Major League Baseball is investigating the incident between Josh Donaldson and Tim Anderson, where Donaldson said “Hey Jackie” to Anderson, in reference to Jackie Robinson and Anderson’s comments in a 2019 story that he wants to be “the next Jackie Robinson” in terms of a player who can change the game.
Boomer says if MLB’s investigation doesn’t uncover anything else but those comments from Donaldson, and the Yankees third baseman is suspended, it would be “ridiculous.”
“I don’t see it, and if Major League Baseball suspends him over this, it would be ridiculous,” Boomer said during Monday’s show. “Absolutely ridiculous, unless something else was said or done that we do not know of.
“The way the word ‘racist’ is thrown around these days is like a blanket statement that you just throw around at somebody and devalue who they are. In this case, when you read what Tim Anderson said about himself, we all rolled our eyes.”
Both Boomer and Gio believe Donaldson’s comments were a jab at Anderson for comparing himself to one of the most influential athletes in sports history in a 2019 Sports Illustrated story, when Anderson talked about playing in modern baseball where African American participation has dropped significantly in recent decades, while old-school baseball minds have resisted Anderson’s actions on the field, from bat throws to home run celebrations. But Boomer and Gio believe comparing himself to someone like Robinson opened the door to criticism.
“You and I are both rolling our eyes, like who does this guy think he is?” Boomer said. “You’re gonna compare yourself to somebody who changed the game, and did so with dignity, class, and respect, and had to deal with so much ugliness, and you’re gonna compare yourself to that? I’m gonna roll my eyes at that.
“From where I sit, and I’m not Tim Anderson so those are not my feelings, but I just sit here and say to myself, ‘I think we would all roll our eyes at that comment he made about himself.’”
Donaldson told reporters after the incident that it is a comment he had made to Anderson before, and believed it to be an inside joke between the two of them. That clearly isn’t how Anderson took it on Saturday, and the White Sox clubhouse didn’t take it that way either, calling Donaldson’s explanation ‘bulls--t,’ and bringing up his previous relationships with former teammates. But Boomer and Gio saw Saturday’s “Hey Jackie” remark as a jab at a player comparing himself to who is likely the most famous and impactful athlete in sports history.
“I really think that Josh Donaldson was saying ‘Man, this guy really thinks highly of himself if he’s comparing himself to Jackie Robinson,’” Gio said. “’I’m gonna bust his chops a little bit about it.’”
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