Wednesday, July 11, 2012
All-Star Break Time For Sox to Cut Padilla
Question: what's worse than being last-place heading into the All-Star Break? Answer: having an ignorant bigot of a relief pitcher on your team and being last-place heading into the All-Star Break. Unfortunately, this weekend Vicente Padilla proved that the Boston Red Sox are in the worst case scenario at this point.
Padilla has, for many years, been a serviceable middle-to-late reliever in the major leagues. In fact, 10 years ago, he represented the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2002 All-Star Game. However, it would be hard to argue that the MLB needs Vicente Padilla in any meaningful way.
After his comments about Mark Teixeira this weekend, it might be easier to argue that the MLB would be better off without him altogether.
Teixeira has played in the MLB since 2003 and, in the past decade, has been a far more productive player than Padilla ever has or will be. A two-time all-star, four-time Gold Glover, and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, "Tex" has played baseball with dignity and respect for his teammates, opponents, and the game itself ever since he donned a professional uniform.
Vicente Padilla, on the other hand, is a known wild card out of the bullpen, with a penchant for letting a fastball go every now and then. In 2006, he led the MLB in hit batsmen (17) as a relief pitcher. Either he's got some of the worst functioning motor skills in the game or there's some intent every now and then.
Padilla and Tex have had a long-standing feud since their playing days in Texas when Padilla's emotional and effectively-wild pitching habits earned a few too many retaliation hit-by-pitches for the Rangers' three-hitter.
"Hitters don't have the same power that pitchers do," explained Teixeira, referring to a pitcher's ability to throw retaliatory fastballs at elite hitters — a favorite argument of those against the Designated Hitter rule. "Hitters just have to take it."
After going 2-for-2 against Padilla with a pair of home runs, Teixeira has since gone 1-for-9 with 3 HBP. He contends that Padilla has been headhunting.
Accusations of headhunting have been a part of the game for eons. Padilla hitting Tex in roughly 25% of their battles is slightly suspicious, so the allegation does not come without evidence. Therefore, Padilla was left with a few standard options for retaliating:
1) The Cole Hamels Method
Blunt honesty: yes, I hit him on purpose. This method would likely merit a suspension, but it would at least be a display of honor and guts in a sport where both of those have largely disappeared over the past 20 years.
2) The Every-Other-Pitcher Method
Act appalled, deny everything, call Teixeira insane. Pretend the evidence doesn't stand in Tex's corner and continue playing without liking each other.
3) Ignore Teixeira Completely, Continue Pitching as Before
Unfortunately, Padilla jumped off the charted course to do a little improv, creating a fourth option.
4) Spread the Unfounded Rumor That Your Opponent is a Racist Combined With the Patented Insult the Entire Female Gender By Suggesting the Opponent is Weak Like a Woman
I quote: "The problem is [Teixeira] talks about all the wrong things others have done, but the things he's done — against the Latinos — he doesn't open his mouth about… We are all men here playing baseball. We don't need no women playing baseball."
With great chivalry, he tried to clarify his comments: "I just meant that not even women complain as much as him."
Thanks, Vicente. We get it now. Women everywhere can sleep better now, knowing that they only complain more than anyone except Latino-hating Mark Teixeira.
If you include the misuse of a double-negative, there are at least three parties he disparages with his comments: 1) non-racists, 2) women, and 3) grammarians.
Look, if you don't like a particular opponent, that's fine. However, slandering him with claims that have no evidence is unacceptable. When has Teixeira ever done anything remotely racist? What examples does Padilla provide? Beyond that, what point was Padilla trying to make saying Tex should be playing women's sports?
His comments are classless and xenophobic. Teixeira responded appropriately.
"I ask you guys to interview every one of my Latin teammates in this clubhouse right now and ask them," he challenged.
This is a bit more convincing. He offers a chance to gather anecdotal proof — something Padilla refuses to delve into.
Padilla is the type of professional athlete that has destroyed the "athlete-as-role-model" paradigm over the past 50 years. The game — and the world, for that matter — really has no place for ignorance and lies from those who have a microphone and media in front of them. I understand the irony of my comment — many people in the media display ignorance and spread falsehoods — but my point is that if we continue to allow comments like these to surface without holding the violators accountable, many children around the country will continue to be exposed to fearful stupidity, not yet knowing how to distinguish opinion from truth.
The Red Sox have the unique opportunity to right a wrong here. Padilla is not an ace (because, sadly, that would matter), nor is he going to win the pennant for this team. If Ben Cherington, Bobby Valentine, and Co. want to send a strong message to the world of professional sports, it would be by cutting this pitcher immediately.
Prove to the world of baseball that dignity and respect trump (mediocre) talent.
Remember, Barry Bonds was blackballed from baseball (with a few good swings left) simply because he took steroids. Let's forget that the only reason this offended anyone was because he was simply better than all the rest of the PED-abusing peers (A-Rod, Jason Giambi, and many others still have jobs). Why should racism, xenophobia, and headhunting rest on a higher tier of appropriateness?
One tarnishes the record book, the other tarnishes the human race.
So Red Sox, I challenge you to send Padilla where he belongs: out of Major League Baseball.
If not, I'll pray that a woman comes up for the Yankees and hits a line-drive single off of Padilla's shin.
Failing that, I just hope an organization that allows such ignorance falls back into the cellar, where such behavior belongs.