MLB suspended Tim Anderson for using a “racially-charged word” Craig Calcaterra 6 hrs ago
Hendricks strikes out 11, Cubs beat Diamondbacks 5-1
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As you no doubt recall, on Wednesday White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson hit a two-run home run off of Royals starter Brad Keller. Anderson celebrated by throwing his bat back towards his dugout. The next time Anderson stepped to the plate Keller threw a fastball at him. The benches emptied. Keller and Anderson were ejected, as was White Sox manager Rick Renteria.
Why Anderson was ejected was something of a mystery. He did not charge the mound. He did not throw a punch and he did not shove anyone or anything. At most you figure he said something intemperate and, sure, saying intemperate things can sometimes get you ejected. Only sometimes, of course, as many a blue streak-swearing manager has gotten a pass as long as he doesn’t say some magic words “Bull Durham” taught us about. But that’s usually the end of that.
MLB just announced via press release that Keller has been suspended for five games for throwing at Anderson. We’ve argued that that’s too light a sentence for pitchers in the past, but let’s leave that aside for now. What’s interesting is that Anderson has been suspended too. For one game.
Why? Major League Baseball’s press release merely says “for his conduct after the benches cleared.” Which isn’t very helpful as, again, there was nothing apparent in his conduct that seemed to warrant a suspension. Before the release came out, however, Jeff Passan reported that it was “language”:
twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1119290855507013633
I can’t recall a player ever being suspended merely for “language” before. Guys drop F-bombs and say aggressive things to one another fairly often when tempers flare, but that’s not the stuff of suspensions. What has been the stuff of suspensions — two games, specifically — are homophobic slurs, with players such as Kevin Pillar and Matt Joyce, among others paying the price for saying such things. There has been no report at all, however, that Anderson said such a thing. And, if he did, why would he only get one game?
There’s gotta be more to this. A player getting one game just for cussing makes no sense. If we hear any more about it, we’ll certainly provide an update.
UPDATE: And here it is:
twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1119300301796847617
Again, specifics definitely matter, and I presume we’ll get them soon, but I strongly suspect that this is a case where Anderson, who is black, used a word that is historically acceptable when used by and among black people and always unacceptable when used by non-black people. If that is the case, MLB has thrown itself into the insanely controversial and likely indefensible position of presuming that it can and should police a black person’s use of that term. I hope I’m wrong about this, but I feel like I’m not.
Poster Comment:
When I lived in Chicago, I knew a guy who was a guard at Cook County Jail. Since a majority of the inmates there were black, when the news hit that MLK, Jr. had been shot and killed, they cancelled the leaves for all the guards.
One black guard, because he had a good job was able to get a mortgage on a 4-flat. He lived on the 2nd floor. When he opened the door to go to work, there was a black guy standing on the landing below. He was ready to light a Molotov Cocktail. The Deputy said to him, "Whatchoo think you doing?" The black guy said, "I'll show whitey. I'm gonna burn down this building."
The black guard pulled his pistol and killed the guy right where he stood.
My friend asked him, "How are you going to explain that?"
The black guard replied, "When they come along and pick him up, it's just another dead nigger." :-O
The good blacks call the bad blacks niggers too. ;)