Comments on: The Dustin Pedroia double-standard

By: twentyseventoseven

twentyseventoseven — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 06:23:16 +0000

Alex apologized for steroids and still to this day, has people reminding him of it. David Ortiz denied he had anything to do with it (much like Clemens did) and yet very few people say a word about Ortiz and his use. More double standard. If Alex would have denied use and stayed strong to his denial to this day, people would be throwing batteries out of the stands at him. With Ortiz, he said one time “not me, i didnt do it” and we said, “ok, we believe you” and that was the end of it. There’s more than one double standard when it comes to the Yankees.
Alex is part of a team who is constantly doing charitable things. Alex just donated 250k to build some wing at a hospital, yet i didnt hear that Pedroia donated a penny to anyone. Alex was part of a group that went to blacksburg va to play a charity game for the people affect by the va tech massacre, i didn’t notice Pedroia down there playing.

By: Bill@TDS

Bill@TDS — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:56:50 +0000

That’s interesting…wasn’t the “someone [who] was willing to take him down a well-deserved peg or two” Pedroia himself? I mean, he wasn’t forced to take their money and be in the commercial. Seems to me it suggests that Pedroia himself has a good sense of humor about things (but not as much as “laser show, so relax” does).

By: The Real Shuxion

The Real Shuxion — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:07:21 +0000

You are even dumber on this site than on PFT, if that was possible.

By: Boo Hoo Florio picked on your team - GET OVER IT

Boo Hoo Florio picked on your team - GET OVER IT — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:59:15 +0000

Because people don’t like to be outed as the hypocritcal douchebags they are.

By: Craig Calcaterra

Craig Calcaterra — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:36:46 +0000

Then explain Jeter, who gets even more favorable treatment than Pedroia.
Look, I’m not saying it’s a non-existent factor. I just don’t think it’s a determinative factor.

By: Mike T.

Mike T. — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:33:19 +0000

I’m not suggesting that Pedroia-A-Rod is a racial thing, so please don’t go there.
Sorry, Craig, it is.
If A-Rod was a blond guy from the Midwest, like Mickey Mantle, he’d be “colorful.” But instead he’s a brown guy who speaks with a Spanish accent, so he’s cocky and arrogant. It’s a double standard, all right, and there clearly is a racial component to it, even if NBC Sports can’t afford to say it outright.

By: BBallFan

BBallFan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:26:38 +0000

I wouldn’t wish the abuse that A-Rod takes on my worst enemy but would like to see how some other players would perform while under it. It is always funny to hear people who don’t know A-Rod attribute things to him that they have no way of really knowing to be true.
He has done things that no one should be proud of but what has been directed at him because of it has not been in proportion to the reaction given other players for the same offenses.
The article Posnanski wrote last month about A-Rod was great. He showed how he’s the last safe prejudice but the tide has turned with that both in the Yankee fanbase and in the Yankee clubhouse.

By: John

John — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:27:41 +0000

Yep, it’s an unfair double standard…but A-Rod hasn’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt for his comments or actions. Doing stupid crap like swatting balls out of gloves, yelling going around the bases, using steroids etc. has just really tarnished his reputation to the point where he can do no right. Pedroia is a “feel good story” because of his size, has always been known to be a great teammate and hard worker, so he can basically do no wrong. I mean, you can’t even really take Dustin seriously. He’s 5 foot 6 and probably weighs 160…his comments usually come off as tongue in cheek and that definitely seems intentional…he just seems like a funny guy. It’s really more about A-Rod being treated unfairly than DP being glorified.

By: quint

quint — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:15:43 +0000

The big difference is motivation. I believe Pedroia when he says he took ground balls because he was bored and had nothing to do.
Almost everything A-Rod says and does is about being the man, the star, and all the examples above detail it.
Pedroia is more genuine, and quite frankly, he is funny and likable.
Nothing A-Rod does is likable, and almost everything he does is for himself.
He cannot nor can anyone else expect him to get the benefit of the doubt in this situation.

