Just Shut Up, Part 2
If Curt Schilling’s 2004 performance was enough to earn him the good will of the media and fans, to the point of absolving him of guilt when he says/does things that are detrimental to the team, surely the career Red Sox performances of the oft-criticized Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez have done enough to similarly absolve them of guilt when they say/do things that are detrimental to the team.
All three players were members of “The 25.” Both Pedro and Schill pitched with significant injuries in must win games in the playoffs (surely you haven’t forgotten this game). All three players were/are/have been, during their stretches in Boston, amongst the elite at their positions. All are paid well/overpaid (Schilling is earning about $500k less than Martinez this year). Two of the three are outspoken.
Yet two of the players have been degraded, demeaned, and questioned by the legitimate press. One hasn’t been. Two of the players have been pilloried by a tabloid-style site I won’t link to since I refuse to give it credence. One hasn’t been.
It is that simple. That is the double standard the unnamed player was referring to.
I’m not in favor of rooting against Curt Schilling. My last ticket of the year was to last night’s rain out, and I’m sorely disappointed I won’t get to see Schilling pitch. As a baseball fan, it is a joy to watch him play the game. But he is the beneficiary of a double standard and I don’t think it is even arguable.
September 27th, 2005 at 3:38 pm
I wish I disagreed with Cliff.
But I don’t.
September 27th, 2005 at 3:53 pm
Has race been an issue in Boston? Yes. Has it been the primary factor in the villification of particular players? Hardly. Let’s take a look at players that have been villified by the press/fans over the past several years: Foulke, Bellhorn, Embree, Offerman, Slcoumb, Stanley, Nomar, Vaughn, Clemens (last 2? seasons) Yaz (seriously). Some white, some black. Some deserved, Some not. Some persisted after they left/retired (Fat Roger), some didn’t (Stanley/Yaz (actually became loved in last few years). Mo Vaughn — loved, until he got fat and rolled his car on the way back from the Foxy Lady — and even then, his departure was criticized by the majority of fans (good decision to let him go, right?). Was race a factor when Nomar was the most beloved player on the team? Is it now when Ortiz is the most loved player on the team? Or last year, when the majority of fans wanted Pokey Reese to be playing ahead of Bellhorn? Give me a break — it’s much more about the Kevin Kennedy school of “playing the game the right way” — hustling, playing hurt, making contact, saying the right things etc. A bunch of crap to be sure, but not racist.
The history of the Sox (and Boston) on race matters is well-established, but it is history.