Comments on: Is race and personality affecting coverage of the Ryan Braun story?

By: chipman650

chipman650 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:58:49 +0000

Rafael Palmeiro racked over the coals? You mean the same Rafael Palmeiro who stood before Congress and stated he never took PEDs? The same Rafael Palmeiro who knew he tested positive months before that Congressional meeting?

How did old Rafe’s perjury trial end? You mean he was never charged?

By: mella21

mella21 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 04:07:22 +0000

If you admit he was the alltime jerk, then doesn’t that lend credence to the “personality” theory?

And as much as this country HATES to acknowledge race has anything to do with how we react to others, the truth of the matter is that race is a big part of how athletes are covered. It impacts how all of us perceive them, and how the sports writers (largely White) perceive them.

“If Derek Jeter or Michael Young tested positive tomorrow we’d be introduced to a whole new, player-sympathetic PED lexicon, I’m sure.”

I call BLATANT & PROFUSE Hogwash. If Jeter tested positive, 99% of the sports analysts (including this website) would be frothing at the mouth. That would be the biggest ‘get’ in baseball.

By: klingonj

klingonj — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:56:02 +0000

damn right (Palmero is another one)

By: klingonj

klingonj — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:54:05 +0000

I’m a long time Yankees fan but that is funny

By: tmartin1438

tmartin1438 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:04:50 +0000

I wouldnt say race, definitely likability. David Ortiz has not gotten much flak for steroid accusations, nor did Sammy Sosa in comparison to Mark Mcgwire/Giambi/Bonds. And everyone seems to have forgotten that Ivan Rodriguez was also accused of ‘roids. If you look at the guys who have been thrown under the bus (Gary Sheffield, Clemens, Bonds, Palmeiro, ARod) it’s been because they’re either unlikable or flat out lied about their substance use.

By: Marty

Marty — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:30:23 +0000

1. Ryan Braun isn’t one of the the top 5 players of all time.

2. It is December.

That’s the media coverage in a nutshell, Ratto.

By: churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged

churchoftheperpetuallyoutraged — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:17:17 +0000

he pointed out adding on 30-40lbs of lean muscle mass (and giant head growth)

While I can’t speak for the head growth, do people still not realize how easy it is for baseball players to add muscle mass? You don’t run often, so you don’t need endurance, which won’t burn muscle like soccer players for example. He played first base, one of the least athletic positions out there.

Also, as other’s mentioned he became a workout freak. If I was paid 1/10th of what these guys did I’d hire my own personal chef and have a weight room set up for every advantage.

Lastly, these are his HR/AB rates beginning with that last full year of his career:

36 – 21.2
35 – 15.5
34 – 18.4
33 – 15.4
32 – 12.6
31 – 13.4
30 – 15.9

Where neely got 1HR per 7.8 AB is beyond me. It’s more than double that.

By: kellyb9

kellyb9 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:56:50 +0000

I think the overarching issue that everyone seems to be ignoring is that people, who know nothing about baseball, know about Barry Bonds and PED’s because of the national media attention he recieved as a result of the congressional hearings. Ryan Braun is a big sports story right now, and that’s about it. Baseball, and more generally, sports fans know a thing or two about it, but the average non-fan has no clue who he is or what he did. Also, Barry Bonds broke one of baseball’s most revered single season and career records, and most people assume he cheated his way there… so there’s always that too. Compare that to a guy that had one great season, and it’s apples and oranges.

By: kacapaco

kacapaco — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:23:45 +0000

Nothing but race. The redneck world doesn’t enjoy exposing and justifying cheat whites as much as blacks or hispanics. Period.

By: purnellmeagrejr

purnellmeagrejr — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:19:52 +0000

Geez – I thought from the headline he was getting a HARD time because he’s a Jew – kind of glad that’s not what it was about.

