PRICE RIPS PAPI & MY EYES WIDE OPEN

If you read SPARE ME THE DRAMA, BIG PAPI yesterday, you know I found it absolutely ridiculous that Papi was making a big deal about David Price drilling him in the back the other night.  In fact, afterward, he told the press that "it's war" between he and Price.

David Price responded saying after Papi's stupid comment... "He was mad, I get it... You say stupid stuff when you’re mad. Been there. I’m sure he probably wishes he didn’t say some of the things he said. You can’t relate the game we play to a war. Kellen Winslow got a lot of crap for saying he was a soldier. No, you’re not a soldier. This is not war. We have troops fighting for us that are in a war. It’s not a good comparison.”

Stepping back this past week, before the Papi plunking... I learned about it myself and when Ortiz made his comment, I was suddenly the other side... but I wasn't always... let me explain...

I recently wrote CHANNELING BILLY MARTIN, a piece about Little League and a piece about respect on the field.  It was meant to demonstrate the will and desire to commit to winning as a team, not an individual.  It was meant to be light and entertaining and rev up the base, us Yankee fans; kids, mothers, fathers; who, at the time, just wanted to see a Yankee winning streak, and I came at it from the Little League angle, to bring realness to winning as a team. Little did I know I’d insult someone, but I did, and I take that very seriously.

Steve B comments a lot.  He’s a good egg and not abrasive at all, but can be critical to the point of sounding obnoxious... I should know that, but I forgot. That being said, the dude means well and I have no beef with him. He reads BYB and has praised us as well. Anyway, in my Billy Martin piece I wrote:

"I realized something right then… I was Billy Martin on the biggest stage ever… I was protecting my boys in a war and I knew I had the fields attention."

The reference was in passing, I didn't think much of it at the time, but I should have. Steve B. wrote me quickly:

"I don't understand how you can call the 'game' of baseball a 'war'...Really ??...A war is where people, civilians and soldiers die, and/or are horribly wounded physically and mentally....Yes you roused the team, but you're not Billy Martin."

I was equating baseball to war. It’s a figure of speech, and a poor one at that, especially with Memorial Day right around the corner of me writing that.  Trust me when I tell you, I meant nothing by it. I’m a patriot, love this country and love the soldiers that fought and lost their lives. We also have no intention on ever going political at Bleeding Yankee Blue and much like Papi, we spoke on adrenaline... maybe even stupidity.

After further debate, he wrote something else to me that stuck with me. He said:

"You have a blog where people listen to you."

He’s right, and I know that, but it hit home... and I’m sorry.

Look, I use Bleeding Yankee Blue to be entertaining and informative.  We try to keep the reader engaged, and sometimes we use analogies to describe situations.  I used the wrong one.  Big Papi did too, and was called out by David Price much like I was by Steve B.  Here's the difference... we here at BYB are apologizing to anyone offended... it was dumb.

Now the question is, will someone like David Ortiz... the "big honcho" to Major League Baseball, a "true leader" as suggested by Selig, (Selig loves the big lug, don't forget), and an alleged role model...  Will he apologize?  In the last report we read, the Boston Globe wrote: "Ortiz did not speak to reporters before the game Saturday night." We'll track this for you ladies and gentlemen...

In the meantime, hey Steve B.  Thanks for the conversation... and thanks for opening my eyes... We'll do better here pal. 

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