Escobar's season has to be over, and that's just the start

No, I cannot for the life of me understand what Yunel Escobar was thinking when he put on those eye-black patches with a homophobic slur written on them the other day.

(Here’s Brendan’s excellent story that explains what’s going on).

It is senseless, vile, wrong, inflammatory; it makes no sense at so many levels I’m entirely confused.

And saddened.

And hoping that justice – heavy fine and a significant suspension – are meted out quickly by both the Blue Jays and major league baseball.

A suspension without pay for at least the remainder of this season is a start, I’d say.

 

Of course there’s no place for that kind of action in the game, any right-thinking human can understand that, and it makes you wonder about the kid’s personality and mindset and whether it’s really worth it to the ball club to even have him around.

Escobar’s a talented player, of that there can be no doubt. But he’s always been, to me, something less than the sum of his parts. He doesn’t seem to always hustle, he appears bored at times, I’m not entirely sure he can’t be moved with little impact on the team on the field.

What he did was so ridiculous it almost defies logic; I honestly can’t think what he was thinking and it will be interesting to hear what he says. And he has to speak to it and his actions, it has to be more than some scripted apology read off a piece of paper and I’m not even sure genuine contrition will be enough. There is no logical explanation but fans are owed an attempt at least.

But you know what?

Blame for this whole sorry charade has to be shared by everyone in the dugout and the clubhouse.

Someone – a manager, a coach, a teammate – needed to take him aside sometime Sunday and slap some sense into him.

Someone – John Farrell, Luis Rivera, Omar Vizquel, Jose Bautista, Brian Butterfield, Don Wakamatsu, all of ‘em and I could rattle off 35 names but there’s not enough space and that’s just a representative group and by no means am I singling them out alone -- needed to see what he was wearing and demand that he take it off.

I don’t for a second believe no one in the dugout saw it; it saddens me a bit that no one decided to confront him and, if it turns out they did and he ignored it, he’s got to go.

Two other points bother me greatly about this and I hope no one trots them out as explanations:

I don’t care what the non-literal translation is in some Spanish-speaking locales; we’re not there, we’re here and someone who saw it had to know what it means in these parts.

And when I saw or read something that perhaps someone else put the words on the patches made me laugh out loud. Who cares who did it, he wore it and he knew what it said.

This is a black mark on the entire organization – and organization I respect deeply because I know Alex Anthopoulous and Paul Beeston to be gentlemen of the first order – and they need to come down hard – very hard – on Escobar.

Today.

The acceptance of gays and lesbians in professional sports has long been a troubling issue to me but I do believe things are getting better.

They are not perfect and may never be but most leagues and teams are making strides to educate their employees and put out a message of inclusion to all fans.

This will set that back here a little bit, no doubt; how the Jays handle it will go a long way to speaking to their commitment to fans of every persuasion.

End of rant.

-

Hey, Ottawans?

There’s a chance – late-day weather and Porter Airlines willing – that I’ll be among you later this evening.

I need a local spot – wings, tasty beverages, maybe a couple of TVs with ball games on them – in the area near the Arc hotel on Slater.

Don’t want to venture too far, don’t want to be out too late, might only have a couple of hours but do want to do something other than sit in my room for the night.

Whaddya got?

-

Oh yeah, if it’s Tuesday, I must be delivering Super Son to school for 7-freaking-a.m. because he has some saxophone skills.

How come there’s never a PD day on a Tuesday? Riddle me that, would you?

-

I wasn’t the biggest fan by any stretch of the imagination but there is no doubting Jimi Hendrix’s guitar-playing chops, is there?

More than 40 years after his death – this day in 1970 – still not too many who come close to his talent.

-

Back to baseball for a bit – there is no basketball, really – how cool is going to be when the TOD hooks up with Buffalo as it’s AAA affiliate next season?

If you’re from here and haven’t been down to that pretty little park smack dab at the bottom of downtown Buffalo – sometimes known as Urban Blight Central – you’ll love it.

Open air, tiny, comfortable and, last I checked, with ticket prices greatly affordable. About 15 minutes from the Peace Bridge, it’s going to be perfect for weekend ballgame/golf getaways.

Oh, and it’ll be easier for the team, too. No more having to wonder about inflated PCL stats from Vegas, no more travel woes for demotions and call ups; it’s win-win.

Only thing better was if they refurbished Oakes Park and put the team in the true centre of the universe.

-

Hey, let’s start early ‘cause I might have a flight and some airport time to get some work in.

Mail?

You know the drill, right?

