'Roid rage much? Geez Kenny...

It sounds like someone needs a hug!

I was just going to post that story here...

Does anyone else think it sounds like "steroid rage"?

Valhalla & Kurtis:

yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking..

grrrr... you see stuff like this but it's Juan Rincon who gets suspended. Sheesh.

Somebody must have a case of the "Mondays".

Kenny is facing suspension for this incident.

I don't know if I'd necessarily call it 'roid rage though.

Click my name for a link to a more detailed story from the Dallas Morning News about this incident.

It's more like "I'm embarrassed enough that this happened, I don't need your recording my every word and move on top of it. I'd prefer the ground to open up and swallow me right now."

I too, was just about to post this story. It's too bad, after the year he's been having. I'm glad we don't have problems like these with our boys.

HK - your comment got me laughing!

Maybe Kenny just got tired of hearing the Gambler - ya know =p

Much love
Wonder Woman

``Kenny is having anger issues right now,'' Rangers general manager John Hart said.

You're kidding me!

Err, Kenny, the song goes, "Know when to walk away, know when to run" not "Know when to knock them down and beat them up."

Just thought you'd want to know.

Is anybody else starting to think maybe it's best that we didn't sign Rogers in the offseason?

Imagine if we were in this funk we're in, and then one of our best pitchers (assuming he pitched for us like he has been for Texas this year) pulls this stunt.

Add this one to the 'duh' list:

"He probably lost his cool a little bit," Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira said.

Yeah, probably.

Heh, and several people here were previously advocating--no, DEMANDING--temper tantrums by the Twins during the recent sucking time just to "prove" that they gave a s**t about the losing. "Show us that you at least CARE!!" Too much.

Poor Kenny. The guy can never catch a break. I'm so grateful there are no cameras in my face every time I do something stupid. They'd run out of tape.

I don't recall Kenny having "anger issues" before. He was intense and I'm sure (with having Scott Boras as agent) probably demanding with contract concerns. But I don't recall him losing his cool before?

This behavior is totally unacceptable even though I agree I'd be real tired real fast of the intrusion of media that players have to put up with sometimes.

6 foot and 1210 pounds? That's one big dude.

He gained a lot of weight in the off season, and, boy, is he ever pissed about it.

I remeber when Kenny pitched for us. I didn't like him then, I don't like him now and I'm not surprised he went all Kevin Brown on a water cooler and but I am a little surprised now that he has gone all Randy Johnson on a camera.

I liked Kenny when he was with the Twins, and continued to when he went back to the Rangers. I never thought he'd flake out like this though. Assault on an on-field cameraman just doing his job is really puzzling. There's got to be more to this than what we're hearing.

I wouldn't have seen Kenny as the guy to do this. I'm definitely shocked it was him, as I always pictured him as a "grizzled veteran that offers sage advice" type player, not a "Kevin Brown" type player. Or even a "Carl Everett" type player.

Kinda sad, and I wonder what made him snap like he has?

I liked Kenny then and now. This is puzzling to me.

He had issues when he was pitching for us (NYY).He couldn't handle the pressure and it got to him and he acted like a Jerk

After watching his almost serene presence on the mound, I had to check to make sure this wasn't more satire.

I think it's pretty obvious why it happened. He's mad at himself. He was having a good season and now he's not only risked it, but gathered unwanted media attention in the process. He's frustrated over it, and having parasites sticking cameras in his face during a time when he's trying to deal with having made a regrettably stupid mistake pushed him past his limit.

We all have a limit, and we should be thankful that it doesn't end up all over TV when we reach it, instead of being haughty and judgmental when someone else--even a celebrity--reaches theirs. Stuff happens, and I'm sure none of us here would wish to be judged solely upon our worst moment.

The video, as of a few hours ago, could be seen on ESPN.com

Know When To Walk Away, Know When To Run...
I'd say, run.

Jeb - Indeed. Now is not the time to worry about being branded the coward of the county. He's not bringing his love to town.

Maybe he just needs to find an island in the stream.

Maybe that idiot cameraman picked the wrong time to just drop in to see what condition his condition was in. (For all you young'uns out there, Kenny Rogers was a bit of a hip rocker dude before he was The Gambler!)

Maybe somebody needs to drop in to see what condition his condition is in.

Boy does that make me feel old.

Now THAT was scary!!! LOL!!!

Well, maybe everyone has learned their lesson. Namely -- don't fall in love with a screamer?

Kenny's father obviously didn't give him the following wise words:

"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
Walk away from trouble if you can.

...You're right LaurieNY about the last dual posts. It was way too scary.

