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Cubbie blogger (and Deadspin) calls out Brandon McCarthy, C.J. Wilson

Th_buckykatt_tiny by Adam J. Morris on in News

Over at Bleed Cubbie Blue, Al has a post up ripping Brandon McCarthy and C.J. Wilson over their MySpace pages, suggesting that they are racists, saying that Ozzie Guillen "may have been right when he recently ripped McCarthy for his attitude when he was a member of the White Sox," based on McCarthy's MySpace page, and claiming that McCarthy "talks a big game, but doesn't seem to back it up with performance."

The subject apparently came up here, on the comments in the game day thread, including a hope expressed that Wilson is suspended.

I'm not entirely sure what Al is referring to on there, although that may be because it is taking forever for my computer to load McCarthy's MySpace page.

However, I'm not entirely sure how what he has on there (at least, based on what I could see) lends any credence to Ozzie Guillen's complaints, and I know that management and the media have been extremely complimentary of McCarthy's attitude since he joined the Rangers.  And saying that McCarthy can't perform because of a 5 run outing in an early March spring performance seems silly, to me.

I'm just baffled by this whole thing.  If someone wants to check this out and tell me what the issue is, I'd be appreciative.

And I know that at least one of the folks Al is taking issue with has posted on here before, so if he would like to weigh in, that would be great, as well.

Update [2007-3-9 20:33:24 by Adam J. Morris]: -- Deadspin also weighs in.

0 recs | Comment 163 comments

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B-Mac's Myspace...
Okay, I got ya Adam. I need to read more to find Brandon's comments but I can see there may have been an inside joke or something. You know what I'll send you the picture in your email. It's a black guy passed out on the sidewalk with a soda and several watermelon slices around him. CJ posted that on Brandon's comments. In my opinion I think it's just a little humor not meaning to be offensive at all. It's like showing a white guy dancing weird or something. I don't know. You can take it how it is. I'll read on further to find Brandon's supposed comments on Guillen.

                        -Robby

by txranger on Mar 9, 2007 7:01 PM CST   0 recs

Inside joke?
If that's what it is, it's not funny.

I don't want to sound all politically correct or anything, but really, that's not the sort of thing that anyone should find funny.

I wonder what, say, C. J.'s teammate Kenny Lofton might think of that if he saw it.

by Al on Mar 9, 2007 7:08 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

i dunno
uh, laugh about it?

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 7:13 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

slow news day?
"With running and conditioning the average major league pitcher works less in a week than a ditch digger does in a hour."

by SteveP on Mar 9, 2007 7:22 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

I think
he's just upset that they signed Soriano to that contract and have Lou as their coach.

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 7:24 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

well...
In case you didnt know Kenny isnt the only black player on the team. The Manager is black too. You guys are really retarded trying to stir up some crap. I mean honestly if you would take 10 min and read CJ's page you would see that he is one of the coolest cats around. And not to mention he has several African Amercian friends one being Wes Littleton who is also on the Rangers. I bet ya Wes would probably have a nice chuckle about the pic too. You guys need to start worrying about baseball stuff, like what your gonna do when Prior & Wood go down and quit trying to be some uber cool tabloid-blog reporters.

by turpentinechaser on Mar 9, 2007 7:26 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Wow, that is pathetic..
Don't you have something better to do?  I think Kenny Lofton would think it was hilarious...

I think you need to take a chill pill dude, Its just like Wes Littleton calling Adam Eaton cracker ass cracker.

Shouldn't you be like holding together Mark Prior's arm or something?

"This guy is a serious talent." -T.R. Sullivan on Arias, lol

by miles on Mar 9, 2007 7:39 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Again
Going way beyond the picture, the Cubs, and the Rangers ... I'm from a few miles south of Chicago, been in Texas many years so I've got biases ... but
  • There is a helluva lot more racial sensitivity in the upper midwest than in Texas
  • There is also a fair amount less of "just let it go" as well.
Would I post that picture as humor? No, but I'm an old guy.  Would any of my many black friends take offense? Maybe, but they'd kick it off as contemporary internet foolishness.  To pull it up on a team blog is really quite a reach, IMO.  But hey, glad you post here from time to time.  No anger, no angst between baseball bloggers ... or at least there shouldn't be.  It's the great game.
"When you're riding in a time machine way far into the future, don't stick your elbow out the window, or it'll turn into a fossil."

by Ed Coffin on Mar 9, 2007 7:56 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

You're my boy blue.
It's just sad to me how some people throw around that word just like any other word...

