“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 8-6-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com
“The rage in Valdespin now makes much more sense”
Earlier this week Major League Baseball officially announced the twelve players who were caught using Performance Enhancing Drugs and their consequential suspensions of their involvement. Of course NY Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez was made the greatest example as he was suspended for the rest of this season and all of the 2014 season due to his involvement and bringing other players to the Biogenesis clinic that distributed the drugs. One name that surprised many in the baseball world, especially fans of the NY Mets, was to see the name of OF Jordany Valdespin on that list. Just like the others, he was hit with a 50-game suspension and brings some clarity to his recent altercations with the team.
A few weeks ago, I thought it was weird that the moment Valdespin heard he got demoted, he lashed out to Manager Terry Collins. He did that in front of other players as it was rumored that teammates had to physically restrain Valdespin due to the outlash. His behavior was uncalled for as he even used a profanity to describe Collins that hit all the newspapers in New York and of course social media, which showed just how embarrassing the entire ordeal was. Once I read about this incident, I knew that his time would soon come to an end with this team even though he was sent down to our minor system. You just don't call your Manager that kind of profanity and expect all to be forgiven, especially when you do that in front of the guys you play alongside with every game. What happened to being humble? He should be grateful to be playing for this organization, not also forgetting, he is playing on the professional level of Major League Baseball. You just don't do those things, especially when you're 25 years old. You are an adult for crying out loud, not a teenager playing baseball in the street.
As if things couldn't get even more embarrassing, Valdespin was the main catalyst in a bench-clearing brawl in AAA-Vegas. Even in our minor league system, he just couldn't stay out of trouble or out of the media. AAA-Vegas is about progressing, perfecting, and adjusting your game. Not to get into fights with future prospects of professional baseball. What are you teaching the young guys down there? When things get bad, just start fighting? What does that truly accomplish? If you are demoted from the majors to the minors, be humble, take your shots like a man, and mentor those around you as you improve. At the end of the day, you are still a member of the NY Mets and should act professional at all times, especially in that situation in the minors. When 1B Ike Davis was sent down the the minors, you didn't hear any of this nonsense. Not a peep. He did his time to improve what he needed to fix and was called up when he was ready. No bench-clearing brawls, no immature antics, just all about baseball and getting back to the majors. I respect guys like Davis who did it the right way, the real way.
I'm pretty sure we have seen the last of Valdespin on the NY Mets. There is no reason to keep him since we have other prospects that are getting ready for the once in a lifetime opportunity to play professional baseball with this team. They just called up 3B Wilmer Flores who will debut tonight and we have a nice core of young guys who will bring more talent to us than Valdespin ever would have brought to us anyway. I'm glad he got caught because cheating should never be used as a way to get an advantage over those who naturally work hard to play at their best level. Plenty of legends did it the right way and are all going to be remembered for their ethics, athletics, and clutch performances not for using PEDs. Valdespin is nowhere near a legend obviously, even before he was caught cheating he wasn't anything special to be honest. Now with this suspension, it's even more clear he is a disgrace to this team, to Major League Baseball, and of course, to himself.
At the end of the day, he will serve his suspension and always be tagged with being associated with being a cheater. Everything now makes sense, the outburst against Collins, the bench-clearing brawl, and how most reports say most of his teammates didn't like him either. They said he was very immature and didn't focus on what matters most – baseball.
