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Reaction: Column about race, fans was off base
December 11th, 2008, 9:03 am · 14 Comments · posted by JANIS CARR, OCREGISTER.COM
(Editor’s note: Jeff Miller’s column suggesting that Angels fans aren’t upset about Frankie Rodriguez’ departure because of racial overtones has prompted myriad reactions in Orange County and inside the OC Register newsroom. This one is from Janis Carr, a longtime sports writer who now covers the Lakers.)
How does one person know who is a racist?
Better yet, how can one man know that those 30,000 people eating hotdogs and watching baseball at Angel Stadium are hiding one of the ugliest emotions on Earth?
Unless someone has seen the white robe and hood or truly know Angels’ fans are members of some anti-fill-in-the-blank race, like the Aryans, and seen their “White Power” tats, racism is not a word to be thrown around like a Francisco Rodriguez slider.
Just because you say it, it doesn’t make it true. Or accurate.
Or right.
Baseball fans are not ignorant. The black and white they see is color of the box score sheet, which more accurately portrays a player’s worth and determines whether to cheer for him. Not his skin tones.
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Millers column was way off base. It’s not about race. It’s about a player who did nothing but whine about how he was “only” making $10 million a year, snipe and Angel management, and openly talk about how exciting it was going to be to be a Free Agent.
Good riddance. Oh, and Jeff….most of us fans want Arredondo to be the next closer. Mind telling us how that’s racist?
When I saw the title of Miller’s article, I assumed that he was writing about Frankie’s over the top antics at the end of games. You put those gestures with ending a REGULAR season BASEBALL GAME and complaining about your $10 million payday, people are not going to be sorry see you go.
Orange County is in the process of cutting social services to abused children and orphans, and we should CARE that K-Rod is signing somewhere else? I’m a HUGE Angel’s baseball fan, but let’s get our priorities in order. Mr. Miller, please give the Angel fans a little bit of credit, the argument you are making holds little weight when you consider we have PACKED Angel stadium more than ever with the arrival of Mr. Moreno.
Miller is an idiot that should be fired for producing such trash. I will not read another column of his……EVER.
If i had a subscription, it would be cancelled. Millers column was completley false and had no truth whatsoever. Nice journalism Miller. Try going to a game a take a look at the barrage of Vladimar jerseys sported by Whites, Blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc… Frankie didnt want to be here. He took 37 instead of 34 million to be with a proven winner. What does that tell you? Angel fans know a team guy from one wanting a payday. Via con dios Frankie ! Jeff Miller’s got your back.
I believe I read that Miller state that the racist reactions were heard on sports talk radio? He was only responding in print what people said on the air waves. Knowing that most of us will read the paper, but few are able to listen to talk radio during the work day, wasn’t he reporting another source of information on the out of control sports salaries?.
I’ve been reading Mr. Miller’s articles for years and am well aware of his tactics to shock and awe people. It’s just plain sad. Granted, some Angel’s fans are not like Yankees or Boston fans but we do love our Halos and pack that stadium every year. I dosen’t matter what color or nationality the players are only the jersey they wear. In this day and age it’s amazing to me we’re still talking about race. Get over it Mr. Miller. KRod is exactly what’s wrong with baseball. Millions of people are out of work, the car industry is being bailed out and our oringinal offer of $34 million wasn’t enough for him. Good riddance Frankie.
I am stunned that such opinions are even printed; I know the economy is tight but for the Register to allow Miller’s comments seems to be only to attempt to gain notoriety for the paper and create controversy while trying to sell papers- since the rules of leaving comments are guided by “No profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks”. His entire column was a racial slur and a personal attack on every human who sees beyond skin tone.
As one reader wrote it is about Frankie rejecting the Angels 34 million and signing for 37 million- it is about his not giving a damn about the Angels fans- not his colored skin that has us upset. I have a Vladdy jersey and I am as white as they come! I also have a Teixeira shirt, but will wait until he signs with the Angels-or not- before I buy an expensive jersey with his number. If Jeff miller is going to places where people stand separated by race- he is going to the wrong bar. I have never been so insulted by Miller’s insinuations that we hated Frankie because of his skin color in my life- absolute trash- good thing we have a black GM and Hispanic owner to prove he is wrong about this entire sad episode.
In today’s column he states he has heard from an “angels player”, until he reveals that player’s name he has no proof –he is merely a lousy “journalist” hiding behind his “sources”. We don’t need Millers off-color comments in today’s society- maybe he should move to South Africa so he could be with his own racially sequestered kind of people who might accept his comments as the truth…
The reason players like Salmon, Erstad, etc. were embraced by Angel fans is because they interview well and speak English. This allows the fans to identify with them. Non-english speaking players have a harder time with this because the fans simply don’t know much about them. This isn’t racism, it simply is what it is. Why do you think Tori Hunter is already loved by fans. He’s chatty. He’s happy. He’s positive. Oh yes, he speaks English and is a good interview.