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 8:38 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

By the way
i was quoting Will Ferrel from Old School. Don't want Al seeing that, thinking i'm making fun of smurfs or thinking it's some kind of inside joke...

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 8:41 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Thanks for the response
I appreciate you coming on here and clarifying about that, and I hope you'll continue to stay open with us fans.  I can tell you your willingness to share has garnered you quite a few fans out here.

by Adam J. Morris on Mar 9, 2007 8:39 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

cj
I seriously hope this doesn't discourage you from posting here and other places.
Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!

by rentz on Mar 9, 2007 8:41 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

i hope you dont stop posting
i really like your spring training updates and general keeping in touch with the fans.

it would be a shame if something like this had to get you to stop.

maybe just be a little more selective with the content, but i hope you keep staying available to the fans; its gotten you quite the cult following around here =)

by DSheppard on Mar 9, 2007 8:45 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Understandable
Again, though, I think you're involvement with us out here has been a great thing, and I hope you won't a few grouchy Cubs fans misinterpreting something you posted on MySpace turn you off to the whole experience.

by Adam J. Morris on Mar 9, 2007 9:25 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

double edged sword
is 100% right.  I hope you can stay positive after this sorta crap and continue to keep that connection with us regular fans.  
"With running and conditioning the average major league pitcher works less in a week than a ditch digger does in a hour."

by SteveP on Mar 10, 2007 6:05 AM CST to parent up   0 recs

It's sad...
why that guy felt compelled to assume what he did and for him to then use that to make himself a headline and take shots at McCarthy from that. I hope you just take that from the persepective that when you post online you are in front of a whole audience not pure ranger fans that you would meet at a fan fest. But don't be discouraged to post because as you've seen thus far, it is rewarding and you've made yourself a fan favorite to many us. Good luck to you the rest of the way. I hope you kill it this season and force the organization into some tough decisions about the rest of the bullpen.

by slimshadty12 on Mar 11, 2007 12:40 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Thank you.
I appreciate your post and your honesty. If you'd like to continue the dialogue, you have my cordial invitation to sign up for an account at Bleed Cubbie Blue and join the discussion over there.

Incidentally, if you do so, please email me privately also, as we normally have a 24-hour waiting period for your first post (this is done to avoid comment spam, which we've had a fair amount of). If you sign up and let me know, I'll waive this for you.

Thanks again. You're a standup guy, just as Adam told me you were.

Al, proprietor, Bleed Cubbie Blue

by Al on Mar 9, 2007 8:53 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

continue your back peddling
"That really is CJ Wilson's page.

What a jerk."

and

"Seriously...

... how could we get this "out there"?"

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 9:00 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

a dialogue is exactly what you should have started
should have started with, before making an extremely aggressive blog post and getting deadspin to pick it up.

making generalized assumptions about the player based on a single blog post without even a comment attached is poor journalism.  I know its just a blog, but some of us appreciated his contributions to various ranger websites and this may have persuaded him to stop.

the first thought shouldnt be to get it "out there".

by DSheppard on Mar 9, 2007 9:08 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

STFU
If your actions today are any indication, you are not a standup guy.

Go try to create your controversy elsewhere, jerk.

"Hello there, Little Red Riding Hood. I ate your grandmother, and now I'm ready for love."

by thedirkatron on Mar 9, 2007 9:26 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

I guess it's great...
that you're now asking for dialogue after C.J. shows that he's just a regular guy.

Jeez, you're a jerk.

by benmor78 on Mar 9, 2007 9:38 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

You know what...
When I saved the picture to send to Adam, it saved as homeless as the name. This could've just been a picture they took or something they took a picture of. It's clearly in Dallas b/c of the the dumpster phone # which is area code (972) (my detective skills at work *wink)  It may have just been funny to them cuz it's a guy passed out on the street with fruit all around him. I would think that's funny if it was a white guy or any kind of guy.

by txranger on Mar 9, 2007 7:09 PM CST   0 recs

OK....
I think Kenny Lofton would laugh actually. That's just my opinion though. He seems like an outgoing guy. Look Bleed, I can't say anything cuz I don't know the whole deal. I'm not making any opinions or anything. I'm just trying to say all the possibilities is all.

by txranger on Mar 9, 2007 7:10 PM CST   0 recs

Those guys are morons over at
bleed cubbie blue.

One of Bmac's heroes is Tiger and CJ is not a racist like that dolts think. Those guys over there must be bored as hell or need a girlfriend or something...

