Terrible optics for Boston Red Sox visit to White House: every white player is going; every black and Hispanic player (except for Cuban JD Martinez) i (2 Viewers)

[sho nuff]

Let me help. Imagine if the President was Barack Obama. 

Ok.  Still don’t have a problem if someone decided not to attend.

Now if they specifically say “I’m not going cause he is black”...then that player would be rightfully bashed.. 

 

[tonydead]

From what I can gather, the students would have to post it on FBG or you'd never see it

 

[timschochet]

@timschochet What are the terrible optics about the decision each player is making?

The terrible optics are that there will be only white players at the White House. If you don’t understand why this looks bad I’m not sure that I can explain it to you. 

Somebody on ESPN also brought up the long troubled history of the Red Sox organization when it comes to issues of race. 

 

[Cowboysfan8]

The story should be that the President of the United States has shown such disdain for minorities and where they or their ancestors come from that they refuse to be in his presence even if it means risking their careers.

Lmao at the bolded

Seriously?

 

[supermike80]

57% of Americans believe Trump is a racist. Nearly 90% of blacks believe Trump is a racist.

https://1069thefox.com/news/030030-poll-most-americans-say-trump-is-racist/

Now that doesn't make them right and you wrong. But if blacks honestly believe this, how can you blame them for not wanting to meet with him? Would you be willing to meet with a President that you honestly believed was bigoted against you?

Polls.  Lol.  Polls are funny

 

[supermike80]

To the best of my knowledge none of the players have publicly stated a reason for not going. Only Cora (the manager) who is not going because he doesn't approve of the way Trump handled the hurricanes in Puerto Rico. Frankly I think that's the wrong way to go about it.

One thing we know about Trump is that he listens to celebrities. Sometimes it's even productive. The fact of the matter is Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump have done more for criminal justice reform in this country than Obama ever did. (There's a sentence I never imagined I would write).

Cora could have gone to the White House and used his face time with the President to advocate for Puerto Rico. Not going to the White House is counter-productive.

Excellent comment 

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

The terrible optics are that there will be only white players at the White House. If you don’t understand why this looks bad I’m not sure that I can explain it to you. 

Somebody on ESPN also brought up the long troubled history of the Red Sox organization when it comes to issues of race. 

So you are judging people....

 

[parasaurolophus]

If I were on the team I would be very upset that the rest of team decided to make a political statement by refusing to go.   Most Americans should view the players and managers who don't go in a poorer light, I certainly do.

I think this is weird. Its not like they are skipping a charity event because Trump is going to be there. They are choosing not to go visit trump. 

 

[Shula-holic]

AAA last 2 years, on the 40 man roster, but never made active 25 man roster.  I was a starting pitcher

Likely met you at some park in AA if you came through either the Southern or Texas League in the mid-late 90s.

 

[Shula-holic]

They are.

But notice I didn't refer to him as Curt Schilling or John Rocker. That's pretty low.

Shameful that Curt Schilling isn't in the hall due to political views.  Some of the same people who are so anti Schilling will be cheering for Addison Russell or Aroldis Chapman tonight.

 

[Shula-holic]

Let me help. Imagine if the President was Barack Obama. 

This is where I come down as well.  I was no fan of Obama or his policies but it would have been an honor to go.  The White House goes beyond it's current occupant and whether you agree with or like them.  That said, if a certain athlete doesn't want to go, I'm fine with it.  Where I have more of a problem is when the athlete makes themselves the story in doing so.  Once that happens, it impacts job performance with locker room issues.  The Red Sox record this year could be an anomaly, or a sign of locker room issues that this has caused.  Maybe it can't be helped because everyone wants to run these type stories.  Alex Cora was never my favorite guy to start with so I'm a little biased not from the political view but just because I never liked him, even though I haven't seen him in what I'd guess now is 22 years.

 

[Don't Noonan]

Likely met you at some park in AA if you came through either the Southern or Texas League in the mid-late 90s.

Southern League in 97.....

