Bush League Times

"Bush League" is a general term used to describe an action or thing as being amateur, inferior or crude. In a literal sense, it refers to a low quality minor league, not associated with the major league teams. We at Bush League Times are all of the above.

April 15, 2009

A Wrigley Tradition?

Gordon Wittenmyer, in today's Chicago Sun-Times, claims that Wrigley Field has a reputation for fans who not only boo their own players, but also have a history of getting racial.

I have no reason to doubt the claims of Dusty Baker, Jacque Jones or LaTroy Hawkins. All of them were criticized for their performance while they were here and I don't doubt that some people with low IQ's who don't know how to express themselves, embarrassed themselves and Cubs fans as a whole. That being said, I don't think that gives Wrigley a reputation any more than it would any other stadium in the league.

If you haven't clicked the link and read the story, I strongly encourage you to do so. I do think it's something that fans should be aware of, I just don't like the way that Gordy did it. For example, here is the opening of the story.

Milton Bradley says he's aware of Wrigley Field's reputation for fans who not only boo their own players, but also have a history of getting racial.

He also says he's ready for it.

''I can be like that guy that you watch all the time for whatever reason,'' he said, referring to his track record of angry outbursts and run-ins. ''But I really think I've outgrown it, a lot of the stuff that I did when I was younger.''

Nowhere in that blurb does Bradley mention race. He never mentions that he is aware that fans boo their own players and he certainly never mentions that they have a history of getting racial. It's almost as if Gordy asked Bradley something along the lines of "Do you think you'll have any blow-ups here in Chicago?" and Bradley gave the above answer. Then Gordy framed it in a way that was convenient for his story. His answer has absolutely nothing to do with race!

A couple of paragraphs later, Gordy writes:

Wrigley seems like the last place an African-American player with such a well-traveled reputation for confrontations would choose to sign a multiyear contract. In the last five seasons alone, Cubs outfielder Jacque Jones and pitcher LaTroy Hawkins said they were the targets of racist taunts and fan mail. Jones also said in 2006 that he became the victim of racial slurs and threats on his cell phone when the number got out.

If you're Milton Bradley, are you happy that Gordy is writing an article that paints you as "the angry black man" waiting to snap? My other complaint is that Gordy hasn't really backed up his claims. He name drops Jacque and LaTroy but he doesn't have a quote from either one of them or an example of what was said. I would think that if you are making an accusation like Cubs fans are known racists, you might want to back it up.

Gordy continues:

Visiting ballplayers are even easier targets for the more vicious slurs.

''I've heard a few things [from the bleachers],'' Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron said. ''But I don't really get into it with them unless a situation calls for it. I try to stay out of those situations.''

Again, this is thinly sourced. Cameron does not give one example of something racist that he has heard. For all we know, Gordy's question was "Do Cubs fans yell rude things at you from the bleachers?" I'm not saying Gordy is lying but again, with an accusation this big you should leave no doubt.

Besides Jones' experiences, another black former Cubs outfielder who declined to be identified said in a private conversation during a recent spring training that the Wrigley crowd might have been the worst he'd experienced for racist taunts.

''I've heard that from a lot of the players who played there,'' Cameron said.

Well, finally. Some rock solid, concrete proof that Cubs fans are racist. Because if you can't trust the unnamed, former Cubs outfielder who said that in a private conversation, then who can you trust? What Gordy fails to mention is:

Was the player having a private conversation with Gordy? Did Gordy overhear the private conversation? Was the private conversation relayed to Gordy secondhand? Third hand? If so, how reliable is this?

We also finally get a quote from someone. Mike Cameron has said he has heard that a lot from other players. At this point though, I still don't know if Cameron is talking about racial taunts or just taking normal abuse from Cubs fans.

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said that was one of the reasons he had the Cubs on his no-trade list for years while in Minnesota.

At first glance that looks damning. As a Cubs fan, I certainly don't want a few morons in the bleachers costing the team elite free agents. But at second glance, I realized this isn't a quote from Torii, this is Gordy just telling me this. Again, if you're going to write an article about race and you know of a player who wanted no part of a team because he thought their fans were racist, would it kill you to make a phone call and try to get a quote from that player? How fucking lazy do you have to be? I looked up Hunter's stats and I found that he has played 3 games at Wrigley in his career. It's possible he had a rough weekend series here and decided he would never play on the North Side. I was then reminded that he most likely got his information from Jacque Jones because of the Minnesota Twins ties. If so, Jacque was acquired by the Cubs in 2006 and Hunter left Minnesota as a free agent in 2008. That means, at the most, the Cubs were on his no-trade list for two years. I think Gordy is sensationalizing.

It doesn't figure to help that Bradley is off to a 1-for-17 start -- the kind of slow start that led to fans booing All-Stars Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano in their first seasons with the Cubs.

Lee -- who was hit with chants of ''Hee Seop Choi! Hee Seop Choi!'' for the first baseman the Cubs traded to Florida to get him -- was one of the veterans who talked with Bradley before spring training to let him know what to expect in Chicago.

If I boo Bradley because he starts the year 1-17, am I a racist? Am I still allowed to cheer or boo based on performance or do I run the risk of missing out on Type-A free agents?

Also, chanting "Hee Seop Choi!" is not racist. It's incredibly stupid, but it's not racist.

And he believes in himself. That's why the fans at Wrigley played no role in his decision to sign with the Cubs.

''I don't consider the fans when I'm deciding on a team,'' he said. ''I consider the guys there and the personnel, the staff, because that's who I've got to deal with every day on a personal level. Fans are going to do what they're going to do.''

Maybe somebody should explain this to Torii Hunter.

If this is such a huge problem at Wrigley Field, then I have to ask, why hasn't this been addressed before now? Why is it that the first time I've heard of this problem is on Jackie Robinson Day? Why does Gordy, if this is true, not write about this more often? Surely this is more important than Theriot being gritty, Zambrano breaking bats over his knees or Rich Harden's injury risk. By saving it for Jackie Robinson Day, he makes this seem like a canned article he's had for awhile. Maybe he'll write an interesting follow up on next year's Jackie Robinson Day. I certainly hope he does. It gives him a full year to find sources, quotes and check facts before making allegations.