By: Md23Rewls

Md23Rewls — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:46:15 +0000

The lying-about-steroids thing is just stupid to knock him for at this point. Everybody who used lied/is lying about it. Tell me one guy who admitted to using if they weren’t caught. That’s what I thought. Furthermore, plenty of the roiders are players are loved, such as Ortiz, Pettitte, Brian Roberts, Gagne, Palmeiro, Giambi etc.. It’s not like using steroids is a sign of being a scumbag. I don’t think it’s fair to knock him down a peg on the scale of decency if you aren’t going to do likewise for Ortiz. Speaking of Ortiz, if Rodriguez acted with half the indignation and self-righteousness that Ortiz did when Ortiz had his crappy April, then people would go insane. Say what you want about his awkwardness with speaking, but at least Rodriguez has always always owned up to his failures. He doesn’t lash out at the media or fans, even when fans were booing him for years and when the media was trashing him daily as a choker. That does say something about what kind of a person he is, and on the inverse, the way Ortiz acted says something about his personality. It’s easy to be a stand-up guy when things are going great. Not so easy when you’re struggling. For all of Rodriguez’s problems, he’s never been anything but upfront about the actual baseball stuff (you know, the stuff that people should care about).
As for the other stuff, yes, Rodriguez has had his sketchy moments (the Toronto yell, the opt out, not the Arroyo thing, because Rodriguez’s general intent was not against the rules–it’s fine to try to knock the ball out when the player is in the baseline, that’s why catchers get plowed over all the time–he just went about it the wrong way), but I think people are too hard on him for stupid reasons that have nothing to do with anything on the field. He’s not a very good public speaker, we know that. He comes across as forced when he’s talking, we know that. Some guys are better at speaking in public than others. Some guys are more natural. Why should Rodriguez get penalized for not making pithy “laser show” comments, though? I think we’ve all been in situations where we don’t come across as natural or authentic. There are times when you just don’t know how to relax, and so you say things that come off as wooden or fake. And yeah, it can be annoying to the average fan who sees it, but it’s sort of silly to hold it against him. So the guy wants to be liked too much? Who cares? I don’t think he has bad intent. Like has been mentioned earlier, it’s a lot easier to be self-deprecating when you are short, white, and have a stubble of facial hair.
I say all this as a Yankee fan who doesn’t like or hate Rodriguez. I’m happy with his production, but can’t relate to him as a human being. I don’t think he’s a bad guy or that he means ill, even when he screws up or does something a little sketchy.

By: funi

funi — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:56:08 +0000

Pedroia is an overrated punk! If he playe din Pitt or K.C. no one would would care about him. Noone in Boston heard of Jason Bay till he went there and was in top 10 of AllStar voting and he had better years in Pittsburgh!

By: jwb

jwb — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:45:12 +0000

Nah, that’s Ron Gardenhire.

By: jwb

jwb — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:41:19 +0000

Had this treatment of Rodriguez begun in October, 2007, your point may have some validity. As it did not, your point does not.

By: cardillo11

cardillo11 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:30:29 +0000

He reminds me of the Travelocity gnome

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:03:32 +0000

Can you imagine if a-rod referred to himself as a Laser Show?

By: gk1272

gk1272 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:02:51 +0000

If you want a direct example of the double-standard between the two just google “Pedroia slaps ball”…while A-Rod’s slap at Arroyo holding the ball from the 2004 ALCS is still brought up to show what a jerk he is, Pedroia made an almost exact play against the Indians in the ’07 ALCS but it’s never mentioned. Interesting…

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:02:23 +0000

Funny how you make several points, and when I erase all but one, you say “well none of those mattered except the one you didn’t touch on”
I actually thought that was botched by his agent or the team, or someone with something to gain (he certainly had nothing to gain). But that is subjective and there’s no way to know for certain so I left it out.

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:01:31 +0000

Don’t discount the beard! When people see a guy with a beard, they think of a blue-collar construction-worker type. That’s why those types of players (Youkilis, Pedroia , Halladay et al) are described as “gritty” and “hard-working.” I hate those descriptions. As if some players got to the major leagues wtihout working hard. Please!

By: aleskel

aleskel — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:58:45 +0000

Do you think that Pedroia isn’t arrogant too? As much as he couches it in humor (lazer show, etc.) I get the sense that he is tremendously arrogant. As he should be, considering he’s an incredible talent and unimpeachable self-confidence is an important trait for a baseball player.
When you boil it down, I don’t think ARod is any less arrogant than a player of his stature should be. Maybe he doesn’t carry himself the right way or express his arrogance in a way that wins people over, but it’s not arrogance that’s the problem.
Oh, and ARod won the game for the Yankees today with a 2-run bomb in the 8th. Let your game do the talkin’, as they say.

By: aleskel

aleskel — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:53:40 +0000

“He slammed the ball out of Arroyo’s glove when he was being tagged on his way to first base.”
Funny you should mention that – Pedroia tried to do the same in the 2007 ALCS:
http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2007/10/16/1192583121_9092.jpg
Why do you think people don’t bring that up more?

