Milton Bradley - JackAss of the week August 30th, 2005 - September 6th, 2005

[Mike]

Well, well, this guy has the balls to call Jeff Kent a racist, in so many words! He is now on the disabled list. Read the article below that I found, which is quite humerous. Can someone really tell me if Kent is a racist, if so, do tell. Maybe he is a redneck, I think he is from Texas and likes to hunt, but is that such a bad thing

Originally Posted by Ray McNulty from fortwayne.com

The way Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley sees it, Jeff Kent is a racist.

Oh, he didn’t exactly say so. He never dared utter the R word. Instead, Bradley spoke in code.

He talked about Kent, his teammate, sitting in the corner of the clubhouse reading a “motocross magazine.” He talked about Kent, the Dodgers’ veteran second baseman and cleanup hitter, possessing a sense of humor similar to that of “Jeff Foxworthy.” He talked about Kent, a 14-year veteran and former National League MVP, not knowing “how to deal with African-American people.”

Allow me to connect the dots: He was calling Kent a redneck.

And nobody – until now, I suppose – has taken him to task.

Can you imagine the outrage if Kent, who is white, had made similar remarks about Bradley, who is black? Can you imagine the storm that would’ve hit if Kent had talked about Bradley sitting in the corner of the clubhouse reading “Ebony” or “Vibe” or some “hip-hop magazine?” Or about Bradley having the same sense of humor as Chris Rock? Or about Bradley not knowing “how to deal with white people?” Who’s really the racist?

Among the comments Bradley made during his rant before last Tuesday’s game against the Florida Marlins was this little gem: “Me being African-American is the most important thing to me – more important than baseball.” A couple of days earlier, he told a reporter, “As long as I’m black, I’m fine.” And everyone let it pass.

You’d better believe the reaction would’ve been far different if Kent, or any other Caucasian player, had said: “Me being white is the most important thing to me” or “As long as I’m white, I’m fine.”

Bradley was angered by Kent, who, in a closed-door team meeting, criticized him for not scoring from first on a double during a victory over the Marlins. And, of course, Bradley couldn’t wait to play the race card.

“White people never want to see race – with anything,” Bradley said. “But there’s race involved in baseball. That’s why there’s less than 9 percent African-American representation in the game.”

No, Milt, you’re wrong.

The reason there aren’t more black baseball players is because more of the top black athletes are gravitating to other sports, especially football and basketball. The fact is, there’s also a smaller percentage of white players in the major leagues today. But the percentage of Hispanics and Asians is at an all-time high.

As for white people not wanting to see race ...

Isn’t that what Martin Luther King Jr. wanted? A nation where people were judged by the content of the character, not the color of their skin? We’re not there yet, but we’re getting closer.

Double standards, however, do more harm than good. The same goes for racially charged code words.

Not everything is a black-and-white issue. No matter what Bradley says – or how he says it.

real article is here

[BtownBeers]

This could spark some interesting battles on this board....I'll not comment lol

[ssigman]

i don't know neither of them obviously....but i can tell those two will never mix well....as far as being racist..i would need taped proof of him saying something before i agree w/bradley...and vice versa

[Mike]

Originally Posted by BtownBeers

This could spark some interesting battles on this board....I'll not comment lol

Why is it going to be hard to talk about this. The plain and simple fact is that Bradley did not use any specific things that show that Kent is a racist. Like the article stated, he made him out to be a redneck, which he may be. Now I am not saying that I do not know any rednecks that are actually racist, but if your going to flap your jaws about something like that, then BACK IT UP

Stupid idiot

[Shane]

I am with Mike on this one (OMFG!). This guy is an ass. I am a Jeff Foxworthy fan, and am a redneck I am proud to say, but I don't have one racist bone in my body. Generalizations like that piss me off.

[Murphys Law]

I gotta agree that the double standard is alive and well. If Kent had said anything or if any white guy had said anything like what escaped Bradley's lips he probably would have joined the ranks of John Rocker.

When I refuse to carry a person out of a fire because of the color of their skin then you can call me a racist. *Rescue Me*

Im right your wrong and thats

[Shane]

The double standard is ridiculous. I am probably setting myself up to be burned at the stake here, but consider this for example: We have the United Negro College Fund. I am not saying that they are not an outstanding organization helping people in need, but what if....WHAT IF there was a United Caucasion College Fund, or a United Asian College Fund? Would that be racist? Someone (cough....Jesse Jackson....cough) would say it was.

The same thing works in aviation (I work in this field, so it's the one I chose for familiarity purposes, but I am sure it is prevalent in others). There are two clubs that I can name off the top of my head where only women are allowed. The 99's, and "Women in Aviation". There is no "Men in Aviation" flying club. And I guarangoddamntee you that if I started a "Men in Aviation" club, someone would shout "SEXIST", and sue me.

Man this shit pisses me off. I wish I were born an oriental woman. I could join any club I want, and get grant money out the ass.

//end tirade.

[Erotic Joe]

Well that's mostly becasue WASPs haven't been oppressed by a majority ever since they stopped being fed to lions by the Romans.

And I agree that while Bradley is a total nut case, he just said that Kent was a redneck (which is true) and that has nothng to do with him being a racist. Kent can call Bradley a black man all he wants and there won't be any double standards being evoked.