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One might recall that earlier in the week, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones had some pretty scathing comments about two fans who ran onto the field at Yankee Stadium.
Here's the full quote, in all its glory:
“I think it’s idiotic for people to run on the field and I think the punishment needs to be a lot harsher and they should let us have a shot to kick them with our metal spikes on. Cause it’s stupid. I get it, you’re drunk and you want to be on Sportscenter. Your [expletive] is going to jail with a fine, you might not be allowed to come back to the ballpark. That’s heads up. And I remember a couple of years ago, one dude broke his ankle in Baltimore. I was laughing at him. I wish he shattered his femur. Because it’s stupid, it’s just point blank stupid. And anybody who does it, I wish the cops tased the living [expletive] out of them. I wish that.”
Via CBS Baltimore, Major League Baseball is investigating the comments, meaning it's possible Jones will face some sort of discipline.
On one hand, the players shouldn't discuss harming fans. After all, fans are why the players are able to get paid so handsomely to play a game.
On the other hand: Sigh.
Jones didn't discuss harming just a garden variety group of fans (plus, read what I wrote earlier in the week about how generally great he is to fans). He targeted morons who decide to trespass by running onto the field. It's a threat to player safety and it's illegal. The field is the domain of the players and random fans in this day and age can't be trusted to simply run around at will. This is unacceptable.
I really hope MLB doesn't discipline Jones here. He spoke his mind and characters are always good for the game. Derek Jeter, for example, is one of the all-time great players and an unbelievably respectable human being -- but if every single player answered every single question the way Jeter does, it would be pretty boring, no?
Let's not try and shut the Adam Joneses of the world up. They provide an extra layer of fun when there isn't game action.