By: stlouis1baseball

stlouis1baseball — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:42:27 +0000

Plezbo: THE GUYS DID NOTHING ILLEGAL IN THE EYES OF THE HEAD TURNING…TURNSTILE SPINNING…ATTENDANCE CRAVING MLB EXECUTIVES. Do you understand that? NOTHING. Why is that so hard to understand? They did NOTHING illegal in MLB. Sad? Absolutely. True? Without a doubt.
One more thing…Reds fan huh?

By: stlouis1baseball

stlouis1baseball — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:39:08 +0000

I went to school with a Cameron Poe. Although I do NOT recall him being a baseball fan.

By: plezbo

plezbo — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:37:57 +0000

Ryan Braun is a cheater, he should be suspended the 50 games and have the MVP award taken away if baseball is serious about getting rid of Steroids.

Barry Bonds was also a cheater, so was Mark McGuire, neither one should end up in the Hall of Fame, and all of their stats should be wiped from the record books.

I am white, I make no excuses for any white players, anyone that cheats should be punished.

Ken Griffey Jr. never cheated, not even at Monopoly, and everyone cheats at Monopoly.

By: cameron poe

cameron poe — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:22:31 +0000

Uh-Oh! Matt Kemp a black man just took Ryan Braun’s side! But hey, it has to be a racial issue. Keep making these unfounded comments to boost blog ratings and sell papers. Ryan Braun gets the benefit of the doubt because he didn’t alienate the media like Bonds. Also on the subject of Bonds you are using an outlier as an example. You are comparing Ryan Braun a guy who is liked by the media and the fans (one end of spectrum) to Barry Bonds a man who did everything he could to create the persona of being an ass (the complete opposite end of the spectrum) to one another. I think the rest of the world would have a much easier time believing the racist argument if you used more realistic comparisons. But hey we all love good hyperbole!

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:16:02 +0000

Dead on. Bonds is consumed with being racist in his own life. Biggest racist out there, in fact.

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:14:29 +0000

Speak for your self, idiot. Every one is PREJUDICED (a normal defense mechanism). It’s what you do after your initial reaction to someone that defines whether or not you are RACIST (a sustained hatred for someone based solely upon their race)..a condition that can be acquired by members of any race BTW (for those specific minorities who think that their status as such makes them immune to being one).

FYI, Braun is Jewish, so if anything he is also a member of a minority that has been subjected to vast amounts of racist propaganda.

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:07:43 +0000

If he identifies as Jewish (he does), that’s good enough for me, crpls.

Interesting bit of trivia there, koufazmitzvah.

By: umrguy42

umrguy42 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:02:03 +0000

church, that’s true – but he didn’t just quote HR/AB #s – he pointed out adding on 30-40lbs of lean muscle mass (and giant head growth), plus sustaining high rates for 5 years, while conceding that a career year or two late in one’s career could be understandable.

By: koufaxmitzvah

koufaxmitzvah — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:00:19 +0000

We’ll still take him. Along with Ian Kinsler.

And there are many Jewish Mexicans. A lot of Jews were on the ships with Columbus escaping the Inquisition and settled in the New World.

I once heard the “…es” and “…ez” ending of the surname is as Jewish as a “…berg” and “…stein”.

By: stlouis1baseball

stlouis1baseball — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:21:29 +0000

Warhawk: That would explain it. But most people don’t realize…there is NO cure for Herpes. When you consider statistics show 1 – 4 people have it…that is frightening!

By: stlouis1baseball

stlouis1baseball — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:17:25 +0000