This is like a rhyme with no reason in an unfinished song.... Perhaps he pines for the days when Batgirl decorated his life.

Just wondering how the cameraman suddenly became the "idiot" here.

The playing field for "worst moments" is different for athletes and many other public figures, in my opinion. As a rule, even the nicest and most wonderful ones have a sense of entitlement that is fed and nurtured by other people with motives.

Those people are willing to do and do and do for athletes because it gives them a sense of importance and status. Unfortunately, it skews the view of the world for most athletes, which is why so many have trouble adjusting to life without sports when their careers end.

It also makes the genuinely good ones even more of a treasure.

The other day I was at the Twins' ticket office when Torii Hunter ambled across the street and toward the employee entrance. A guy in his 20s looked and said, "Is that Torii Hunter?"

"Yup," I said.

"You think he'll sign something?"

"Go for it," I suggested.

A minute later later the guy was back at the ticket booth with his t-shirt signed and with an incredible smile. It was a sweet moment to watch and keeps me from branding ALL of 'em as frauds-in-waiting.

I wish I could say that the antics of guys like Kenny Rogers and Kirby Puckett and Onterrio Smith are a big ol' surprise to RD. Alas, dammit, I know better. Sometimes, it bites to know better.

RD, I have my own opinion and my own personal reasons for that opinion. And I have the right to both.

Laurie,

I know you have a right to your opinion. That's why I wondered how the photographer became the "idiot." Knowing that would help me to better understand and appreciate your point of view. It sounds like you have a good story to tell.

Best, RD

Aaah, this reminds me why I have never liked Kenny Rogers.

When we obtained him, I cringed.

Then, one beautiful May day in 2003, Stacy obtained seats directly behind home plate as a graduation present for the June 1 game. Stacy was SO excited. Then Mr. Rogers decided to give up 7 runs in the 1st inning that game against SEATTLE and it was sad.

Then we no longer had Mr. Rogers and I was happy again.

Then on May 15, 2005 when I was at a game on the 1st baseline, Kenny was running pre game dome circles for some reason ((he wasn't pitching that day, thank god)) and some little kids were waving at him and he saw them. So what did he do? Continued to run and didn't so much as smile back at them.

Ah yes, that's why I can't stand the man.

RD, that's an amazing story about Torii. He is truly an awesome person. Too bad more athletes aren't like him.

lauryNY, i appreciated how you always give people the benefit of the doubt when bad stuff goes on.

your's is a refreshingly positive outlook. kenny should hang around with you for a while and perhaps he'd feel better.

- a lurker

oops. sorry i spelled your name wrong.

You know, I'm amazed that this sort of thing is tolerated at all - it just goes to show how many exceptions we make for athletes and celebrities.

If I was at a press conference or some other public event and I did something like that, I would be fired on the spot. If a fry cook beat up some idiot who was heckling him from the other side of the counter, he would be fired on the spot.

If these guys had half a brain in their head - not that I'm positing anything, as most athletes talented enough to go pro have been systematically cordoned off into "jock only" sectors of society their entire lives - they'd know that annoying media coverage is an inevitability. They'd know that heckling fans are an inevitability. They'd know that if they can't stomach annoying media coverage or heckling fans, that professional sports aren't for them.

But the clubhouses are equally liable. These managers HAVE to be aware of the mentalities of their players: [I'm generalizing now, but] these are guys who have been given golden tickets all their lives because they can do things dopes like us can't. Sensitivity training and spin control aren't in their curriculum vitae. For the most part, they've never had to deal with the real-politick of the real world. Look at Randy Moss talking about how he only plays when he wants to. Look at John Rocker talking about New York City. Look at Garrison Hearst talking about homosexuals (he plays in San Francisco, for crying out loud!). Real people would get axed so fast for so much less. The clubhouses definitely need to do more to assimilate these guys to the pressures of fame and exposure.

But, in the end, screw you, Kenny Rogers. Are you that ungrateful? You're good at one thing - throwing a baseball - and for that you're paid millions of dollars, and every luxury is afforded you. Just do your job, and shut your mouth. Take some xanax, for Christ's sake.

This type of thing makes me respect guys like A-Rod and Derek Jeter (which I hate to do), because they understand exactly what their jobs are: play baseball, win games, make money for The Boss, and shave your face.

There's nothing worse than some young kid's ungrateful hero.

Sorry, I have nothing to say. I cannot follow Haplo's comment. Tough to follow that.... yep.

If I showed up at your place of business and booed and cussed at you when you made a mistake, I'd be arrested for harassment. If I followed you around with a camera, I'd be arrested for stalking. If I made a living publishing or photographing private things about your private life that had nothing to do with your profession, I'd at the very least be thought of as parasitic scum, possibly sued for slander and defamation.

