This BP Unfiltered post from Kevin Goldstein is a must read.
My own experiences inside the game did, unfortunately, expose me to some of that unpleasant side of human behavior as well, and I was glad to see Kevin address it head on as he did.
→ April 1, 2008
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Keith, did you see the Giants’ “What is a Gamer?” promo earlier this spring? I didn’t think much of it at first, but then I realized that they only showed their white guys on the promo (with “Gamers” being hustlers who do all the little things and hustle and whatnot). I’m still not reading too much into it because they were trying to showcase some of their younger guys, but no one’s going to convince me that people would rather see Tyler Walker and Dan Ortmeier over Randy Winn, Dave Roberts, or Omar Vizquel, despite their ages.
Keith — along the same vein, what were your thoughts on the Vogue cover featuring Gisele & LeBron?
can we say “lastings milledge?” if lastings did what shelley duncan did to iwamora (sp?), the term “thug” would’ve been used all over the media. but instead we saw the words “hustle” and “hard-nosed.”
I’m confused about the original published comment. Is he saying that baseball (or some small subset of it) will accept unintelligent black players but not intelligent ones?
Jason, like it or not, Milledge is about as close to a “thug” (depending on your definition of thug) as you’ll get in baseball, simply on the basis of his rap song.
I also have seen MUCH criticism of Duncan’s slide. Not sure what the mainstream media was saying but some blogs (which we all know are more respectable) were very critical. The only ones I saw defending it were Yankee blogs, and not all of them were at that.
jon, was duncan called a thug by anyone? no. but milledge has been called a thug for his corn rows, for crying out loud. uh, and by the bloggers which you seem to put a lot of credibilty to.
which reminds me… keith, do you think the nfl’s ban on long hair has anything to do with the color of the players who usually are sporting the long hair? as in… non-whites?
I think the ban on long hair is analogous to the NBA requiring players to wear suits when they are on the bench/in the stands, and not playing. They don’t feel comfortable with players displaying a culture that is foreign and, to be honest, scary to them. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but it is 2008 and it still seems like some people have a problem with people dressing, acting, and talking differently than they do. Obama’s pastor got in trouble for being an angry black man, criticizing this country for some of its past sins. But no one criticized Pat Buchanan for saying that America is the best thing to happen to blacks because it gave them more prosperity (insulting), more freedom (which is more insulting), and Christian salvation (most insulting of all). It’s this sort of cultural paternalism that I think still plagues this country, not overt racism.
And Jon, I think that speaks to your point about Milledge’s rap song; it’s art, it’s an outlet for things that aren’t culturally acceptable. Does anyone thing Nabokov was a pedophile for writing Lolita? No, they congratulate him for his amazing grasp of language.
Oh, and I am not defending what Obama’s pastor said; I am neither an Obama, Clinton, or McCain supporter, I just think that point speaks to racial hypocrisy.
and jon, i think brett myers is more of a thug for beating his wife (in public) no less, than milledge, who isnt even rapping the “offensive” lyrics. so yeah, brett myers is prob as close to being a thug as you can get in baseball. elijah dukes notwithstanding.
I can’t thank malcolm and Jason enough for saying most of what I hoped to say here. It’s nice to know people out there agree with me on these issues, because my comments on these things are usually met with nothing but venom.
Malcolm, no one says Nabakov was a pedophile because he wasn’t. Have you read Lolita? It is a brilliant work of fiction.
As far as Pat Buchanan, he is widely criticized and considered a fringe figure. He is often (correctly) portrayed as an anti-Semite and hatemonger. He has been given TV shows and makes appearances on others because he is a well-spoken nut and TV execs want him out there as a mouthpiece for conservatism because he gives it a bad name.
JK — I have read Lolita. I think you are making my point, though. It was a brilliant piece of art. Now, you may not think that Milledge’s song was a brilliant piece of art, but I still think my point holds. Art is expression free from cultural norms. Saying something in a book, or a song, doesn’t mean you subscribe to it.
