Hours after ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd attempted to explain his misguided radio commentary, proclaiming that baseball can’t be “too complex” since it’s played by so many Dominicans, the network decided to completely disassociate itself from Cowherd.
To some, that decision was too little, too late, given his history of controversial comments. To others, it was a bit too convenient, since Cowherd was already scheduled to leave his post at ESPN on July 31. While others, like Dominican born Jose Bautista, the Toronto Blue Jays All-Star outfielder, are already focused on putting the man behind the hurtful commentary in the background and perhaps spinning the message into something bigger and far more positive.
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As the New York Times reported on Friday night, Cowherd’s comments were also a topic of discussion in Coopertown, where Dominican born pitcher Pedro Martinez is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend. Always outspoken, Martinez didn’t hesitate to weigh in while meeting with the media, offering this zinger to begin his reponse.
“I’m sorry. He needs to get to my level to answer him. I’m in the Hall of Fame.”
Insert the mic drop right there.
That is classic Pedro in that he mixed a whole lot of truth with a touch of the arrogance that so often rubbed his opponents the wrong way. That’s just who Pedro Martinez is, after all, and it’s not surprising at all that he owned the moment. He didn’t have to say anything else, but we learned there was actually a lot more to his comments.
Here’s Pedro’s complete answer when asked about Cowherd’s comments: pic.twitter.com/xhR1qlWsS8
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) July 25, 2015
Also in Cooperstown, Juan Marichal, another Hall of Fame pitcher from the Dominican Republic, simply added:
“I don’t know why people make those mistakes. People don’t believe how hard we worked to get to this country to become what we are. I don’t think you can do that without a brain.”
You can almost feel the anguish being revisited in Marichal’s words.
If there is a silver lining to all of this, it might be that we’ll begin to hear more stories about the struggles players from the Dominican Republic face and are forced to overcome. And not just the challenges they face playing a game that is obviously far too complex for Colin Cowherd to comprehend, but the challenges they face adapting to a new country and gaining acceptance from those around them.
Maybe we can hear more of these stories, and maybe we can all look in the mirror and question how we can help make it a better and more welcoming environment.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
