of Technology Management for the Office of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Deputy Commanding General for the United States Army Pacific (1994-1996), senior U.S. officer, NATO Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe and finally Deputy Inspector General of the Army in November 1998. His responsibilities in his last posting included investigating personal misconduct.

After his marriage of 29 years broke down in 1996 and 1997, Hale had affairs with the wives of four of the officers under his command. In 1998, charges of adultery were brought against him by Donnamaria Carpino, the wife of Colonel Carpino, Hale's subordinate in Izmir, Turkey. Hale accused her of stalking him and sued for defamation of character. After only four months as Deputy Inspector General, however, he retired from the Army with an honorable discharge on February 28, 1999, with the charge still under investigation.

In the wake of "a string of military sex scandals" and under public and congressional pressure (from Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine), Hale's court-martial began in March at Fort Lewis, Washington, under Lieutenant General George A. Crocker. Hale pleaded guilty to seven counts of "conduct unbecoming an officer" and one count of making false official statements. He was demoted one rank to brigadier general and fined. In May 1999, he married Melina Maka, one of the women involved.

In addition to the Siver Star, Hale was also awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star for Valor, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart.