The High Court

Deep Thinkers Only...

The Big Gavel-Analyzing Kenny

July 10, 2005

 

It probably shouldn’t have taken me nearly two weeks to step up and defend Kenny Rogers, but at long last, here I am.  I am not here to defend Rogers’ actions, or even to justify them.  But I am here to say that I think we can all understand what transpired on June 29 between Rogers and two local cameramen.  And to think that it took noted philosopher David Wells to cause me to spring into action.

 

Wells recently put the sort of thoughtful, savvy spin on the situation that only a latter-day Plato could (I am kidding of course…Wells might be the greatest philosopher of  the Cro-Magnon division).  Wells used the outlandish reach of comparing the Rogers situation to that of a sexual assault (when no means no), and also informed us that he would have done the same thing had he been in a similar situation.  Now there is no conceivable way this needs to be compared to something as serious as sexual assault, but Wells does (in his own thick-headed way) make a very valid point.  When is enough, well, enough?

 

How many of you have ever been angry?  Anger issues, anyone?  I certainly have them.  As a player, I chucked bats, helmets, and gloves.  Punched water coolers (which, by the way, got this whole Rogers mess rolling to begin with), dugout posts, and walls.  And language?  I have never been on an ocean-going vessel in my life, but I am an honorary sailor thanks to the things that have come out of my mouth in the heat of action.  None of that activity is anything to be proud of, but it is who I was (and am) as a competitor.  I have to honestly admit that had there been cameramen at the college level in my face at the wrong time, a confrontation would have been sure to follow.  So what about the rest of you?  Has there ever been a time in your life that you acted irrationally out of anger or frustration?  I would be willing to bet that you have.  And it doesn’t make the action you took correct or justify it in any way.  But we can understand how it might happen.

 

Kenny Rogers should be held accountable for his actions.  Certainly Major League Baseball has taken care of that on their end, but the one area in which I have been most disappointed in Rogers is the fact that he appealed the suspension.  Rogers stumbled through a public apology earlier this week, but we at least know that he knows he made a mistake.  I would have appreciated Rogers’ sincerity much more had he not appealed and simply began serving the suspension.  To me, that would be standing up and taking responsibility for his mistake.  That would be an indication that Kenny realizes he is accountable for his actions.

 

I wonder, as we await the likelihood that a legal suit will be filed against Rogers by Larry Rodriguez, the cameraman thrown to the ground by Rogers, where is the accountability of the cameramen in this.  Oh, they were just doing their jobs, people have said.  Well, that is enough horse-puckey to fill a ten-gallon hat.  Whatever happened to human decency?  Having understanding for your fellow man?  Rogers had reportedly asked that all cameras be turned off around him the day before in the Rangers clubhouse.  And it isn’t as if his frosty relationship with journalists was breaking news, as he had refused to speak with the media all season long.  What did these guys think would happen?  Are you telling me that for them to do their jobs they had to have footage of Rogers warming up two hours before game time?  Is that right?  They couldn’t get a shot of Hank Blalock?  Or Mark Teixeira?  Michael Young?  Chan Ho Park?  Really?  Had to be Rogers?

I refuse to accept the notion that just because professional ballplayers are public figures and make lots of money that they are entitled to less respect and dignity than the rest of us (and I don’t think they deserve anymore than the rest of us, either).  How would you feel if somebody had cameras and microphones in your face when you were having a bad day at work?  Think you might ever want to shove somebody?  How about Larry Rodriguez?  You think Larry would like being poked and prodded like a monkey in the zoo when he was trying to do his job?  Remember, this incident didn’t happen out on the street.  It happened on the field, Rogers’ office.  All of us as adults know when a situation should be walked away from.  It is easy to say Kenny Rogers should have walked away from his contentious confrontation.  I say Larry Rodriguez could have walked away first.

 

My problems with Rodriguez escalated as he began to pop up on television more often than Law and Order.  He made so many talk show appearances, I half expected to turn on Late Night with David Letterman and see him leading the band.  People used to be able to settle differences outside the public eye.  Now every little incident has to be front page news.  Rogers should have gone to Rodriguez immediately and apologized.  Rodriguez should have accepted.  Rogers could have paid for his medical attention and any wages lost because of missed work.  Rodriguez could have accepted and joined Kenny for a steak dinner (on Rogers’ tab, of course), and the matter could have been over.  But not in the litigious society we live in today.  Any meeting between the two men now would likely require six lawyers and a notary public.  Ridiculous.

 

And I blame ESPN and SportsCenter.  For the sporting public, they are the center of the universe of sports information.  So the episode goes from…guy pushes guy…owes guy an apology…to…guy pushes guy…is public enemy #1…should not be allowed to pitch in the All-Star game…should also never be allowed to forget incident.  All because ESPN won’t stop running the footage or talking about the story.  On Sunday night, when it was reported that Rogers was going to the All-Star Game, ESPN.com used the following as a lead:  “The Rangers’ volatile, camera-punching pitcher will go to Tuesday’s All-Star Game…”  Give it a rest.  Kenny Rogers is a long-time Major Leaguer and a guy that has been a very good citizen for a very long time.  He is guilty of making a mistake.  He should be accountable for the mistake and live with the consequences of his poor judgment.  End of story.  Instead, a bunch of talent-challenged hacks want to boil a man’s career down to one act.  It is reprehensible, and it is irresponsible.  You can quote me on that.

 

Kenny Rogers was wrong.  Period.  But he has earned his trip to Detroit this week.  He should go, and he should pitch.  Larry Rodriguez wasn’t wrong, at least not until he sold his story all over creation.  But he has been guilty of judgment nearly as questionable as Rogers.  He should not be held up as a hero.  So who is really guilty in today’s Big Gavel?  All of us.  For letting the media opinion makers, which in this case is mostly ESPN, tell us how to think.  Don’t be sheep (Because 450 of them died in Turkey last week when nearly 1500 sheep jumped off a cliff.  It started with one, then the rest mindlessly followed.)  Think for yourself.  Don’t let ESPN or anybody else tell what you think of something.  Not even me.  If we make you think, great.  That’s our job.  But what to think, that is yours.  If you think Kenny Rogers committed one of the most heinous acts in professional sports history, that’s fine.  Just make sure that is what YOU think. 

 

Court is adjourned.

The Chief Justice takes on his latest impossible case...Just keep the cameras out of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, please…

(mlb.com)