I don’t think the reason that Buchanan has been given TV appearances is to give conservatism a bad name; personally. I think Buchanan speaks to what a lot of people feel, whether they express it as outspokenly as he does, or not. That is not an indictment of conservatism; I certainly don’t think that conservatives are closet racists. Sure, Buchanan is criticized from time to time for being kind of wacky, but very little attention was paid to his recent comments, which I believe are disturbingly racist, while hours upon hours of time has been spent listening to talking-heads expound on a couple of short clips of Wright’s sermons, which obviously do not represent the totality of his beliefs.
Nabokov did receive a ton of criticism though, as a corrupter of morals, pornographer, etc. That said, I agree with malcolm’s larger point about Milledge. Or maybe it’s just a point about rap. Plenty of baseball players play in rock/metal bands on the side. Are their lyrics are all clean? Would the controversy be equivalent if Brian Schneider expressed the same sentiments in a death metal song?
Malcolm, while I completely agree with your description of art, I disagree with your theory that Wright’s sermons are not indicative of his hatred toward America. How am I supposed to interpret his spiel that American scientists created and spread the AIDS virus? How am I supposed to interpret his spiel that one should chant “God Damn America” instead of sing “God Bless America?” We all know I could go on.
I can accept the premise that we should not hold Senator Obama responsible for the comments of Reverand Wright, though he should and did anticipate some unpleasent fallout. But I honestly believe that Reverand Wright hates America, regardless of how much he protests that.
I think this discussion shows how difficult a topic race is in this country. Sure there are examples where white people haven’t been given the same scrutiny as black people would have, but the reverse is also true. To use one baseball example, when Dusty Baker made this comments on heat a few years ago it was mentioned, but was not a major story. If a white person had made a similar comment his career would be over.
Revs. Jackson and Sharpton are given credibility in the media despite decades of anti-Semitism. ESPN even used Jackson in recent promos for Black Magic.
As far as the art thing goes, it seems that everytime someone says something in a book or song, it is taken literally. Randy Newman was criticized for his song “Rednecks” by black people and by little people for “Short People” when they were obviously done as satire and humor.
Bob,
First of all, like I said, I’m not an Obama supporter, but I personally don’t think that Wright hates America. First of all, he was a Marine. I have not served and I would not question the patriotism of someone who has. Second of all, if you have ever heard Martin Luther King’s speeches against the Vietnam War, you could mistake them for Wright’s, but no one calls him unpatriotic. King called America the greatest perpetrator of violence in the world, and we revere him. Secondly, I kind of agree with what Obama said. Wright grew up in a different time with exceedingly different circumstances. His mistake is not thinking things have changed, which they have. What he said is indicative of what a lot of blacks who grew up in the Jim Crow era believe, and he is not at all that different from many other preachers of black churches. Had I grown up in that time as a black man, I would certainly harbor some resentment towards this country, and who could blame you? But resentment, hyperbole, and calls to action such as Wright have espoused, do not equate to hatred of America, in my opinion.
To throw in a book recommendation that is sort of on topic, check out Charles Lane’s new book “The Day Freedom Died…” about the Colfax Massacre and the legal aftermath that was a disaster and set back racial issues. Very good read and you don’t need to be a con law scholar.
I’m going to take the recommendation of “The Day Freedom Died….” It’s a remarkable story. I’ll look into it. Thanks
Malcolm, points taken. I would also advise people to check out the website Americanrhetoric.com I am purposely not inserting the exact link, as Keith mentioned that delays the post somewhat. It has their version of the top 100 speeches of all-time. If anyone wants the exact link, let me know.
It’s an interesting post by KG, but falls a little short in my opinion because he’s assembling three items:
1. Barton is black
2. There is racism in baseball
3. Bad things were said about Barton
and allowing us to use our imagination to draw a conclusion about the connection. I have very little doubt that items 1,2, and 3 are all true, but did 1 cause 3? I have no idea, and unfortunately KG doesn’t provide either (a) information to make that determination , or (b) at the very least give an explicit answer.