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BY JOSH ABEL

In print | September 4, 2008

Many baseball players are saddled with unfair images by the sports media. These perceptions put forth are often based on little more than first impressions, hearsay and stereotypes.

Take Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran, a premier talent in the game. He is super smooth out in the field and makes the game look easy – even when sprinting at full speed, it looks like he’s gliding. He also tends to be very quiet. As a result, his hustle and dedication to his team have often been questioned.

Former Phillies centerfielder Aaron Rowand has the complete opposite image: a dirtball who will scratch and claw and do every little thing to help the team. I’m not saying he’s not deserving of the image, especially since he was immortalized in this city for breaking his nose against the centerfield wall while making a run-saving catch.

However, there’s nothing to indicate that Beltran lacks this grit, especially considering he was involved in one of the most horrific outfield collisions in memory, when he and Mike Cameron essentially broke their faces against each other while diving for a fly ball. Beltran, though, makes the sport look easy, and so he is often derided by columnists and pundits for a lack of heart.

Such undeserved, hurtful misperceptions are certainly regrettable. Players like Beltran and Bobby Abreu are quick to draw the ire of home fans because it is easy to misperceive them as selfish and uncommitted.

Obviously, this is unfair.

What is more worrisome, however, is that these misperceptions seem to run much deeper. I can give no more than anecdotal evidence for this, but adjectives like “gritty,” “gutsy” and “smart” are overwhelmingly assigned to white players. Even those non-white players who are applauded by the media (and there are many) are talked about in a different way – one which gives less attention to the strength of their character.

The hometown Phillies provide a nice demonstration of what I mean. The team is highlighted by four superstars: pitcher Cole Hamels, first baseman Ryan Howard, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, and second baseman Chase Utley. All four players are widely praised, but in subtly different ways.

When praising Cole Hamels, the white ace of the pitching staff, analysts always make two points: devastating changeup, unwavering composure. His composure is harped on time and again every time he starts. Chase Utley (white) may end up being the best hitting second baseman of all time, but sportswriters spend little more time praising his bat than they do his hustle and hard work: he always runs out groundballs and he has worked his butt off to become an acceptable defensive player.

Now, I love Utley and Hamels – like, a lot. I also think that all the attributes assigned to them are deserved, but what worries me is how the language changes when talking about Howard and Rollins, the two black stars.

Ryan Howard is a prodigious slugger. Despite a down year so far in 2008, he leads the Major Leagues in home runs (as of Tuesday), and he hit an astounding 58 in 2006. Commentators talk about his tremendous strength and ability to hit the ball all over the field. Rollins is a do-it-all type player – he hits well, he runs well, he plays impeccable defense. He always makes the right decision and is a well-liked, vocal presence in the clubhouse. Yet most praise for him is ultimately for his tremendous athletic skills, not these intangible qualities, which evoke strong character.

The media seems somewhat capable of identifying good players. However, the language used to describe them is subtly different based on race. Even non-white players who are loved and praised (Rollins and Howard have won the last two National League Most Valuable Player awards) are not described with words that imply strong character and “intangibles.” To put it bluntly, they are often portrayed as great raw athletes, and little more.

Needless to say, this is unacceptable. Jimmy Rollins has made many plays in the last number of years that have shown an impressive combination of hustle and heads-up decision making. For instance, he set up the Phillies’ first win of 2008 by dashing to third base after a play had seemingly ended because he realized that no one was covering the base. Chris Wheeler, an announcer for the Phillies, praised Rollins’ “great baseball instincts” after the play. Though I can’t be sure, I think the same play would have been called “smart” had Chase Utley made it – a product of intelligent thought, not mere instincts.

These sloppily-assigned images placed upon players are not merely the result of lazy sports writing (though that’s part of it) – they are also the result of a racial double standard. From now on, pay careful attention to exactly how your team’s players are described. On the whole, I think you’ll find a disturbing pattern.

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