By: Chris Fiorentino

Chris Fiorentino — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:46:00 +0000

Funny how you rationalized everything except the thing that most makes him the biggest dick in the sport…stealing the spotlight from the biggest stage the game has…the World Series. I hope A-Rod never sniffs Hank Aaron’s Home Run record.

By: nps6724

nps6724 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:44:12 +0000

A-Rod is arrogant, egostistical, greedy, a liar, and humorless. Right or wrong, that combination rubs people the wrong way.

By: JBerardi

JBerardi — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:39:17 +0000

That commercial was funny, but factually inaccurate. Pedroia KILLS high fastballs.

By: JBerardi

JBerardi — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:36:42 +0000

I agree that it’s a question of images– if someone who’s physically put together like A-Rod or Pujols makes comments about the “bomb squad” or “laser show”, it’s perceived as arrogant because they’re flaunting their obvious superior capabilities over everyone else. We expect humility from players like that, whereas Dustin doesn’t look anything like a guy who hits home runs, so it’s cute and funny and unexpected when he displays his utter lack of humility. He’s seen as an underdog who NEEDS to have that kind of arrogance to keep him successful.

It should be noted, by the way, that this is completely wrong. Whatever his physical appearance, Dustin Pedroia is a tremendously gifted athlete. The guy was the quarterback of his high school football team. He went to a top college baseball program in AZ State and did so well there that he forced Ian Kinsler to transfer when he beat him out for starting shortstop (funny that story doesn’t come up more often). He was a high draft pick, received a large bonus, and excelled as he plowed through the minor leagues. The guy has never been an underdog, ever. Even the prospect evaluators who dinged him for his size in the minors still projected him as a major-league starter, if only a second-division type. By all rights we should expect such a talented person to show some humility, but… it call comes back to images. He’s short! He’s just like David Eckstein! Laser show? That’s adorable!

For his own part, I’m convinced that Pedroia is keenly aware of this dynamic, and he plays off it whenever possible. He’s obviously amused by it himself, and it’s a convenient line of BS he can feed to beat reporters when necessary. That’s ultimately the reason that I’m not more annoyed by his attitude, because it’s just such an obvious farce. Or maybe it’s just because he’s my favorite player…

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:34:38 +0000

Steroids couldn’t be a better example of the double standard. Where’s the Manny outrage? Bib Papi? Andy Pettitte?
I tend to think (honestly) that if Pedroia screamed while someone caught a ball, we’d say he was pulling out all the stops to win. The mound thing was retarded, most people never heard of it before – ICHIRO did it in the M’s game last night. I’m SHOCKED no one cares….

By: Jonny5

Jonny5 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:19:29 +0000

I think it’s the arrogance A-rods exudes that makes people dislike him, coupled with the steroid issue. It’s minataurs and needles. It’s kissing thyself in thine mirror and FBI investigations. Dr. Galea and super models….

By: Tom Giblin

Tom Giblin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:15:19 +0000

Hello,
I have trouble with your motivation for writing this comment or article. Are you trying to start a fight? Both of these gents are great athletes who deserve respect and space to perform to the best of their abilities. Athletes of this level may or may not have the ability to handle the verbal barbs of a press that has stepped over the line of fair reporting.
Responsible reporting it seems should deal with questions: “What is best for the athlete when I write?
What is best for the teams when I write?”
I kind of think I know how Terry Francona and Joe Giradi would think.
Hopping you will consider these comments—
Respectfully,
Tom Giblin

By: Gregg Rosenthal

Gregg Rosenthal — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:12:30 +0000

i agree the guys at pft are clowns.

By: Ace2000

Ace2000 — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:12:19 +0000

Yeah, I gotta side with JCD on this one. I don’t think this is really all that complex. Pedroia very obviously has a sense of humor, while A-Rod has no discernable personality beyond the narcissism. I’ll agree that at this point in his career, A-Rod doesn’t often get the benefit of the doubt, but isn’t a lot of that his own doing? When you behave like an ass clown for so many years, that’s inevitably how people are going to view you. I’m not trying to beat the old steroid horse here, but I think his label as a phony was hard-earned when he so flagrantly lied (and lashed out at his accusers) to cover his ass on that one.

By: geoknows

geoknows — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:05:59 +0000

I’m probably the lone ranger in this, but personally I dislike Pedroia just as much as A-Rod. They both come off self-absorbed to me and, if anything, Pedroia come off as the cockier of the two. That’s why I loved his MLB 2009 The Show commercial: It showed someone was willing to take him down a well-deserved peg or two.
But that’s just me.