-

 

 

 

Comments

[james]

So far, I agree with Patrick Burke. Escobar should be educated in preference to being skewered. Let's see what he has to say for himself.

[alex]

"I don’t care what the non-literal translation is in some Spanish-speaking locales; we’re not there, we’re here and someone who saw it had to know what it means in these parts."

how is the first part of that sentence any less offensive than what escobar did? doug, this is a lazy, irrational and inflammatory response. escobar should address what he did, and he should be definitely be disciplined or educated depending on what the outcome of his response his; and yes, it's true that someone in the clubhouse should have caught it -- i truly am flabbergasted how someone like bautista or vizquel could have missed that. but how can you say original intent doesn't matter?
lest we forget, this is still the same sport that has one team called the indians and another called the braves. punishing someone for what could very easily be a cultural misunderstanding seems a little heavy-handed, and it speaks more of playing to the media than actually addressing the situation. the burkes have the right approach.

Blogger's note: Sure, and he should have a couple of weeks off to begin that education process.

[Peter]

Sorry to keep going, but I still stand by what I said about Escobar having those words written on his face. I can't write "You are gay" and later claim that I meant "gay" as in "happy".

The words were still written on his face, and he has a responsibility to understand how those words will be perceived. Whatever he meant, those words were written on his face. You can't do that. Suspend him.

[LeeZ]

While Cathal is a superlative writer, I'm pissed at him for not asking his Spanish language expert directly about the Cuban context of the expression. Since Yunel is Cuban, it stands to reason that he meant the phrase the way a Cuban typically means it, and from the little I've read over the past 24 hours on the subject, that would tend to cast his utterance in a more negative light.
@Lorie: what a remarkable daughter you have; well, "had" at age 9 or 10. No doubt she has since acquired all manner of tatoos and piercings, hangs out with heroin dealers and voted for Harper. But back then? Extremely wonderful.
;-)

[Brad B.]

Hey Doug, I'll second the D'Arcy McGee recommendation. It's faces out onto the National War Memorial and sometimes MPs have been known to frequent the joint after the House rises for the day, but not sure if it's still that trendy. The food is standard, but solid.

[Lorie]

@LeeZ:
Yes, yes, not any longer. You forgot the pink faux-hawk. And votes Green.:)

[dsl]

I work with a girl named Maricon. Should I have her fired, or at least forced to change her name?

I mean, honestly, there must be a more logical explanation for this. Clearly there are multiple definitions for this particular word.

[511]

Yikes. The hysterical over-sensitivity that sooo many are charging around with over what was likely a joke that only some would get – otherwise, why (indeed) would at least one other (Spanish speaking) player have not wised him up to the touchy area he was wandering into? – is troubling on so many levels. You can bet that many gays – if that’s who you’re all trying so hard to … protect? … defend? – are laughing their rear ends off over the idiotic over-reaction with this.

Blogger's note: Dare you to find one. That's a silly, silly statement

[sam]

I can't be certain Esocobar's remark wasn't mean spirited, but something tells me it was more locker room humour than anything else. Common sense says as a high profile athlete you should avoid such things - The story will come out and the debate will start all over again. It's regrettable. . . . .

[SheikYurbouti]

“Every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both, before we commit ourselves to either” - Aesop

Having had my life deeply affected by people ignoring such simple wisdom, I'm solidly in the camp of giving the kid a chance to tell his side of the story before hanging him.

[Peter]

This isn't about "hanging him"

This is, however, about sending a message to supporters of this team, gay and straight, that the Blue Jays will not tolerate this type of action.

That's the story.

Regardless of what Escobar says, you can't do what he did. What Escobar says, and what the team does to him will add to the story, but the story is that willingly, or unwittingly, Escobar did something that you can't do while playing for this organization.

That's not hanging him, that's dealing with this like adults.

[Tabber]

@dsl - yes, at the very least have her fired, and reported to the police as a heroin dealer. /Sarcasm off.

Judging by the reactions of Doug and many posters, I can now condemn someone while knowing one fact. Thanks for the permission, all of you !%^&*s. And yes, I can call you that based solely on your posts on this topic - I'm assuming something about you based on seeing one thing from you, just as you have all assumed escobar is a homophobe based on his eye-black. See how it works? For myself, I hardly know more than five words in Spanish, so I"m in no position to judge the word or its usage. By the way, has anyone wondered what the point of something so small is, on one's eye-black?