Miller is nuts if he thinks people are racist against Venezuelans. Miller is the kind of guy that reminds me of the person that sees something evil in a grade school teacher hugging a first grader.
Professional athletes (or their agents) do not make contract decisions based on whats good for the organization or based on whats good for the fans. Their decisions are based on their own bottom line…money! K-Rod made his decision just as Texiera and Manny will make theirs. Its the reality if the game.
To say that race is at issue at the lack of public comment about Frankie leaving town is absurd. Especially in this economic climate where people (read:baseball fans) are at risk of losing homes and jobs. Expecting people to cry over another millionaire athlete leaving Anaheim for more money is nuts. The only thing that the average fan is guilty of is not being to relate to the outlandish amounts of money these guys make, but racism??? Sorry, not even close!
I wonder how many subscribers the Register will have to lose before they stop printing Miller’s garbage. As usual, the “sources” Miller hints at in his latest piece of trash exist only in his warped mind. Angel fans should file a class action lawsuit for slander against Miller and the Register after being accused of racism in a column that has no basis in fact. We are not sorry to see Rodriguez go because he is the poster boy for the selfish, money grubbing, “me first” players who are ruining baseball. Hey Miller, if the idiots who pay your salary at the O.C. Register ever come to their senses and get rid of you, will you accuse us all of prejudice against fat, stupid, white guys? Just wondering.
Jeff,
You couldn’t be further off base on your views on this and it will end up costing the Register subscriptions, including ours!
Frankie Rodriguez was embraced and loved as a player since he arose to the big leagues in 2002. The Angels made an incredible offer to retain his services in the off season last year (3 years/$34 Million) and he declined - plain and simple. He ended up SETTLING for $10 million last year. This comes on the heals of one of the worst economic slowdowns in history with rising unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies. Settling for $10 million. That would be enough money to keep 200 people employed at $50,000 a year. Come on now! His self indulged quest for the save record along with his incessant pursuit of the all mighty dollar are the reasons Angels fans did not care if he left town. And that is it, nothing else. Your race insinuation was way off base and out of line. Angel fans were getting tired of his Big Ego getting in the way of the team and their indifference on him leaving and signing with another team had NOTHING to do with his race or skin color. The team already consists of one of the most well diversed ethnic MLB teams out there and it is not keeping fans from coming to the game AT ALL. If race was the issue, the stadium would be half full and the players would be of one ethnicity only and that is not the case.
Todays article on Charles Barkley’s Race view was another LOSER! It was another unnecessary/unfounded attemp to make race an issue as was last weeks Frankie Rodriguez race article. Granted it was started by Charles Barkley’s comments on coaching hiring, but it should have been left there and NOT made a part of the OC Register Sports section. Executives that make these coaching hirings are looking for the best candidate for the job and that is it, regardless of race. I can’t imagine an owner sacrificing a better candidate on the pretense of race - it would end up costing them in the long run.
You are damaging the credibility of the OC Register and will drive away subscribers! Please think harder and more realistically before you write another article on these topics.
As I read the blogs, I find that not even one writer is in agreement with Mr Miller. That is amazing in and of itself.
During this discourse Mr. Miller has said that one player contacteded him to agree, and that several others had agreed with him. I hope this is BS, But none of us can ever really be sure. So now comes the conudrum. Should we continue to buy 3 million tickets a year to support players who think were the KKK? This shows how very iresponsible Jeff Miller is. Accusation becomes truth. It causes anger and division. All because one venom tongued hate monger got a wild hair in his childish and spiteful mind.
The people of the OC are outraged. The Angel Organisation aught to be as well. And really, why arn’t the Registers editors?
I would like to enquire of Mr. Miller why so many in the media over the years have insulted GA for being a poor outfielder who doesn’t dive for line drives or run out infiels hits, but never mention the fact that he has far less errors then the vast majority of outfielders in the league over the same time period. They, like the fans, love Vladdy but sports writers never complain the Vladdy clanks several fly balls every season. The media loves Manny Rameriz even though he is a complete disaster in the field. Maybe the media doesn’t like black fielders. Is that why they bag on Barry bonds?
How does it feel to be stereoytyped Jeff?
[...] Unfortunately for him, his colleagues (who share the newsroom and the access) have called him out, recognizing that his claim was “off base.” [...]