A short live-stream commentary (Mike Baco) reacting to Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell’s use of homophobic slurs and threats at a San Francisco Giants game. The speaker criticizes McDowell’s weak apology, urges strong action from Major League Baseball and the Braves (including fines/suspension), and warns of long-term reputational and employment consequences for McDowell and the sport.
Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell used to be known for his good sense of humor during his playing days. Well, he's in no laughing situation right now. He's had to apologize for homophobic slurs that he yelled and threats he made against a family at a San Francisco Giants game. Now the big joke of this is his apology. I'm sorry for heckling fans. Roger McDowell has to do better than that. Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Braves, everyone involved should make McDowell do better than that. This is a player, a coach in uniform taunting fans, threatening fans at a game, paying customers. This is a ridiculous situation for not only McDowell to be in, but for baseball to have to respond to. Just look back. Two weeks ago, Kobe Bryant fined $100,000 for a homophobic slur, yelled at a referee. That's going to be short term hurt to the NBA's reputation and to Bryant's reputation. Something like this for McDowell and major league Baseball can have long term repercussions. You can't have people in uniform going after paying patrons. What's going to happen with McDowell if he doesn't come out with a stronger statement than this? Well, it's going to linger for a while. Bud Selig has to take strong action, not only finding McDowell but also suspending him. They can't have these sorts of individuals representing their game. What's going to happen the next time McDowell comes out to make a pitching change? What's going to happen the next time McDowell comes out to talk to one of their pitchers? They that's going to be something that not only the announcers but the fans are going to have in their mind. So what happens now to McDowell? Whatever type of apology he comes out with, it's already too short, too sweet to come back with the implication from his first apology of I'm sorry for heckling fans. Anything that he comes out with now is just going to seem like a contrived response, something that the Braves made him do. His obvious feelings are what he said to those fans. His obvious feelings are that he was sorry for heckling them. Anything that he comes out with now, it's just going to be something that the media creates now. Interesting situation is going to be for Future Jobs for McDowell. Is an organization going to take a chance on him for a future pitching coach job? Probably not. Why would they want to deal with this in the future? McDowell's in a lot of hot water and it's only going to get hotter. I'm Mike Baco for Media Training Worldwide.
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