04/18/24
May 13, 2010
Bengie Molina's Quick to Take Offense at ESPN: San Francisco GIants catcher Bengie Molina is angry about an ESPN SportsCenter segment that set his recent unsuccessful run from second to home plate to the theme from Chariots of Fire. "Look, you can say I'm the slowest guy in baseball or in all of sports or in the entire world," Molina wrote on his blog. "I don't take issue with that because I AM the slowest guy. I have always been the slowest guy. I can't challenge that criticism. But ESPN's intention was not to criticize but to humiliate. ... I would like those people at ESPN who, from a safe distance, make fun of players for a cheap laugh, to remember that players are actual people. With wives and mothers and fathers and children and brothers and sisters. My mother saw the clip."
I have to agree with you, rcade. President Harry Truman is quoted as having said, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen" in 1942. It still applies today.
posted by Howard_T at 03:00 PM on May 13, 2010
I gotta side with ESPN on this one, too. The intent wasn't to humiliate, it was to entertain. If Bengie doesn't like it, there's this place called a gym that he should look into.
posted by TheQatarian at 03:01 PM on May 13, 2010
If I'm an opposing team, I make sure the organist or music operator plays "Chariots of Fire" every time he comes up to bat.
Or, "Flight of the Bumblebee".
posted by grum@work at 03:05 PM on May 13, 2010
The intent wasn't to humiliate, it was to entertain.
Well, technically, the point was to entertain through humiliation, but, you know, this is one of those situations where Molina would be better served by laughing it off and trying even harder next time.
Sometimes I think certain pro-athletes have absolutely no idea how we regular humans perceive them. And, of course, we have no idea what they go through. That said, considering the fact that they're living what many of us dream about and that they get paid piles of money to do it (with major injury risks and a very short career span), comments like Molina's come across as sort of tone deaf.
Yes, they made fun of you. But, yes, you are so lucky to be a position where anybody would care to make fun of you on national TV.
posted by Joey Michaels at 04:36 PM on May 13, 2010
"My mother saw the clip."
She probably laughed hysterically, too.
posted by jjzucal at 04:47 PM on May 13, 2010
Or, "Flight of the Bumblebee".
Or maybe "The Baby Elephant Walk".
posted by tahoemoj at 05:48 PM on May 13, 2010
If you find yourself in a hole, keep digging! This would've all been forgotten over soon enough if he hadn't decided to be a crybaby about it. Now it's the #1 search result for "Bengie Molina." I'm sorry his feelings are hurt, but he can dry his tears with million-dollar bills.
He's 35 years old, a veteran catcher with a veteran catcher's knees, is built for comfort not for speed, and describes himself as the slowest guy in baseball. He didn't have any business going for home in that situation. The ball didn't roll far enough away and he was slowing down as he came into third.
If I'm an opposing team, I make sure the organist or music operator plays "Chariots of Fire" every time he comes up to bat.
Every away game at-bat until he retires.
posted by kirkaracha at 06:07 PM on May 13, 2010
My mother saw the clip.
That is absolutely thee worst "your mom" joke I've ever heard.
posted by NoMich at 08:34 PM on May 13, 2010
As well as laughing, he could always make a virtue out of it.
New Zealand cricketer Mark Richardson had the nickname 'Rigor', as in 'Rigor Mortis', for his lack of pace. At the end of each Test series, he would challenge the opposition's slowest player to a sprint for charity.
Here are some (very) graphic shots. Warning - beige lycra running suits.
posted by owlhouse at 08:53 PM on May 13, 2010
I just wanna say... Shut up Fatty! Oh, whatcha gonna do, catch me?
Lighten up, Francis.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:17 PM on May 13, 2010
We all (Padre fans) used to say the same thing about getting in shape when Tony Gwynn was in his later playing days and couldn't run for jack (and Tony was actually pretty fast when he was younger), but Tony played rightfield. Maybe being in better shape could help Molina out a bit, but there's no workout regimen that's going to accommodate for 12 years of playing catcher.
posted by LionIndex at 10:13 PM on May 13, 2010
Hurt feelings or not it seems he must be clueless not to realize that ESPN is and has been for a long time entertainment and not sports journalism at its best, and that his complaining is only going to make things worse. He better grow a hide and quickly.
posted by justgary at 10:17 PM on May 13, 2010
He better grow a hide..
I believe his hide is already part of the problem.
posted by BornIcon at 04:39 AM on May 14, 2010
Molina's whining made me WANT to see the clip. If he just shut up instead of calling attention to it, the video clip would have gone away. Instead, more people are viewing his "humiliation." You should know by now how this works Bengie.
posted by roberts at 06:52 AM on May 14, 2010
Molina has made it worse by talking about it, but did I miss the vote where it's okay to ridicule someone who's rich just because they should get over it because they're rich?
And he's slow because he's out of shape? Nope, Molina's slow because he was born slow. I'd bet (and I'm saying this from experience as a really slowwwww mother fucker) the extra 20-30 pounds he's carrying make almost no difference in his speed. Hasn't seemed to make much of a dent in his defense either, has it? And do we think the Giants hand out multimillion dollar deals to guys they think are out of shape and can't compete?
So Molina's (arguably) the best defensive catcher in the league, he's made it in the bigs for 12 years, and he shouldn't get a little chippy when this is how ESPN chooses to portray a guy hitting .341 on the season and hustling to score on an overthrow?
You might think it makes Molina seem like a whiner, and I'd agree with you slightly, but ESPN comes off as the far greater tools here. It was obvious the aim wasn't to show Molina getting thrown out at the plate on a close play. It was to make fun of Molina.
Save that shit for "The Benny Hill Show."
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:50 AM on May 14, 2010
... did I miss the vote where it's okay to ridicule someone who's rich just because they should get over it because they're rich?
Molina's paid a ludicrous amount of money to play a game because millions of people want to see him do it. It's completely OK to ridicule him when he screws up playing that game. Was it not OK to ridicule Jose Canseco when he misplayed a fly ball and it bounced off his head for a home run?
I can't believe anyone is upset with ESPN over that segment. It's mild ridicule. I think Molina embarrassed himself more with the whiny blog post than he did on the jog home.
posted by rcade at 11:14 AM on May 14, 2010
And he's slow because he's out of shape? Nope, Molina's slow because he was born slow.
What? The man is fat. Very fat. And, in general, fat people don't run very well.
If we saw C.C. Sabathia doing the same thing, we'd ridicule him for his poor decision-making and slo-mo running.
I watched Molina play for the Blue Jays, and even the home-town announcers couldn't avoid the fact that he was fat and slow.
And do we think the Giants hand out multimillion dollar deals to guys they think are out of shape and can't compete?
posted by grum@work at 11:36 AM on May 14, 2010
There are a lot of things I hate about ESPN, but this isn't one of them.
Bengie Molina is a 12-year Major Leaguer who has made $28.8 million in his career. If he doesn't want to face mild mockery for being overweight and slow, he should spend more time with a personal trainer and nutritionist and less time whining. It's ridiculous that he couldn't score on that play.