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 7:11 PM CST   0 recs

Couldn't agree more...
Looks like they have nothing better to do than get into peoples business...
"This guy is a serious talent." -T.R. Sullivan on Arias, lol

by miles on Mar 9, 2007 7:41 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

deadspin
Deadspin covered this today:

http://tinyurl.com/2m5nhj

It doesn't look good, given the stereotype of African Americans and watermelon. The image was posted by CJ without comment, so it's a little hard to know what to make of it. Perhaps it was innocent or an inside joke, perhaps more malicious.

CJ's a pretty prolific and open guy in terms of his writing on different internet sites, and I haven't seen anything that would make me think that he's a racist in the past. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not in the place to do that since I'm white and it's not my position to say what is and isn't offensive to black people. Maybe he can shed some light on it. In any case, this looks like something that might have to be addressed, since he's posting on an official MLB blog.

It's Coagulicious!

by trza on Mar 9, 2007 7:16 PM CST   0 recs

oh cmon
that picture has been around a long time, and i have seen MUCH more offensive stuff out there...this is why guy's like cj can't just have some fun and post on blogs, etc... because fucksticks have to take everything so goddamned seriously
Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!

by rentz on Mar 9, 2007 7:23 PM CST   0 recs

Yawn
People shouldn't post stuff like that on the internet.  So B-Mac and CJ aren't thinking?  

WHO CARES.

Really... suspension?  For a photo which might be interpreted as racist?  People really throw that term around way too loosely...

by JBImaknee on Mar 9, 2007 7:32 PM CST   0 recs

Those jackasses need to get
a clue, especially Al, or whatever the hell his name is. Bringing up racism? Seriously?? Racism? These morons need to get a life, learn to read, and just shut the hell up. I don't think i've been more upset over someone else's rhetoric on a blog than that asshole's.

Just absolutely tired of people throwing around the word 'racism' without even knowing that person and for them to deduce that type of behavior from one picture? Give me f'in break.

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 7:36 PM CST   0 recs

OK...
... I wasn't the one who said that Wilson should be suspended, and that's probably too severe.

But whether or not Wilson really feels that way -- and I have learned he probably doesn't -- can you see how it could be taken the wrong way? And why posting something like this is just probably not a really smart thing to do?

by Al on Mar 9, 2007 7:37 PM CST   0 recs

Players posting
I would think that any good agent should be checking up on his clients and making sure that they aren't doing things like this.  Because whatever the reasons for it, the perception is bad... and part of an agent's job is making sure his client's public image is good.

If this were a pattern, then it is JD's job to step in and say that he is hurting the Rangers image as a team, and if he wants to be part of the team, he had better shape up...

by JBImaknee on Mar 9, 2007 7:42 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Just shh.
Its people like you that need to get slapped, why don't you go worry about running out of air, or something more productive?
"This guy is a serious talent." -T.R. Sullivan on Arias, lol

by miles on Mar 9, 2007 7:42 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

And what is this crap
about McCarthy as well? What the hell did he do? And because he didn't pitch well one game he can't back up his talk? What the hell are you talking about dude? Where were you after his previous start? I guess you love that one game sample size.

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 7:44 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Thinks what way?
What insight, exactly, has CJ posting that picture given into his racist mind?  And everyone tap dancing around the issue is just ridiculous, you and Deadspin both.  If you're going to say that something is a legitimate story, then post the picture.  This is like all those newspapers covering the Mohammed cartoon story and refusing to show the cartoons.

CJ Wilson is a Southern California boy who doesn't drink and is apparently (from what little exposure to him I've had) pretty smart.  Maybe you're reading a little too much into the picture?  As other people have mentioned, wouldn't the picture still be funny if it was a white homeless guy with watermelons all around him?

by benmor78 on Mar 9, 2007 7:45 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Nice back pedal
"..you'll find a racist photograph.."

"Those who choose to act otherwise may reap what they sow."

"I'm thinking McCarthy and Wilson might have more to worry about tonight than how many runs they allowed, too."

"That's bad enough -- and it's worse when you discover that the photo was posted by one of McCarthy's teammates, relief pitcher C. J. Wilson"

by mattrpav on Mar 9, 2007 8:30 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

STFU
"Hello there, Little Red Riding Hood. I ate your grandmother, and now I'm ready for love."

by thedirkatron on Mar 9, 2007 9:28 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

racism
you want to talk racism? how about the atlanta braves? or the cleveland indians? i think they need to change their names. the devil rays also need to remove devil from their name, it might offend christians.

