The Blue Jays announced that they’ve suspended Yunel Escobar for three games because the shortstop played with a homophobic slur written under his eyes in Spanish this past weekend. Here are today’s AL East notes, starting with the Blue Jays…
- Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com suggests the Blue Jays will make Escobar available in trades again this coming offseason. Knobler expects Escobar will draw interest, despite his poor offensive performance and the perception that he can be a difficult teammate. The Blue Jays had planned to move Escobar to second base, but were apprehensive about having to deliver the message to the 29-year-old, Knobler reports.
- When Orioles executive VP Dan Duquette got started in Baltimore, he said he wanted to improve his team's on-base percentage and acquire talented players who weren't getting opportunities elsewhere. As Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains, Duquette has found unexpected contributors, but hasn't improved the team's on-base percentage. Expect Duquette to look for players with above-average on-base percentages this coming offseason.
- Endy Chavez's presence has made the Orioles’ search for outfield help less urgent, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
He couldn’t come close to last years numbers. Still good defensively. Should be some market for him. Oakland?
A shame, I always kind of liked Escobar’s skill set, but apparently he’s a bad person. Sad 🙁
EDIT: judge someone to have poor character contingent to alleged homophobia, more downvotes than upvotes. Stay classy, MLBTR 😉
I honestly don’t believe this..
I have a lot of spanish friends who use the word in everyday conversation (ozzie guillen suggested the same) its an empty swear word.
It was a terrible decision, and he deserved to be suspended. but that press conference was way way way over the top, it wasn’t a homophobic slur.
2 wrongs dont make a right.. but I’m extremely curious as to what happens the next time an MLB player has a DUI.
Well, I certainly hope that’s the case. I haven’t investigated it any (that’d be a weird google search on my work computer). Although we’ll remember that in American English things like “that’s gay” are just as “empty”, but it’s still homophobic in nature and still offensive.
ANYHOW, I don’t wanna get all tumblr or anything, but these are the kind of decisions teams really don’t need their players making, regardless of the severity of Yunel Escobar’s face words. The Jays maybe should stop taking on these attitude cases (I feel like there have been several in recent years).
I understand the sentiment of it being an “empty swear word.” I have spanish speaking friends who casually use the word. That still doesn’t make up for the fact that what he did was placed in front of a large audience (indicated by how easily it spread across national news). Realistically, this would be no big deal if uttered around the locker room, but there should be an awareness on Escobar’s part that not everyone understands the usage in a similar way, and there should no mitigation on punishment for his failure to take the context into consideration.
The Blue Jays shouldn’t forgive someone who does something like this while representing the organization.
It doesn’t matter how it’s used among his peers. What matters is how the majority of baseball fans would interpret it. The English translation has a more serious connotation than how it’s used in Spanish, and he plays in a league that has an overwhelming amount of American/English-speaking fans.
Those are things that he should think about, and he clearly didn’t. There’s no reason for him to do that anyway. If J.J. Hardy went out and had eye-black that said “**** YOU” written in it, he’d be deserving of the same treatment, even if it was — in his estimation — an empty swear word.
Escobar is just boneheaded. It’s not like he can claim he thought there would be no repercussions. He knew what he was doing would reflect poorly on the organization and the sport in general, and he went out and did it anyway. And for what? His own entertainment? Ridiculous.
It’s about discriminating against a group more than a homophobic slur (I hate both of those PC buzz words). It’s bad enough the Blue Jays are a bunch of losers, they don’t need Escobar representing the organization in this light. Toronto has a sizable homosexual community, host a very large pride parade, etc. and the organization doesn’t want to leave any doubt that they do not condone what Escobar did. The Blue Jays have to take swift action to make sure something like this doesn’t snowball and they take the matter seriously.
It is a homophobic slur.
I’ll take the head of the spanish department at U of T’s word over yours.
It’s basically both, I guess? Lexically it is, pragmatically it tends to mostly have a meaning akin to “sissy,” although the reference to homosexuality is still implicit in that case, not it’s at least insensitive/inappropriate given the stage.
There are a lot of Spanish speaking cultures, and the meaning and impact of a single word can vary greatly by nationality and by region. There are words and terms I wouldn’t dare utter to an Argentine, Chilean, or even a Central American (a mainlander) but are perfectly acceptable to use among Caribbeans (which I do).
As for how easily “Yunel’s word” is thrown around among latinos, that can be pretty misleading. Take English, for example. These days there are enough profane terms in vogue that are considered extremely offensive when used towards strangers and/or a group of people in general, but “empty” (or even endearing) between friends or good acquaintances. This is not any less true in Spanish. So a lot of this uproar about Escobar is not just about about the term he used but the context in which he chose to use it. The term is one that is rooted in homophobia, which is why it’s used the way it is. In many “latino cultures” it is generally understood that if you use that word in the public arena you intend to offend.
good post man.
i agree, if you use that word when someone cuts you off or as slander towards a homosexual, then it is exactly what it is.
i’m just not sure what this was, it all just seems so ridiculous and unbelievable on yunels part, just so pointless
Very insightful perspective. I suspect the wording was meant for his teammates given it was done just before the rookie hazing. However, to add to the joke, it was done mischievously in public. Perhaps with the belief it will only be noticed by teammates and opponents.
I don’t think he’s a bad person, I think he has the maturity of a 10 year old.
Have you ever met a 10 year old? They’re AWFUL people!
The Jays would be stupid to trade Escobar.
Well his trade value is next to zero at this point. I think you have to stand behind your player, You admit he did something insensitive and bonehead but that it was an aberration
players have done worse, it will eventually blow over.
Suspend Escobar for the season. There was no reason for what he did. It wasn’t an off-the-cuff remark taken out of context, or a provoked reaction. For some reason he decided to paint a rather unambiguous slur across his face. The team should indicate there’s no place for doing that while wearing their uniform.
Endy Chavez was useless for the majority of the season. He has 2 good games and they need less help in the OF?
Escobar has always been an outstanding talent, but a terribly immature player. That was the reason he was traded from Atlanta. Those that understand how the word is used in the Latino culture and saw what he wrote on the eye black, can only pause and snicker at how childish a grown man can be.
Not to defend what he did, but the message was not sent out with any malice or hatred at any group, but more as a crude and childish joke, as he said. The reason the suspension is justified is for the use of the word and the incredible lack of sensitivity and the huge amount of ignorance displayed.
This is just another example of political correctness run amok.
How dare they punish someone for making a derogatory remark towards a group of people!
seriously though? What remark did he make to the gay and lesbian community??
this was many things, insensitive and bonehead mostly but to say he was prejudice or or it was homophobic slur is completely over the top..
Have to agree with your characterization. Might even add “harebrained” to the list.
Or an example of how professionals are expected to act like professionals.
The only reason anybody would even make a comment like yours is that it’s still socially acceptable to be a homophobe. Enjoy it: This is the last generation that will be the case.
If the Jays are “apprehensive” about having to tell the underperforming SS who embarrasses himself and his teammates with a homophobic slur, they have to check their priorities. Escobar’s potential is impressive, but he is completely replaceable and at a small cost. If you have to worry about upsetting somebody of his character, you should be ashamed of yourself and how you allow your team to operate.
But he is showing absolutely no class. He will be 30 years old in a month, he knows what is expected of him if he has any brain in there. Maybe this will straighten him out, but I doubt it, 30 years old and getting suspended for something stupid like this.
the apprehensive part was about asking him to play 2nd, according to the Gobbler at CBS…
I still think he meant to say “Ferrets”
That’s still a weasel thing to say.
If the White Sox don’t pick up his option. The Oriples should sign Youk