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Yunel Escobar -- What did his eyeblack say?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Point of Order, Sep 18, 2012.

  1. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    I think his response is interesting.

    He says the term is used in clubhouses all the time, and is no big deal. True?

    And, if MLB is so offended by Escobar, what are they going to do about this if it is true?

    Do they have the guts to admit it and deal with it, or are they going to avoid the larger issue?
     
  2. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Yes, it's true. The term - at least the English one - is used all the time in clubhouses.

    But I don't think it's hypocritical to permit it within that closed world - not that I condone it - and punish it when used in the open.

    I'm sure lawyers use the f-word within the walls of the firm. They wouldn't write it in a court brief.
     
  3. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    True. Airing it in public is worse.

    But using the f-word in private may be acceptable in some situations, it's not a derogatory term, aimed at anyone or any group.

    Escobar is being sent to sensitivity training. But, if the term is thrown around carelessly in clubhouses, then maybe a lot more people need sensitivity training.

    If MLB is uncomfortable with the term, or an atmosphere where using the term is normal, then they have a problem, whether it's kept behind closed doors or not.
     
  4. Riptide

    Riptide Well-Known Member

    Perhaps some of the ballplayers have some repressed desires of their own.
     
  5. Chef2

    Chef2 Well-Known Member

    Derek Jeter just got an uncontrollable urge to paint his toenails, and doesn't know why.
     
  6. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    I don't recall meeting an actual "out" homosexual until I was in my mid-20s. If, at that time, someone had told me that in a mere 25 years we'd be having conversations about stories like this one, I'd have made a discreet call to the local mental health authorities. I am astounded at how much things have changed re: homosexuality in such a short period of time.
     
  7. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Wasn't it the Blue Jay players who held a mock gay wedding at spring training a few years ago that caused a lot of ire? I guess they didn't learn.
     
  8. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    Well, Patrick Burke, son of Leafs GM Brian Burke, brother of the late Brendan Burke and founder of "You Can Play" is doing something about it.

    Toronto Star's Rosie DiManno's column

    http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1259539--patrick-burke-to-meet-with-yunel-escobar-on-homophobia-dimanno


    “I’d like to think I can speak to athletes about this issue and educate them because I do have a foot in both camps — as a fairly active ally of the LGBT community and someone who is actively involved in the sports community. I like to think I can talk to an athlete on his level and try to break this down into terms they’ll understand.’’

    Certainly that’s a more useful approach than joining the pitchfork brigade unsatisfied with the three-game suspension levied against Escobar by the Jays, his forfeited salary of about $92,000 going to You Can Play and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.


    MLB will probably do nothing
     
  9. Huggy

    Huggy Well-Known Member

    Good memory, Boom, I had forgotten about that. I believe it was between long-gone first-round bust Russ Adams and now D-backs second baseman Aaron Hill.
     
  10. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    Not in the summer. New job doesn't have paid vacation, and I need every penny to pay for my time off work between contracts.

    Sorry.
     
  11. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    I remember JR thinking it was ok to mock gay marriage so I guess his opinion has evolved since then.
     
  12. cjericho

    cjericho Well-Known Member

    JR Ewing?
     
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