Kenny Rogers assaulted a cameraman last week. He was suspended for 20 games.
Randy Johnson assaulted a cameraman in the offseason. He received no punishment.
Can someone explain this?
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4 comments:
Are you saying that Big Unit got off easy or that Kenny Rogers received too stiff a penalty?
I think the difference is that one action took place on the field of a major league baseball stadium and the other took place on the street in Midtown. Also, Rogers went after the cameraman repeatedly while Unit did his business once and left it alone.
I'm not making excuses for Unit but it's hard for MLB to regulate actions that don't take place on the field and when they take place in the off-season.
I'm not making any statement as to the appropriateness of Rogers' penalty. I agree that Rogers' actions seem worse than Unit's, in part because (a) there's been no evidence of any provocation by the Texas cameraman and (b) it probably does make a difference that The Gambler did his deed in a stadium.
But the professional leagues often penalize for actions taken off the field and in the offseason. Those might be factors in favor of a significantly lesser punishment, but all the same - the key to both offenses is assaulting a cameraman. If one is somehow punishable, then the other should be, too.
I'm not familiar with the Randy Johnson incident. Is the difference that Kenny Rogers' incident was on tape?
Was Randy Johnson just beating up the paparazzi, which is socially acceptable?
Big Unit's incident was also caught on tape. He shoved a hand into a photographer's camera, then cornered the man against a wall and told him to "Stop taking pictures and stop talking back" before being separated by his handlers. All in all, not a great 1st impression in NYC.
Like I said, I think the biggest difference is that Rogers' outburst was on the field and during the season. Big Unit took care of business on the street in January when no one was watching.
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