I have to admit, I didn’t see much of Tuesday’s All-Star game from Comerica Park in Detroit. The TV was on here at the Free Lance but the rush to make deadline prevented me from paying too much attention.
But my ears perked up in the seventh when I heard Kenny Rogers’ name called.
I let out a groan when I realized that his name was being called because he was actually going into the game to pitch. Just the fact that he made the trip to Motown following his June 29 shoving match with those two cameramen turns my stomach a little bit.
So, I was a bit distressed to see this 40-year-old child get into the game. But I was very happy to hear the crowd’s reaction to Rogers taking the field. The boo birds were out in full force, and rightly so.
Is there anyone out there who saw the footage of Rogers bullying two guys who were trying to do their jobs that believes he should have been allowed to keep his spot on the All-Star roster?
Furthermore, is there anyone out there who believes that a 20-game suspension and a $50,000 fine was enough of a punishment for this particular incident?
I don’t. Rogers has been around a long time and he’s enjoyed a lot of success in baseball. He ought to know better.
Plus, the whole thing was just ugly. As if bouncing a very expensive camera off of some guy’s head wasn’t enough, Rogers had the nerve to come back for seconds! Apparently, the fact that the big, bad media cameraman didn’t drop his gear on the ground just infuriated Mr. Rogers, who went right back at the guy until he managed to knock the camera off of his shoulder and onto the ground.
Big, tough baseball player.
I say give the guy the boot for the rest of the season and double or even triple that fine. Rogers’ actions on June 29 seem to equal assault as far as I understand the law. It shouldn’t be too much to ask our professional athletes to refrain from the whole assault and battery thing. Just my opinion.