Man, it's tough to write about that underlying topic! Just tried to say I'm sure you've all been to Cuba and heard the word - oops, no, that might imply something. Okay, try again, been to Cuba and have intimate knowledge - oops, no, I'm not trying to go there either. Okay, never mind, 'cause that really wasn't where I was trying to go - just trying to imply knowledge of the Spanish language and particularly the Cuban dialect (?). And now it raises the point of since it's okay to be gay (and that is the loss of a fine word from my youth!), why is it such a crime to call someone gay? Aren't those who object to that name-calling being a little hypocritical? Dang, I'll have to re-rethink this - and not only is my brain going to hurt, but I think it'll get me nowhere - kind of a circular argument or something ;).

And for those who read to the end, I have nothig against gays, I do think they should be entitled to the same rights and freedoms (we) heterosexuals enjoy, and those who so vocally disagree (not seen here, don't take offence), in my opinion, have something to hide or gain in denying those rights and freedoms.

Blogger's note: I know a fact, expressed an opinion; agree or disagree I couldn't really give a rat's bum, to tell you the truth.

[SheikYurbouti]

@Peter

"hanging him" was used in a rhetorical sense to reference condemning & punishing someone before looking at the other side of the coin.

Perhaps I'm looking through rose coloured glasses, but I tend to expect that "dealing with this like adults" includes a fair hearing, rather than proceeding with a kangaroo court style condemnation. I trust the Jays and MLB are listening to the whole story before passing judgement.

[511]

“That’s a silly, silly statement.” Perhaps. Or … maybe I just give folks in general enough credit to figure that they likely understand that a bit of foolishness in the attempt at a joke that goes awry ends up looking less ridiculous, in time, as the hysterical pitchfork brigade out for blood because of it.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Just watching the Escobar live broadcast. Sounds like he's sincere with his apology, and his explanation includes the eye-opener (not really, I'd say it's always been that way) that, sadly, this is just another 'everyday term' around a locker room... a learning lesson for Yunel, for the locker room, for us all.
It's another bonehead moment in the life of us all. We've all had our own bonehead moments. We've all found our feet in our mouths at one time or another. Hopefully, we've all learned from those moments. Sounds like Yunel will/did.
The suspension is good. The forfeit pay is good. The donation to You Can Play is right. AA is right: "Hopefully, some good can come of it."
Look, if there was no room for boneheads or bonehead moments in this world, something serious would have already been done to test every one of us before allowing us to get a driver's licence, have a kid, or step into a voting booth. We're not there yet, by a long shot... but maybe we're all learning a bit more that words are powerful things – they're way more than 'just words'.
Baby steps. It's beginning days on the learning curve, on a lot of levels, on a lot of subjects. As long as we're moving forward... and let's hope we are. Cheers.

[sportschic]

Given the rainy weather, you maybe need to stay in an ark rather than at Arc. I'd second the suggestion of Darcy McGees mostly because I think it's the closest pub to your hotel.

Here's a quote from Escobar, who is suspended for three games:

“I’m sorry for (my) actions. It was not something I intended to be offensive,” a contrite Escobar said in Spanish at a news conference Tuesday.

“It was nothing intentional directed at anyone in particular. I have nothing against homosexuals. I have friends who are gay. I’m sorry for what happened and I can guarantee that this will not happen again in my career…I didn’t mean for this to be misinterpreted by the gay community.”

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/escobar-apologizes-for-homophobic-slur-suspended-for-3-games-1.960695#ixzz26r0d2VbH

[LeeZ]

@Tabber: you're either being disingenous or you're not the sharpest knife in the cutlery bin when you wonder "And now it raises the point of since it's okay to be gay (and that is the loss of a fine word from my youth!), why is it such a crime to call someone gay?" When you use the word gay, or faggot, or whatever, to WOUND someone, to imply that the target of your statement is somehow worthy of derision on account of his or her sexual orientation, rather than simply describe him dispassionately as gay, you're engaging in hateful expression. See the difference? Or are you purposely being obtuse?

[LeeZ]

Doug, to your knowledge, was this photo in any way manipulated to enhance or make more legible the now infamous words in question? http://i.thestar.com/images/f1/b7/84dd1d4d42e3a186d03785951e38.jpg
Because if not, and if the photo is indeed an accurate representation of what the human eye could pick up in person, than all the claims by the Jays management that the writing was so tiny that no one could see ring completely HOLLOW. And that, in my opinion, is more troubling than Escobar's offence, which I continue to believe, in light of his remarks today, was simply an attempt at humour -- an incredibly lame, immature and stupid attempt, to be sure, but not hateful in its intent ("only" in its result).