And if I chased you through a tunnel because I thought it was my "right" to document, photograph and expose your private life 24/7--after all, everyone has the "right" to know what you're having for dinner and who you're having it with--and as a result of that chase your car hit the wall and died, I'd be a murderer.

Yet even though you recognize that it would be wrong to do these things to regular people, you seem to think that all of these actions are acceptable if they're done to a celebrity.

Every argument has at least two sides, Haplo. And your "right" as a baseball fan includes the right to watch them play. Nothing more. Fans seem to believe that a player owes them 24/7. That everything is our business. That in exchange for doing something for a living that we happen to enjoy watching, they owe us access to every aspect of themselves. And that they should never, ever respond like a human being when someone goes too far.

No matter WHO you are or WHAT you do, it is rude for someone to walk up to you and shove a camera in your face. It's just plain rude.

And thanks, Dorkyhouse. It's a tough, unpopular job, but... well, you know the rest. ;-)

But the difference is, it's just plain illegal to assault someone.

Given, the media's out of control - having responded to the market for the American lay public's ludicrous star-worship - but let's not forget 1) Freedom of the Press, and 2) the fact that the press is what drives the industry.

It's fair to point out that the NBA fines players for refusing to talk to the press. Why? Because it leads down the path of the League not making money.

It's also fair to point out that the altercation happened on the diamond... his place of work. It's not like Rogers was having a Sunday BBQ at home.

Idiots that throw beers at players, ruffle Sheff's feathers, and jump the partition to assault first base coaches should be banned from major league parks. There should be strict rules in place to disincentivize these behaviors. Idiots that don't realize that the money-making portion of their employment is smiling nice for the camera should find themselves unemployed. Ballplayers don't have to be nice guys in their private lives; but they should at least know to act the part when they're on the stage.

Agree to disagree-ingly,

Haplo

wow. You two both make excellent points.

The only things I have to add is this, theres a saying that any news is good news, any press is good press.

So, does that make this good press, which, in turn will make money for the league?

I'm just asking.

I caught a glimpse of that on the TV this morning, too... Can you blame him? i mean, really. One year, he's playing with the Twins, doing the entire world good, and the next, he's down playing with a guy who used to play for the f-in %#@kees, and he's the only one on the team that's pitching worth a crap. I feel your pain Kenny.
We'll take you back up here... but you'll probably have to take a paycut. The twins could trade Lyle for Kenny, and keep Kyle, and everyone would be happy. Good Pitcher to a good team in return for a bad pitcher for a bad team. It all works out in the end.

and aurora, i've also heard the "no news is good news" saying, which is the one i believe in... i'm just sayin..

also, Laurie, and Haplo bring very good points from both sides, leading me to just one conclusion.

The whole thing is a F*#&ed up situation.

I had to laugh when the "to see what condition my condition was in" comments came up.

Perhaps Batgirl's readership is not as young as I thought it had become.

You guys are great!!

Now, my two cents. Rogers was very good for us when he played here. I was thrilled when he signed with us, and sad when we didn't cough up the money to keep him.

Did anyone read the article I linked to? With the way the media in Texas has been treating him in the last few weeks, I can't blame him for being upset and not wanting the cameras in his face when he's trying to get ready for the game.

That said, he should have kept his anger in check.
It's one thing to holler at the media to leave you alone. It's another to physically assault them.

"Maybe that idiot cameraman picked the wrong time to just drop in to see what condition his condition was in. (For all you young'uns out there, Kenny Rogers was a bit of a hip rocker dude before he was The Gambler!)"

I'm not sure if I still qualify as a young'un, but my generation should be quite familiar with this song because of its prominent role in The Big Lebowski - one of the greatest movies of the past decade.

The delegation from Haplonia lauds the Commissioner for his firm (but fair) adjudication of the Kenneth Rogers affair.

Who suffers?

RD agrees with Haplo. Geez, we're praising Bud. Must be a holiday weekend, huh?

With love and respect to all of you, here's my big problem with seeing "two sides" to this one. Kenny went after camarapeople generically because they were there and doing their jobs. He wasn't looking for payback on someone who'd done him wrong. (They say that in Texas, right?)

For those of us who are members of minority groups -- racial, cultural, whatever -- the idea of going after a "type" of person is a little bit scary. More than a little bit, really. If Kenny wnats to ignore a group of people because he doesn't like the way he's been treated by some of them, that's not cool, but he's really only hurting himself.

When he goes after a cameraman because he's miffed at something that someone in the media did, that's pretty chilling. There was a time when that was called "wilding."