This past week I beared witness to the strangest event that I have ever seen in pro sports. In what could easily have been an episode of The Twilight Zone, the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians came ever-so-close to a bench clearing brawl.
Now, bench clearing brawls are not generally Twilight Zone material (except of course when Cubs' pitcher Julian Tavares hits a batter in spring training and then he calls out the same batter to the mound to participate in a kick boxing sparring session). The M's-Indians bench clearing episode did not experience any upppercuts or roundhouse kicks, but the reason why the benches cleared would make Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling proud. Grown men almost came to blows over--I can't believe I'm about to say this--earrings, and what's even more strange: The grown men weren't RuPaul or Elton John.
The trouble started when Indians' shortstop Omar Vizquel complained to the homeplate umpire that M's reliever Arthur Rhodes' diamond earrings were distracting him when he was in the batter's box.
Baseball incorporates emphatic rules that prevent pitchers from wearing any articles of clothing or accessories that can be a visual distraction to batters, but come now. If tiny diamond earrings can distract Vizquel, he should either go get his eyes checked or he should focus on the ball instead of a pitcher's earlobes.
I don't know what's more feminine, diamond earrings, or Vizquel being catty by claiming that the earrings were a distraction. Vizquel was no doubt trying to rattle Rhodes--and it worked, as Rhodes was ejected for arguing--but if there is a more cowardly way of getting under someone's skin, I've yet to see it.
Am I the only person who thinks that diamond earrings are for girls? The only thing more feminine than diamond earrings is a pink purse.
I'm not saying that Rhodes shouldn't wear diamond earrings--to each her own--but whatever happened to the hoop earrings? Hoop earrings were worn by pirates, so they must be masculine...
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