Blogger's note: As far as I know tonight, the photo is 100 per cent legit

[Michel G]

When I checked this afternoon, the poll indicated that over 30% thought that Escobar should be suspended for over 20 games, which is ridiculous. Thank goodness cooler heads prevailed at the head office of MLB. Three games and $92,000 is plenty punishment for a bonehead move like Escobar's.

[doug]

I think Doug raised the most interesting point in all this...where was the leadership in all this from the team? and I don't mean AA...Farrell has to wear this as much as Yunel...or a player or someone had to take Yunel aside and say first off, man to man with respect and say Yunel don't go on the field with that, if he is persistent then it has to be your not going on that field with that...the leadership from Farrell has always been my problem with him, if AA is the computer then have a manager that balances that out....I think Yunel will learn I remember when I was a young'un maybe grade 5?, i came home with a swastika drawn on the back of my hand, a innocuous thing done by me,.well my father saw it told me to go in the washroom and wash it off now...I did as he wasn't mad he was something worse hurt as he lost a brother in the second world war and i could see I hurt him...I never said a thing left and cleaned it off, researched the true meaning and we never,ever spoke of it again...I cried to my mom about it a few days later and told her I never meant to hurt dad like that, she gave me a hug and said he's fine, as are you...so i learned from just doing a mindless act caught in the moment ..as Yunel will, but still the question is where was the leadership??...ok cheers...

[Leonard Oikos]

I did not like the J.Magloire signing. We already have 15 for camp. We tried it last year; maybe he was a good voice in the locker room but -no thanks!
On a side note; I really didn't know Terrence Ross before the draft but I think
he's the real deal! He has superstar capabilities and plenty of time to develop. I also like the additions of : drafting Q.Acey, trading for Lowry, signing Fields, and J.Lucas lll. GO RAPTORS! .

[JHP]

I'm very disappointed with a 3 game suspension. It speaks volumes to the Toronto organization and nobody was without fault. A sorry spoiled millionaire does not cut it in my books.

I know the season is over but how could they not have seen the players face.

[J]

Just a few things:

1. @Lorie: Props to you for doing such a damn good job with that daughter of yours. You don't usually find kids that young with that level of consideration.

2. I'm not going to jump on either bandwagon, as I feel uncomfortable being adamant over something in a language foreign to me. Had it actually said "you are a faggot" in English, I'd want one of the pitchforks as well. However...

3. @dsl: That's a terrible analogy. You seem to be suggesting that it is wrong to be offended over the use of a certain word just because the same combination of letters appears elsewhere in an entirely different context? Escobar did not merely have "maricon" on his eye-black, nor is your co-worker named "Tu Ere Maricon." Context is not completely unavailable here.

4. @Rob V: I respectfully disagree. While I do agree that words, in essence, have no positive nor negative weight except that placed on them, ignoring an existing issue (sadly, bigotry is still an ongoing issue) does not make it go away. The solution isn't censorship, clearly, but there needs to be more awareness that hate speech is unacceptable. Somehow, through his addiction to online gaming, "don't be such a Jew" as well as the N- and F- words have all become part of his "I'm so cool" lingo. Two siblings could not be any more different, sigh.

[J]

One last comment...

@511: I'm sorry, but unless you are actually part of the victimized demographic, you have no say on certain conduct being inoffensive. And even if you were part of that demographic, you'd still have the weight of only one opinion. In the end, it's irrelevant whether or not part of the LGBT community might find it humorous.

To give you an example from my own experience, when I was growing up in Toronto, I sadly experienced racism several times due to my skin color. Once, even, when I was 12 and riding my bike through the parking lot of a Malvern elementary school, two much older kids pointed at me, yelled "Chink" and whipped an aluminum baseball bat straight at me. The bat barely missed me as I burned rubber. As I was born and raised in Canada, it's not the best feeling when you are repeatedly treated like you don't belong, especially when you don't have anywhere to "go back to."

Following an incident in New Jersey where two radio DJs publicly advocated and garnered saddening support for the idea that any American voting for an Asian candidate for governmental office was unpatriotic and that Asians are foreigners and not real Americans, I was told, and I paraphrase, "that's not racist because I have a friend from China and he doesn't understand all the fuss." What both he and you don't seem to understand is that the feeling that comes with discrimination is personal to each person's own experience. It doesn't even matter that in my example it was a "friend from China," it could have been a "Chinese friend from Missouri" and his life experiences may have been such that he does not feel as offended. Likewise, it is possible that some in the LGBT community may find the incident humorous (though I find it difficult to imagine any would laugh in the face of promoting equality), but it doesn't mean they, or you, have the right to decide for those who may feel offended. That can be as offensive as the conduct itself.

[511]

@J: After thinking about it, you might be right.