Henry: You can’t possibly believe what you posted. If you are truly being honest with yourself…you absolutely can’t believe that. Fans showed their “hatred” to Bonds by going to his games and throwing syringes as it him? Yeah…it was because he was black. Had absolutely NOTHING to do with him being a complete fraud…and an even bigger dickhead. Treated the media bad because of how his Father was treated? Laughable. His own teammates couldn’t stand to be around the Man! Further, there are numerous reports of Bobby routinely apologizing for his behavior to Dusty Baker. Stating he never could get him to act the right way. “The boy has alwasy had a chip on his shoulder and been a complete asshole to people.” As for Big Mac…I have heard NOONE stick up for him. In fact…he was equally vilified. As a Cardinals fan I found that somewhat strange considering he NEVER LIED to Congress (chose to not say anything…which in my opinion was probably the smartest thing to do at that point). But I can certainly understand some of the vilification with the 500′ bombs, 70+ Home Runs and subsequent assault(s) on the record books (although they did nothing illegal as far as MLB’s head turning…hyprocitical asses were concerned at the time). As for Barry getting a job as a hitting coach…if he ever had a coach who didn’t think he was a complete DICK he would already have that job. You are looking for excuses Henry. Excuses don’t help you.

By: boston992

boston992 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:16:12 +0000

The major difference for me is that Barry Bonds is a complete A$$, and at least to this point, Braun is not. Bonds also broke the all time home run record while he was juicing, and for someone like me who has been a lifetime baseball fan, that record is sacred, and he doesn’t deserve to have it. If Braun goes on to set records, but remains a good guy, I don’t think people will view him the same was as they do Bonds. I don’t feel it has anything to do with race; look at the way people idolize Hank Aaron, and that goes across all racial lines. Bonds personality is what rubs most people the wrong way, and the perception that he’s a self centered Jack A$$ isn’t going to change, no matter what he says or does.

By: wvugrad00

wvugrad00 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:45:43 +0000

It simply comes down to Bonds is and always will be an A1 hall of fame A-hole

By: skids003

skids003 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:26:59 +0000

Ratto is just trying to make a name for himself. It’s not race, it’s personality, obviously. Bonds was the alltime jerk, plus he lied to Congress. Braun hasn’t done any of this, yet.

So what does this make Ratto?

By: jshalk123

jshalk123 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:51:38 +0000

Way to just pass over the fact that Bond was always considered one of the biggest asses when it came to the media. They put up with him because he was a star and put up crazy numbers. They had no choice.. You had to cover Barry Bonds. When things went bad they all loved the fact that they got to trash him. Had Braun been a complete ass he would have been trashed to. If you want to make the race argument at least bring up a guy who was considered a “nice guy” who is black and was vilified beyond belief. As far as Bonds is concerned I consider it Karma. He treated people like shit and it came back to bite him in the ass.

By: brewcrewfan54

brewcrewfan54 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:34:39 +0000

The herp. I bet a lot of pro athletes have that.

By: kinggw

kinggw — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:07:49 +0000

I do think race is always a factor. It doesnt mean your racist it means you are human. Most people harbor stereotypes about other races. Not all stereotypes bad but they are stereotypes nevertheless. These stereotypes play into our daily interaction with other races. Race will always be a major issue in this country, but it doesnt have to be a divisive one. People need to start being honest with themselves on how they view race.

By: warhawk04

warhawk04 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:47:58 +0000

Word in Milwaukee is he has an STD, and because he would have been taking medication to cure it (herpies) he may actually not be suspended. Not sure if that is denial, just what I have heard.

By: brewcrewfan54

brewcrewfan54 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:46:39 +0000

No these people don’t know Bonds personally. They do know his personality towards the media which makes them think he’s a jerk. And so most peoples opinions will be that he’s a jerk. And his jerkiness is why people and reporters didn’t and never wanted to give him any benefit of the doubt.

By: henryjones20

henryjones20 — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:04:50 +0000

It has everything to do with race.fans showed there hatred to bonds by going to his games throwing syringes at him and showing him syringes. Sick off fools sticking up for McGuire.he never faced so much hatred as bonds.and spare me the crap about bonds being a jerk.how many of u ppl have ever actually met bonds to say that he is a jerk? I heard that he has treated media bad cuz how they he treated hos father along time ago
Nut that is only rumour since I was never there. I wonder what wld happen if bonds ever got a MLB job as hitting coach like McGuire did?I’m guessing pure rage and a whole lots of hate