Alan Grant's Piece on Bobby Jenks

This is just a strange, strange article that accuses Jenks of a lot of things, (including a possible tie with the Aryan Nation?!?!?!) without really backing them up. Am I missing something? I knew Jenks had maturity problems in the minor leagues but this seems to be a bit over the top, especially considering it looks like Jenks has his life on a good path ...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=grant/060711

"See, even if Bobby Jenks was a dyed-in-the-wool, string 'em up by the neck lyncher, he wouldn't bother me at all. I mean, I wouldn't kick it with him or anything. But he wouldn't bother me."

"Oh yeah. Guillen could most certainly self-destruct, Williams could go down with him, and Jenks could drink himself out of the league."

Thoughts?

 

Some days, I swear to god, I think the only qualification you need to write for Page Two is finding an unoccupied terminal somewhere in Bristol.

 

holy shit, is that unfair. yikes!

 

Man, that's some unsubstantiated stuff in there. Is that the best Grant could come up with? I mean seriously, Jenks fires the agent and the agent says Jenks called him J.D., which supposedly stands for "dirty j--", and so it's taken as gospel? Could it be the agent was just pissed?

 

I don't see what the problem is here.
He said there were rumors about Jenks being a racist, he confronted Jenks with it, and Jenks denied it. He basically said he was cool with Jenks' denial. He also said he didn't get the racist vibe that he gets when he talks with real racists.
He also said he isn't sure what to think about Jenks. That's just being honest.
I'm not sure why Grant and ESPN deemed it so important to write this story or run it, but as far as the content, I don't see anything unfair or unsubstantiated about it.

 

Barbaro - get well soon.

 

I'm pretty sure you can't say someone might drink himself out of the league ...

There's also that silly rumor about Cal Ripken beating the crap out of Kevin Costner the night the lights went out at Camden Yards ... Anyone ever confront Ripken and write a story about that?

And if Jenks is a racist, he's had plenty of opportunities to show it in Chicago, where he's managed by a Hispanic skipper, was acquired by a black GM and cashes checks signed by a Jewish owner.

 

"Reporting the rumors" because they're "out there" is one of the worst things to slime into journalism via the new media.

 

I am 100% positive this would not hold up in court...or in most editors' offices:

 

"translucent vapors of condescension"...Even kids pulling an all-nighter to finish an English essay on a book they haven't read know better than to use that crap.

 

I think I saw the TVC's at the Fillmore back in '68.
They were touring with Quicksilver, I believe.

 

I don't care much for that at all. The conclusion of the piece seems to be "He's probably not a racist," but he spends all the time before that pretty much begging the question.

Would be interested in hearing Ozzie's reaction to the column.