Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon offered
some of the best perspective I’ve come across concerning Tim Anderson of the
White Sox. Anderson was suspended a
game, not for his bat flip but his mouth; our shortstop uttered the N-word at
Royals’ starter Brad Keller, who hit him.
Let it be noted here that Keller is white.
Maddon told the Tribune yesterday
he came to the Cubs “trying to flip the culture here, being more professional,
looking and act[ing] like you’re going to do it [hit a homerun] again.” Amen.
Maddon went on to say, “For me I’d
prefer our guys didn’t do that.” He
spoke of wanting kids liking baseball “because it’s an interesting game and
it’s intellectually stimulating,” as opposed to the “histrionics” that come
with what you might call the flipping culture.
As for his own bat flippers, starting with Javy Baez, Maddon said he
leaves them alone—unlike those times early on when he called out Junior Lake
and Welington Castillo—in the hope that players will see that and “return more
respect and discipline” his way.
As for Anderson, Maddon thinks
players as a group, not the commissioner’s office, should come up with the
appropriate response. In that light,
“I’d be curious to see if [Anderson] ever does that again based on the result
[from] the other day.”
Me, too, Joe. Me, too.
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