Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey is going to miss the entire 2012 season after having Tommy John surgery to repair his throwing elbow. But he still managed to make waves Tuesday with his comments about the whole beer and chicken fiasco.
"Guys having a beer after their start has been going on for the last 100 years,'' Lackey said (Boston.com). "This is retarded. It's not like we were sitting up there doing it every night. It's not even close to what people think.''
To me, there are three issues with this.
First of all, now is the time to just be accountable publicly. Lackey can feel free to call Josh Beckett -- who has also lacked accountability in the aftermath -- and talk about how "retarded" he thinks the hoopla is. And if he uses a different word (I'll get to that in a second), I may agree with some of his points. Far too much attention has been given to it and there were many, many reasons the Red Sox missed the playoffs by a single game in 2011. And it's 2012, there's not much reason to still be talking about it.
So why can't Lackey just say, "yeah, it's a new season and we've moved on" and be done with it? Seems the sensible thing to do.
Secondly, new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine obviously disagrees with Lackey, because he's banned beer in the Red Sox clubhouse. So maybe Lackey should consider his new boss' stance before spouting off about how unfair this is.
Finally, yes, there's the use of the archaic and infantile word, "retarded." I'm not PC policeman, so I don't get worked up about these sort of things, but I do have a daughter who happens to have autism. I won't go with the "I'm offended" route because the people who insist on using this word will only get more nasty with that stance. Instead, I'll go this route: It's quite funny when people use the word "retarded" -- which has the double-meaning of mentally-challenged and "stupid" in these cases. It's funny because the person using it seems not smart enough to think of a better word. Anyone who uses "retarded" to say they think something is stupid is actually the one who comes off as a complete fool, a.k.a. mentally challenged.
And for those people -- since I don't wanna make you think too hard -- here's a handy list of alternatives: Lame, foolish, absurd, ridiculous, nonsensical, obtuse, laughable, mindless, asinine, senseless, silly. There are plenty more, but that's a starting point. We all have to start somewhere, after all.
But hey, if people want to keep using "retarded" -- those same people probably say things are "gay," too, when they mean stupid -- go ahead. I won't stand in the way of people having the right to sound foolish.
As for Lackey, considering the putrid season he's coming off -- not to mention the rehab ahead -- maybe he should just not take any questions and concentrate on getting better.
UPDATE: Lackey has released the following statement: "I apologize for my thoughtless choice of words that appeared in print earlier today. I meant no harm, and I am sorry to all I offended."
Hat-tip: Big League Stew
