San Diego Padres right-hander Bud Norris gave a very stupid response when asked about bench-clearing brawls and culture.
A study done by USA Today found 87% of main antagonists from bench-clearing incidents since 2011 are from different ethnic backgrounds. When given this fact, Norris told Jorge L. Ortiz he wasn’t surprised.
“I think it’s a culture shock,” Norris said. “This is America’s game. This is America’s pastime, and over the last 10-15 years we’ve seen a very big world influence in this game, which we as a union and as players appreciate. We’re opening this game to everyone that can play. However, if you’re going to come into our country and make our American dollars, you need to respect a game that has been here for over a hundred years, and I think sometimes that can be misconstrued. There are some players that have antics, that have done things over the years that we don’t necessarily agree with.”
Norris, speaking for every American apparently, sure makes it sound like foreign players owe Americans something for letting them play their game. Well they don’t. Baseball isn’t a religion or governmental body, it’s a sport. Talent gets you in the league. This is the same unwritten rules BS which has made watching baseball such a chore at times. The league could use more flair instead of having players get in trouble with the baseball gods when you show an ounce of personality.
Norris elaborated.
“I understand you want to say it’s a cultural thing or an upbringing thing. But by the time you get to the big leagues, you better have a pretty good understanding of what this league is and how long it’s been around.”
Norris is basically saying “If you don’t act a certain way, you don’t belong here,” which sounds more like a dictator, than a teammate. Good thing Norris doesn’t have any Latino teammates (oh wait..).
Norris, who’s sporting a gaudy 3-11 record with a 6.89 ERA while splitting the year between the Orioles and Padres, quickly half-apologized via the San Diego Union-Tribune for his comments.
“It was a quick conversation after a game, and I was getting dressed to go see my family,” Norris told the Union-Tribune. “I feel my words were definitely misconstrued, but that’s beside the point.
“I want to apologize for how it came out and the words that were taken out of context in passing. I apologize to anyone I might have offended. I love this game and admire everyone who plays this game with all the passion that I do.”
He non-ironically said he’s been “known to wear my emotions on my sleeve at times,” which is OK to do, as long as you’re not playing baseball.