People need to RELAX

Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!

by rentz on Mar 9, 2007 7:39 PM CST   0 recs

"Cubs"
is offensive to Black Bears. :)
Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Mar 10, 2007 8:30 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

"kwellborn"
Is offensive to a rare species of birds found in the mountainous regions of New Zealand.

by Dustin on Mar 10, 2007 9:04 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Funny
You know that I was making a nonsensical joke.  I am assuming you are as well.
Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Mar 11, 2007 12:07 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

as was i
but i thought it was obvious, maybe not
Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!

by rentz on Mar 11, 2007 12:18 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Sorry
I was asking Dustin.  I knew you were joking.
Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Mar 11, 2007 10:32 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

of course
You can't get much more nonsensical than the comeback joke I made.

by Dustin on Mar 11, 2007 3:54 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Ok
I guess I am a little on edge with all the racism trumped up racism charges being thrown out there.  There may be some bear lovers on the board.
Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Mar 11, 2007 10:33 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Your name
...does sound like it would be the name of a rare bird species, though.  Not sure why.  I just have strange mind, I guess.

by Dustin on Mar 12, 2007 12:08 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

My thoughts...
People blowing an issue like this clearly out of proportion is what drives players away from a certain level of intimacy with the fans.  CJ has been kind enough to interact with us here on this board in a way that fans 50 years ago never got to experience.

I'd hate to think that he felt like he couldn't post on boards or interact with fans without censoring himself or being a normal person.

by benmor78 on Mar 9, 2007 7:52 PM CST   0 recs

Wow
Just...wow.

What a joke. People are far, far too sensitive these days.

Go get some snatch, Al. You'll feel a lot better.

by tlt29 on Mar 9, 2007 7:52 PM CST   0 recs

Huh.
The photo trades on an ugly stereotype.  It's not ambiguous.

If Wilson meant it as an inside joke, it doesn't come through.

If CJ is assuming people at large will think it's in good fun, meant a different way, etc., he's real dumb.  Is he generalizing from LSBers?

Actually, I don't know his beliefs one iota.  And I have read his posts.

by hightowersmith on Mar 9, 2007 8:03 PM CST   0 recs

Isn't the whole point of an inside joke that
it "doesn't come through" to people that aren't privy to the joke?  Hell, I don't think this is really even an inside joke.  I think its pretty obvious what the joke is.  

I saw it a couple days ago and didn't think anything of it other than "Heh, CJ posted on McCarthy's page like a couple of dorky teenage girls."

The picture is obviously a racial stereotype, but that doesn't mean that its not funny.  Its exaggerating on a known stereotype to make irony.  It makes no indication that the stereotype is valid, and if anything it serves to discredit the stereotype because nobody has ever actually seen a black person passed out in the from eating too much watermelon.  ITS DARK IRONY.

------------
:) - Obligatory smiley showing I don't mean whatever mean
spiritedness is likely contained in the preceding post

by jtts on Mar 9, 2007 8:45 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

yes
like in dr. strangelove when george c scott yells "you can't fight in here, this is the war room"
Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!

by rentz on Mar 9, 2007 8:49 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

I really think we should all just calm down,
relax, and watch some cartoons.

------------
:) - Obligatory smiley showing I don't mean whatever mean
spiritedness is likely contained in the preceding post

by jtts on Mar 9, 2007 8:54 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

haha
now that's an ethnic stereotype we can all love...

by ksf42001 on Mar 9, 2007 10:41 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Whole bunch of nothing.
The histrionics are more offensive to me than the actual picture.
Lookout Landing

by Jeff on Mar 9, 2007 8:03 PM CST   0 recs

+1
Well put.

But the BCB guy got what he wanted: notoriety.

Does anyone think he was actually offended by the utterly innocuous photo? No. He just thought it was controversial and decided he wanted a piece of that sweet action.

Too bad he had to try to make a fool out of our boy Chris-John to do it.

"Hello there, Little Red Riding Hood. I ate your grandmother, and now I'm ready for love."

by thedirkatron on Mar 9, 2007 9:30 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

that's right.
my bad.

But, he could also have signed up for Myspace so he can spend his days browsing around other people's profiles.

Hmmm, a 50 year old guy browsing around Myspace, which is predominantly for younger people...

Weird.

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 8:36 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

a tad weird...
Although, apparently the median age on myspace is like 34 or something, so that's not TOO young...
Edwards-Obama '08

by RangerMoto on Mar 9, 2007 10:49 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Nice...
I seriously can't see why reposting a pic, that has been floating around on the internet for some time now on message boards and forums, could be considered the act of a racist. If Wilson had that pic up as his profile picture, and tagged it with a racial slur, maybe I'd be a little more suspicious, but that pic was obviously posted with the idea that those who don't take silly staged photos seriously, might find some humor in it. Unfortunately some have decided to blow it way out of proportion (I like how that phrase has been mentioned throughout the comment section), and have prematurely labeled Wilson and McCarthy as racists.

