Oh, if you think I was pissed yesterday night with the "word-spinning" and "fair-weather"-ness of our media...well the venom is about to be spewed tonight.
First off, I'd like to put my 2 bucks in regarding some unflattering comments made by JP Peterson. According to JP, both Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young should be suspended due to their actions and gestures towards a cameraman yesterday. No punches were thrown and some adult language was used, but how is that really suspendable? Dukes' actions, though some of the backstory towards him and NiShea Dukes is coming to light, are suspendable and will probably be dealt with soon. However, Delmon most likely was backing up a friend of his and my guess is that someone probably made an off-color remark to Delmon off-camera(seeing as Delmon's gestures towards the camera were off-camera as well). It wouldn't surprise me, at all, if someone brought up last year's 50-game suspension incident. Whatever, Young shouldn't and probably won't be suspended. Peterson will cry about it and probably continue to rip Young whenever he can, seeing as JP is basically auditioning himself for future ESPN jobs to join fellow former TB/St. Pete resident Jay Crawford in Bristol. Not a big surprise here, people with time to showcase their thoughts always have their own agendas.
However, now I hear that JP decided to throw BJ Upton's name into the group. Apparently, during BP, Upton was being disrespectful towards certain people. After yesterday, with all the crap that went down, you honestly think that our players want to hear that same old tired BS again? Probably not, but what's new with the 90% of the hacks that embody the TB/St. Pete media? However, Upton got grouped in the "Three aMEgos" unfairly and apparently can't shake the USA Today story/pictures that make Melvin E. Upton Jr. into a bad guy. He got a DUI, that's horrible to hear, but he learned his lesson and hasn't been anything but a boyscout. He's a well-behaved person and has done nothing but sell the Devil Rays in a more positive light to the National Media when he makes appearances on ESPN News, BBTN, Cold Pizza, Best Damn Sports Show, etc.
Does anything smell fishy to you right now? It does to me, but I'd rather not use the word that I want to that best describes the situation.
Next, I recall people pointing out that Marc Topkin is one of the Rays' local media's best writers. However, he's not out of the clear when it comes to controversies.
Does anybody remember when Carl Crawford allegedly got angry when he learned that Rocco Baldelli's contract basically matched his? However, we then learned that Crawfords' words to Topkin were taken way out of context?
I may be an outsider, but I don't understand this "Holier Than Thou" attitude by the the local media down in TB/St. Pete. What, really, do TB franchises have to show in their histories? 1 Super Bowl Trophy and 1 Stanley Cup. However they also have 2 horrible owners, in Hugh Culverhouse and Vince Naimoli who ran roughshot over their franchises without hearing a peep from the most likely scared media until their strongholds were breaking due to new ownerships coming into play/slowly taking over, to show for it too. Sounds like a case of bandwagoning media to me, but I don't live here and don't know it for a fact.
It sickens me that Naimoli's horrible reign of terror gives the media total justification to basically lambaste the new ownership group and it's players to no end. They whine that none of the new front office guys are overly excited to talk to them and their continual ridicule of our young players will most likely result in Delmon Young and BJ Upton leaving the Rays in the first opportunity that presents it self to them or their agents. Who can blame them, they're trying to play in the majors at the age of 22(something that none of the idiot writers, "voiceboxes", etc. seem to understand due to them not having any athletic talent) and you continually bring up the past regarding their few "blips". Would any of them like to be treated like that? Yet, why don't we hear about JP Peterson ridiculing Scott Kazmir about his alleged marijuana use that the Mets claim? How about a constant daily reminder of why PETA doesn't like Jae Kuk Ryu? How about JP Peterson showing up at Rocco's doorstep repeatedly asking him if his bones are made out of peanut brittle and his tendons are made out of bazooka joe gum?
Not going to happen...
It's all about agenda...
It's as different as night and day, black and white.