When a player pulls out the old “unwritten rules” talk on how the game should be played, you usually expect that player to at least be good enough to warrant that kind of respect. Former Oriole and current San Diego Padres pitcher Bud Norris is not one of those guys. Yet, here he is, blurting out about how foreign players come here and don’t respect the game, sounding like Donald Trump in the process.
It all stems from an article by USA Today’s Jorge Ortiz that notes the statistic that most MLB brawls or fights involve ethnically diverse players. Norris was informed of the statistic and gave his thoughts on the subject — and some of his former teammates — to Ortiz:
“I think it’s a culture shock,” Norris said, regarding foreign players. “This is America’s game. This is America’s pastime, and over the last 10–15 years we’ve seen a very big world influence in this game, which we as a union and as players appreciate. We’re opening this game to everyone that can play. However, if you’re going to come into our country and make our American dollars, you need to respect a game that has been here for over a hundred years, and I think sometimes that can be misconstrued. There are some players that have antics, that have done things over the years that we don’t necessarily agree with.
“I understand you want to say it’s a cultural thing or an upbringing thing. But by the time you get to the big leagues, you better have a pretty good understanding of what this league is and how long it’s been around.”
One of the players Norris singles out is Carlos Gomez, former Brewers and current Astros center fielder, who made note about why this statistic exists:
“We learn to play the game a different way than they do,” Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez, who has been involved in several on-field incidents, said of American-born players. Gomez was singled out in the story by Norris as a notable violator of the game’s code of ethics. “They play the game by the book, and I don’t mean that as a criticism. We learn to play the game with our ability, with our passion. That’s the difference.”
Say what you will about who is to blame about fights and scuffles during a ball game, but the spirit behind it is more entertaining than what happened when the sport was founded. Not to mention that most of the fights are sparked by people apparently taking offense about being “shown up” by opposing players. Not to mention that we’re talking about Bud Norris’ opinion on the entire thing.
(Via Sports Illustrated / USA Today)