 

[Shula-holic]

Southern League in 97.....

Trying to remember but I think I really only saw much of Jacksonville and Birmingham that year.  I was living in Jackson MS where at the time that was part of the Texas League.  I remember that Jacksonville bunch had Juan Encarnacion, Dave Roberts, and a bunch of guys who were pretty good pitching prospects.  I think Seth Greisinger, Brandon Reed, Matt Drews, Brandon Drumright.  Funny I can't remember last month but can remember AA rosters from over 20 years ago.

 

[2Squirrels1Nut]

They are.

But notice I didn't refer to him as Curt Schilling or John Rocker. That's pretty low.

All I know about Schilling is he's a hard core republican. Rocker is completely different. It was a joke,lighten up. 

 

[Don't Noonan]

Trying to remember but I think I really only saw much of Jacksonville and Birmingham that year.  I was living in Jackson MS where at the time that was part of the Texas League.  I remember that Jacksonville bunch had Juan Encarnacion, Dave Roberts, and a bunch of guys who were pretty good pitching prospects.  I think Seth Greisinger, Brandon Reed, Matt Drews, Brandon Drumright.  Funny I can't remember last month but can remember AA rosters from over 20 years ago.

Good memory!  Jacksonville also had a clean up hitter Jessie? Ibbara who was solid.  I remember pitching against those guys.  I gave up a grand slam to Ibarra in Jacksonville in a horrid outing.  However, later that year I struck out Encarnacion on a fastball away on probably the hardest pitch I ever threw at 95 mph.  That is the average fastball these days, lol.

 

[Shula-holic]

Good memory!  Jacksonville also had a clean up hitter Jessie? Ibbara who was solid.  I remember pitching against those guys.  I struck out Encarnacion on a fastball away on probably the hardest pitch I ever threw at 95 mph.  That is the average fastball these days, lol.

Yes Ibarra was a Giants prospect that got traded over to the Tigers.  I don't remember who all was involved in that deal.  He was a converted catcher.  I still remember Dave Roberts and what a good guy he was.  Even though I'm a Giants fan now I always kind of pull for him.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

To the best of my knowledge none of the players have publicly stated a reason for not going. Only Cora (the manager) who is not going because he doesn't approve of the way Trump handled the hurricanes in Puerto Rico. Frankly I think that's the wrong way to go about it.

One thing we know about Trump is that he listens to celebrities. Sometimes it's even productive. The fact of the matter is Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump have done more for criminal justice reform in this country than Obama ever did. (There's a sentence I never imagined I would write).

Cora could have gone to the White House and used his face time with the President to advocate for Puerto Rico. Not going to the White House is counter-productive.

Great point that I hadn't thought of

 

[Insomniac]

I didn't write that, and I don't believe it. I'm pretty sure the players get along fine.

But I do think there is a bigger issue here involving the white players, and white people in general in this country: there are millions of white people in America who know Donald Trump is a bigot, don't agree with him, but don't care enough about the issue to make a big deal about it. I suspect that many of the white players on the team fall into this category. I suspect many white Republicans in general fall into this category. It's disturbing to me.  They should care, IMO.

I wouldn't be surprised if the vast majority of white MLB players who are eligible vote Republican. Not many baseball players come across as "political" anyway.

 

[Insomniac]

Seems this is a cause for celebration.

And now, because a white ball player, who has dreamt about meeting the President his whole life and seeing the white house, will be called nothing but a racist because he wants to go.

This is what the left is doing.  It's utterly horrible--I want no part of this progressive thinking by the democratic party.   I'm totally at a loss about how to even go forward in this political mess we have now..Its two ugly sides.

When the Bruins won the Stanley Cup some years back, their goaltender Tim Thomas  refused to go to the White House because of his political dislike of Obama.  Somehow I don't think that you, or any of the other far right wingers on this site,  would have complained about his political protest. Of course I could be wrong.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

I think it’s fine for players to do political events only if they want to, and to not do them if they don’t want to. Having other commitments that day is not bad optics.

