Ease up on Puig

So says Dan Le Batard of ESPN the Magazine.

Puig is still young, man, and he’s going to do young-man things, no matter our sensibilities. According to ESPN The Magazine’s Tim Keown — and there have been precious few illuminating profiles written about this sports star, the American media machine still somehow having trouble climbing over the language barrier even as our country browns like a pie crust — Puig’s favorite entertainment viewing is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” There are very mature adults, celebrities in that part of the world, who can’t handle Hollywood’s vices and excess, and they are not 23, and they are not new to this culture, and they aren’t being asked to carry a baseball team with Magic Johnson as the owner and an $8 billion television contract, and they are not watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

It’s a good column. Don’t read the comments unless you want to read a whole bunch of privileged wannabes moralizing about the kid who oughtta know better. Le Batard’s point is simple: “how could he know better? He’s been here less than a year; he grew up on an island which has food shortages, dilapidated cars, and few people who could explain America to him. Give him a break.”

8 thoughts on “Ease up on Puig

  1. While some of Puig’s actions have bothered me, I also try to put myself in his place: Imagine coming from a police state to a country where, seemingly, anything goes, and learning the limits is not always an overnight achievement. Some of his on-field mistakes appear to come from over-enthusiasm, but he often compensates for those with amazing plays that nobody else could even attempt. I’d like to see him mature without losing his flair.

    • I first read that as “mature without losing his hair.” That too, I guess. ;-])

  2. Thanks, Linkmeister.
    Good perspective on Yassy here…
    ….
    Personally, if given the chance, I would love to help him by being his ‘entourage’ as he gets better acclimated to LA/Hollywood.
    Babes, brews, and Ninja Turtles… what a combo! 🙂