Good job guys...

No more Buck in 2007

by jcir454 on Mar 9, 2007 8:27 PM CST   0 recs

i think its funny
does that make me racist?

by dubman on Mar 9, 2007 8:29 PM CST   0 recs

Yes, it does...
If you have ever laughed at any joke tinged with even an inkling of a racial stereotype, then you, my friend, are a racist.

Also, if you hate the taste of black jellybeans, you are a racist.

by tlt29 on Mar 9, 2007 8:37 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

I had a black light
But got rid of it. Am I a closet racist?
Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi Tech Tech VPI Go Hokies!

by jackbnimble on Mar 10, 2007 12:31 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

slow news day
not worth comment, don't the cub fans have enough to think about without policing the internet?

by t ball on Mar 9, 2007 8:30 PM CST   0 recs

Can't wait for CJ to weigh in on this
because I'm sure he will.

First off, they bash B-Mac and basically describe him as egotistical because he has "World Series rings" on his page.  Those are LSU football national championship rings. They are just looking to attack him for anything.

I don't know CJ's view on people of other races, but I would be willing to bet that he's not a racist, and I think he will (probably very elogantly as per the norm), explain the meanings of this picture as soon as he sees this topic.

by hurley325 on Mar 9, 2007 8:31 PM CST   0 recs

Wow
Al, of all the things you can bitch about, and given your offseason, there's plenty, you reserve your greatest ire for a picture posted on a myspace page.

The fact that we're actually discussing this like it matters is pathetic.

by FirebatM3 on Mar 9, 2007 8:36 PM CST   0 recs

ok, it was in poor taste.
but come on.  when i read the summary on the cubbie website, i though it would be something MUCH worse than that.

its in bad taste but its just meant to be humorous.

personally that doesnt quite make the list of things that would cause me to TRY to cause some kind of uproar and throw out personal attacks based on merely posting a picture.

so again.. he shouldnt have posted it, but jesus come on reading the posts at cubbieblue you would think he had done something 5 times as bad.

and how on earth do they try to connect B-Mac to it... he doesnt control what people post on his page.

by DSheppard on Mar 9, 2007 8:43 PM CST   0 recs

I noticed that watermelon pic ...
that CJ put up on BMac's Myspace like a week or two ago.  It kinda surprised me - thought BGL was smarter than that, leaving a ticking bomb [innocent joke or not] like that pic out there in the public space just appeared to be asking for trouble.  I almost started a diary here at LSB about it but didn't WANT it to blow up in BGL's face ... just exactly like it appears to have done ... so I crossed my fingers for his sake and ignored it.  Hope you stay with your peeps, CJ.  We get that you aren't Lex Luther ... and aren't Superman either.  
Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Mar 9, 2007 9:38 PM CST   0 recs

Why didn't you...
send him a message on MySpace?

Although, I guess CJ should just be glad that you weren't checking out his physique after his shower.

by benmor78 on Mar 9, 2007 10:27 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

it is good to see
his own readers are pwning him on this issue.

by Longhorn on Mar 9, 2007 9:42 PM CST   0 recs

are you using pwn correctly?
i don't get what you are saying.
"I want him focused on figuring out a way to beat that lefty's ass." - RW

by ab03 on Mar 9, 2007 9:47 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

oh
you are talking about bcb.

nevermind.  

"I want him focused on figuring out a way to beat that lefty's ass." - RW

by ab03 on Mar 9, 2007 9:47 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Gasp!!!
Wilson has a picture with Fergie Jenkins as well.  GASP!!!  And he's really excited that he got to meet him!  GASP!!!  Wilson must be racist!!! GASP!!!!

Give me a break.

by markaholden on Mar 9, 2007 9:52 PM CST   0 recs

BGL
Bingo - you're right.  I've been kicking myself ever since I found out about this about an hour or so ago.  I shoulda e-mailed Jamey Newberg and had him warn you off that pic back when I first spotted it.  My bad.  Bummer.
Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Mar 9, 2007 10:22 PM CST   0 recs

Thanks alot Al for being an inconsiderate jackass
And delving into matters that don't concern you. It's not up to you to decide what other people can do or say or post and in what way that person meant their words.

The nice and sensible thing to do would've been to ask CJ wouldn't it? Instead of making a post of assumptions. I think so.

by hiafex on Mar 9, 2007 10:24 PM CST   0 recs