 

[Insomniac]

Lmao at the bolded

Seriously?

Guaranteed contracts does take out of the picture.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Guaranteed contracts does take out of the picture.

I don't think any ballplayer is putting their career in jeopardy by refusing to go to the WH. Do you?

 

[Insomniac]

I don't think any ballplayer is putting their career in jeopardy by refusing to go to the WH. Do you?

Nope. People skip for all sorts of reasons. I think Donte Hightower of the Patriots skipped going to the White House when Obama was POTUS because he'd already been there for an Alabama National Championship. Brady skipped the White House trip when Trump was POTUS making the excuse that he had a family conflict. (Speculation was that Gisele told him his Trump support had negative impact on her earnings)

 

[mrip541]

Lmao at the bolded

Seriously?

I may have gotten a little carried away.

 

[McJose]

They are.

But notice I didn't refer to him as Curt Schilling or John Rocker. That's pretty low.

John Rocker played in the Majors for something like 5 years.  3.45 ERA.  Not too shabby. 

 

[Gopher State]

Seriously, can anyone blame them for opting out after Trump's arguably racist statements about minorities and people of color? Attending and having your picture taken with him is a tacit approval of him and/or his policies (rightfully or wrongfully it would be viewed that way).

Hmmm someone should of told this to Tiger Woods he was all smiles at the White House.

 

[McJose]

Hmmm someone should of told this to Tiger Woods he was all smiles at the White House.

Do you think every person of color holds the exact same political beliefs?  

 

[John Blutarsky]

Do you think every person of color holds the exact same political beliefs?  

Tiger showed respect for the office. 

 

[GoBirds]

No, you can hate Trump but still respect the office. 

Exactly, the dramatics of this is so tired at this point. Good for those going. 

 

[jonessed]

The terrible optics are really just on the Red Sox.  What a messed up locker room that must be.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Related story,

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/05/red-sox-world-cup-series-white-house-socks-trump-twitter-reaction-mlb

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Let me help. Imagine if the President was Barack Obama. 

Hi, Joe.  Trump isn't Obama or Bush.  He's not Romney or McCain.  All of the people who I just mentioned despise(d) Trump and recognize him for what he is -- an aberration from our country's ideals.  This is the part that's difficult for folks to keep in mind two years and change into Trump's presidency: Trump isn't normal. 

 

[Joe Bryant]

Hi, Joe.  Trump isn't Obama or Bush.  He's not Romney or McCain.  All of the people who I just mentioned despise(d) Trump and recognize him for what he is -- an aberration from our country's ideals.  This is the part that's difficult for folks to keep in mind two years and change into Trump's presidency: Trump isn't normal. 

Agreed. 

 

[James Daulton]

Clearly the players issue, nothing at all to do with policies enacted by the sitting president.

It's all on the players.   Naturally. 

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Related story,

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/05/red-sox-world-cup-series-white-house-socks-trump-twitter-reaction-mlb

I try not to just reflexively take Donald Trump’s side on every issue, but in this case, I think the stupid spelling reflects more poorly on the baseball team than it does on the White House.

 

[whoknew]

AAA last 2 years, on the 40 man roster, but never made active 25 man roster.  I was a starting pitcher

That's really awesome. Super jealous.

 

[whoknew]

Good memory!  Jacksonville also had a clean up hitter Jessie? Ibbara who was solid.  I remember pitching against those guys.  I gave up a grand slam to Ibarra in Jacksonville in a horrid outing.  However, later that year I struck out Encarnacion on a fastball away on probably the hardest pitch I ever threw at 95 mph.  That is the average fastball these days, lol.

Not to derail this thread but one of the amazing changes in the last 20 years in baseball is how hard everyone throws. Back in the 90s, teams would have like 1 guy on the staff who threw mid to upper 90s. Now, you can't make a MLB bullpen if you don't throw 95.

