Can We Just STOP? Please!

This story is, or was, pretty much dead and buried already.  But only because one party was unjustly suspended, and forced to apologize, for engaging in a little friendly trash talk during a baseball game!

I think that most of you know me by now, as a very liberal individual, who supports voting rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, and most of all civil rights.  I’m a firm believer in the Black Lives Matter movement, and I truly believe that our police systems should be reformed.  And, some of you may know – but for those of you who don’t, I’ll tell you – I hate the New York Yankees.  I can’t even get behind those who say you have to root for the home team!  Nonsense!  When you’re a New York baseball fan you have to make a choice.  Mine was, and is, the New York Mets.  The cross town rivals are my nemesis, and I always take great pleasure when they lose.  But when it comes to their individual players I’m generally pretty ambivalent.  The only one that I would ever really say I actually “hated” would be Roger Clemons, because he was a psycho-bitch.  But he has long retired – thankfully – and I have actually mellowed in my old age.

With that being said, I’ve always been ambivalent about Josh Donaldson.  He never played for my Mets.  This is his first year as a Yankee, but he has had an admirable career.  He’s been in the big leagues since 2010.  He’s a three time All Star, a two time Silver Slugger Award winner, and he won the AL MVP in 2015.  He’s now on his sixth team, and everywhere he’s gone he’s been considered a “team player”, and the antithesis of a trouble maker.

A couple of weeks ago the Yankees were playing the Chicago White Sox, and Josh Donaldson teasingly called White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson “Jackie”, because in a 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated Mr. Anderson made the statement:  “I kinda feel like today’s Jackie Robinson.”  He has been in the bigs about half the time Donaldson has.  He’s been in one All Star game, and won one Silver Slugger Award, and he was the AL Batting Champ in 2019 – the year he made the statement – so I guess you could say he’s an up and coming star.  Truth is I’d never heard of him before this happened, as I don’t pay too much attention to the American League, being a Mets fan.  So, I didn’t have ANY opinion of him . . . until now.  The Yankees had recently taken 3 – 4 games in Chicago, and then the White Sox were losing the game on Saturday, in New York, so I think Anderson was mainly frustrated with their efforts.  He went back to his bench and started complaining that Donaldson was “disrespecting” him.  Donaldson considered the calling him “Jackie” an “inside joke”, as he had also done so back in 2019, after Anderson had made his statement to SI.

In my mind, if you make a statement comparing yourself with one of the game’s greatest players you have to expect a good amount of blow-back.  I think that is why most rational people do not make these kind of statements, because it just opens you up to criticism . . . especially when you don’t live up to that comparison.  Jackie Robinson was in the MLB for only 9 seasons, and during that time he was the MLB Rookie of the Year – 1947, the NL MVP – 1949, a 2X NL stolen base leader – ’47 & ’49, and he was SIX time All-Star, with a batting average of .313!   You definitely have a ways to go, young man!

Josh Donaldson did not call Tim Anderson:  Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Willie Stargell, Ozzie Smith, or any of the other African American baseball players of renown.  Why?  Because Tim Anderson never made any statement comparing himself to any of them.  Only to Jackie Robinson.  And, Josh Donaldson has never called Josh Bell, Mookie Betts, Dee Gordon, Dom Smith, Michael Brantley, or any other current African American baseball player “Jackie”, because they never compared themselves to Jackie Robinson.  He very likely has called Jackie Bradley Jr. “Jackie” . . . but of course that IS his name.

Taking offense to someone calling you a name – that isn’t yours – is the furthest thing from being racist.  In this case it was just a well-deserved dig.  It’s playful trash talk, that he has set yourself up for with his own words.  To whine to your manager (Tony La Russa) about it, and then agree with him – publicly – that it’s disrespectful AND “racist” is just deplorable.  There is more than enough actual racism and hatred in this world, and besmirching a fellow ballplayer’s reputation with this kind of allegation helps no one whatsoever.

And, the fact that everyone seems to have fallen in line with the all too eager to condemn PC police is just as disgusting.  All the players that Josh Donaldson has played with, and against, over the years know that he is not a racist.  The fact that none of his current teammates have come to his support is just plain sad, and that MLB had the temerity to suspend him for a game is just a cowardly act of weakness and injustice.  And, to think that Tim Anderson got a pass for calling Brad Keller a “weak-ass f—— n—–“, after getting hit by a pitch, is the irony that takes the cake.  He can call a fellow player the “N-word”, but someone teasingly calling him “Jackie” is racist?

I have no affection for either of these players, as they’ve never really affected my Mets.  But this is a gross injustice!  Josh Donaldson does not deserve this kind of treatment/character assassination.  And, Tim Anderson has made a mockery of a very serious subject.  Maybe worst of all?  MLB, our media, and all who remain silent – or agree with this utter nonsense – have allowed this to happen!  Shame on us all.

—   YUR