So let’s cut to the chase. There are a fair number of Mets fans who think that Omar likes to sign (only) ballplayers with Hispanic surnames. I throw that out there and will get back to it in a minute.
I remember when the Jets signed Rich Kotite. “Joe Fan’s” initial reaction was that Kotite was a good coach. That day Mike & The Mad Dog were flooded by callers from Philly who laughed their arse off about how bad Kotite was and that the Jets had made a terrible mistake. Mike, Mad Dog and I didn’t believe them. We all know what a disaster that turned out to be.
The lesson there is to listen to the local fan.
Now I’ve gone on record saying K-Rod was a good signing and they needed to go get him. He was the best closer out there and they blew enough games last year that even Doug Sisk at his worst would be an improvement.
However, it is a little troubling that the Angels let him go easily, and that Angels fans don’t seem to mind. So let’s go to the local sports section , which brings us back to the issue of surname. Jeff Miller wrote a piece in the OC Register titled “Angels Less Colorful Now Which Pleases Some” (excerpts below)
With an absurd degree of silence, the Angels lost Francisco Rodriguez.
Stranger still, about the only sounds generated by this development have been certain fans — on talk radio and the Internet mostly — cheering his departure.
After saving 208 Angels victories, Rodriguez will be remembered for providing this kind of relief?
Shame on you, vocal minority.
We do believe it is a minority. We are sure most Angels fans are wiser than this. It doesn’t take a lot of smarts to appreciate a pitcher who has given a franchise three of its top four single-season save totals.
So what’s wrong with these people?
Part of it, no doubt, isn’t baseball at all. We know what it is. And so do you.
It’s that Rodriguez doesn’t look or talk like most people who sit in the stands at Angel Stadium. His skin is darker, his voice accented.
We aren’t saying it’s racism. It’s human nature, being comfortable with what’s most familiar.
And it’s too bad our society just can’t conquer this mountain. What a better place this would be if we could. All of us, together, as one.
Face it, Angels fans always will remember Tim Salmon’s final season more dearly than they will all of Vladimir Guerrero’s seasons here combined.
They embraced David Eckstein but only tolerated his replacement, the statistically equivalent Orlando Cabrera.
The Angels are not better today. They also are less colorful, both literally and figuratively.
It is one of the most interesting arrangements in all of sports, and one rarely noted. Here, in Orange County of all places, sits the professional sports team owned by a Latino and general managed by a black.
And now the Venezuelan closer is gone. This, by itself, makes certain people happy. They see their beloved team looking a little more like they do today.
Interesting stuff. I’m not sure the feeling is all that different in Flushing some days.
www.metspolice.com