 

[GoBirds]

Good memory!  Jacksonville also had a clean up hitter Jessie? Ibbara who was solid.  I remember pitching against those guys.  I gave up a grand slam to Ibarra in Jacksonville in a horrid outing.  However, later that year I struck out Encarnacion on a fastball away on probably the hardest pitch I ever threw at 95 mph.  That is the average fastball these days, lol.

Dude, you were bringing it!

Do you ever go out in the back yard and unleash a few against the shed for old times sake? I would. 

 

[Mister CIA]

I laughed.

https://twitter.com/Lawrence/status/1126534943193083904?s=09

"Spelling like this is the way they used to catch Soviet spies."

 

[Shula-holic]

Not to derail this thread but one of the amazing changes in the last 20 years in baseball is how hard everyone throws. Back in the 90s, teams would have like 1 guy on the staff who threw mid to upper 90s. Now, you can't make a MLB bullpen if you don't throw 95.

It's truly amazing.  It has to be the training and regimens the players have today.  It's unreal even how high school players have evolved since the early 90's.  I remember the first time I saw Billy Wagner, it was jaw dropping to see that velocity, especially from someone his size.  Like you said, that's not all that special these days.  The best minor league pitcher I ever saw was a Mariners prospect named Roger Salkeld.  Guy got bone spurs in his shoulder and was never the same again.  He made it to the bigs briefly but he was just a shadow of the pitcher he was destined to be otherwise.  I ask myself now if I saw him today how would he look compared to these guys.  But he likely would have that burst in velocity too from doing the same training.

 

[McJose]

Tiger showed respect for the office. 

Man, you sure have a thing for “respect for the office”.  Just saying.

 

[McJose]

Hi, Joe.  Trump isn't Obama or Bush.  He's not Romney or McCain.  All of the people who I just mentioned despise(d) Trump and recognize him for what he is -- an aberration from our country's ideals.  This is the part that's difficult for folks to keep in mind two years and change into Trump's presidency: Trump isn't normal. 

This.

If I was somehow a member of some champion sports team...from any era...I would never have turned down an invite to the WH even if it was occupied by a president I wasn’t a big fan of.  About the only one that comes to mind would be Nixon around 1973-74.

 

[sho nuff]

Are people who don’t attend disrespecting the office?  I’d say no.  

 

[Jackstraw]

Let me help. Imagine if the President was Barack Obama. 

There were players who no showed for Obama. But at a minimum he treated his political opponents in a civil manner. 

 

[HellToupee]

There were players who no showed for Obama. But at a minimum he treated his political opponents in a civil manner. 

It wasn’t like he used the IRS to target anyone 

 

[Jackstraw]

It wasn’t like he used the IRS to target anyone 

Oh yes. The education non profits that totally weren’t political in nature. 

 

[sho nuff]

It wasn’t like he used the IRS to target anyone 

That’s true. He didn’t. There were investigations and everything. Including the last IG report that showed the IRS used liberal and conservative keywords to chose groups for further scrutiny.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180225112702/https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2017reports/201710054fr.pdf

 

[Franknbeans]

No, attending is showing respect for the office of the Presidency. That doesn’t mean you support the President.

If he doesn’t respect it, why should they?

 

[Don't Noonan]

Dude, you were bringing it!

Do you ever go out in the back yard and unleash a few against the shed for old times sake? I would. 

LOL no.  I coach my sons 13 year old club baseball team and threw batting practice to them tonight.  At 45 I have no desire to hurt myself by trying to throw too hard!

 

[apalmer]

Seems this is a cause for celebration.

And now, because a white ball player, who has dreamt about meeting the President his whole life and seeing the white house, will be called nothing but a racist because he wants to go.

This is what the left is doing.  It's utterly horrible--I want no part of this progressive thinking by the democratic party.   I'm totally at a loss about how to even go forward in this political mess we have now..Its two ugly sides.

I didn't see any posts saying that. I did, however, see a post criticizing non-white players for not wanting to go.  So, maybe you should be attacking the side that is actually doing the utterly horrible thing, instead of making up a reason to attack the side you don't agree with.