It’s been made clear on these pages that sexual morality actually matters.
It seems Major League Baseball agrees. It has suspended Dodgers star pitcher Trevor Bauer for two years under the league’s domestic abuse and sexual assault policy. It’s the longest suspension since the policy was enacted in 2015.
Bauer has not pitched since June 28, 2021 (a game, video above, I happened to attend with my son), and he is set to lose the remainder of his $32 million salary in 2022 and another $32 million in 2023. His suspension follows an investigation for the alleged assault of a San Diego woman in May 2021. That woman said in court filings that Bauer had punched her, choked her until she became unconscious and then had anal sex with her while she was unconscious.
A restraining order in that case was removed after a judge determined that Bauer did not pose an immediate threat to the woman. The Los Angeles District Attorney also said they would not file any criminal charges against Bauer, citing a lack of evidence.
Bauer has denied the allegations and announced he would be appealing the suspension. “In the strongest possible terms, I deny committing any violation of the league’s domestic violence & sexual assault policy,” he said via Twitter.
Despite this, MLB has pressed ahead with its suspension.
The Washington Post has reported incidents involving Bauer and a woman in 2013 that allegedly involved a similar pattern of sexual behavior. The article quoted Bauer’s representatives, who stated: “Any neutral reader of the scores of text messages, compromising photos and sexually explicit videos this woman sent of herself to Mr. Bauer over the last three years demanding the very sex acts that she now claims were problematic — without any prior complaint — would strongly question the veracity of her allegations.”
Let’s be frank. Regardless of one’s sexual proclivities the allegations against Bauer are disturbing. As with Deshaun Watson and Bill Cosby there is a pattern in the content of the accusers’ allegations. Each case provides ample reason for sustained pause.
The problem is that Bauer’s legal team has successfully defended the initial allegations and plans to defend their client against any new ones. MLB is taking drastic action against Bauer after its own “extensive investigation” but it has not specified on what grounds, saying it “will not issue any further statements.”
I commend MLB’s domestic violence policy[1]It’s worth noting that the policy is endorsed by MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association, the union which represents Bauer’s interests as a player. and any actions that a fair and thorough investigation on its part would warrant.
Unlike the NFL in the Watson case, MLB has had the courage to take a stand.
But transparency also matters, and on this front MLB owes us something more.
What to make of Kyrie Irving
I mean this sincerely: Is Kyrie Irving some kind of joke?
His cool look and laid back manner belie a selfishness and delusion that seem destined to be parts of his legacy.
This was reinforced last week as his superteam Brooklyn Nets were swept in the first round by his former team, the gritty and overachieving Boston Celtics.
Irving responded to the series loss by saying that this offseason involves him and Kevin Durant “managing this franchise together” along with “our group of family members that we have in our locker room and our organization.”
Say what? Never mind that great basketball teams are not run by nebulous committees like the one he describes. They’re run by leaders, but Kyrie Irving has done nothing to earn the title of leader, and no amount of his fancying himself one changes that.
Consider the facts. In 2017 Irving left the Cleveland Cavaliers, where LeBron James was the boss, for Boston, where Irving said he wanted to lead his own team. After two seasons he was gone, with a young locker room alienated by his antics.
He then signed with the Brooklyn Nets where he’s spent an unproductive three seasons, playing a mere 20, 54 and 29 games. This includes his integral part in this year’s team which will go down as one of the colossal failures in NBA history.
While I respect Irving’s decision to forego vaccination (that’s the biggest missing part of his 29-game total), it’s not like his time on the court was a game changer. The Nets record prior to his return on Jan. 5 was 24-12. Since then the team went 21-30.
And in the Boston series, where one can presume he’d feel something to prove, he’ll be best remembered for largely underperforming and flipping the middle finger to his former fans in a one-point Game 1 loss. He scored 39 points in that game, but for Games 2 through 4 he scored 10, 16 and 20 points, respectively.
Hardly worthy of his $35 million salary for the season, or him to be anointed leader of a sunken ship. In short, Irving’s season has been a failure.
Still, in a recent interview Irving remained hopeful. Or is it naive about his role in his team’s success? “I’d like to put together four straight years of team dominance,” he said. “Winning 60-plus games. Going deep in the playoffs and having fun building relationships that extend beyond the court.”
Is this a guy one would want to go to war with? This offseason, one can be sure, teammate Kevin Durant and the Nets will grapple with that very question.
Is Kyle Bradish a future ace?
Baltimore Orioles fans are awaiting the call-up of the top position player prospect (catcher Adley Rutschman) and the top pitching prospect (Grayson Rodriguez).
On Friday, April 29 they got a peek at their number three pitching prospect, right-hander Kyle Bradish. He did not disappoint. In fact, I’d say the 25 year old he has front of the rotation stuff.
At 6’4″ and 225 pounds, Bradish features an over the top delivery that hides the ball exceptionally well. While he seems to prefer to work up in the zone with his mid- to upper-90s fastball, his clean delivery allows him to command his pitches to all four quadrants of the zone. He also features a slider and a 12-6 curve, both with nasty tilt. But I think it’s his changeup, which is a bit behind the other offerings, that can help move him to the level of elite.
The Orioles have been the laughingstock of the league for some time now. Bradish is an early sign that that is about to change.
Notes, etc.
| ↑1 | It’s worth noting that the policy is endorsed by MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association, the union which represents Bauer’s interests as a player. |
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