Derrek Lee had an interview with Bruce Levine that was published in an article on ESPN.com I stumbled across while looking for crap to read prior to bedtime. Here are some snippets:
I know the city and the passion they have for the team,” said Lee, who is batting .245 with one home run and 4 RBIs this season. “I thought it was too much on certain guys. I didn’t think it was right. But for the most part it was their passion. That’s why guys love playing in this city because you know you are going to play in front of great fans.”
For the most part it seemed that Lee had little trouble other than the usual boos because he GIDPed one too many times or didn’t hit 70 HR, but then there’s this:
“I never had any [hate mail],” Lee said. “But I saw it. That wasn’t all right. If a guy is not playing well, go ahead and boo him but don’t make it personal.”
Lee said it was difficult to watch his teammates go through having to deal with some of the hate mail and comments that came their way.
“These were men with families and children who were hearing and seeing these things,” Lee said. “No one wants to do badly in the field. And especially not to have racial insults or hate mail sent to you because of it. I never got any, and I am somewhat surprised I didn’t.”
So this kind of stuff does happen, and coming from the lips of a Cub who was considered a star, a leader and a fan favorite (for the most part), it’s pretty damning for at least a subset of the fans who are supposedly the best in the sport.
Comments
I’m surprised Lee didn’t get any of the hate mail that several of his teammates did too.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I’m surprised Lee didn’t get any of the hate mail that several of his teammates did too.[/quote]
You have to post mark your letters, mb.
MishQuote Reply
[quote name=Mish]You have to post mark your letters, mb.[/quote]
(dying laughing)
Dick.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
RC, I’ll post something about formatting (quotes, links, etc) sometime later today.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=Mish]You have to post mark your letters, mb.[/quote]Not when you send them to Milton Bradley, I hear.
AndCountingQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]RC, I’ll post something about formatting (quotes, links, etc) sometime later today.[/quote]
Thanks, appreciate it. I thought it was regular bulletin board code at first, and then tried HTML, but neither seemed to work.
I was just thinking that it’s kind of sad that it took an interview from Derrek Lee before people would actually believe racist crap happened to Cubs players.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Qyick question before we crucify cubs fans but wouldnt it be safe to assume black people on all teams get raciat mail?
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
I’m sure it happens on all times, bubs, but it seems quite clear from listening to the players talk that it happens much more frequently in Chicago (and Boston).
mb21Quote Reply
BJ Upton said he hears racist shit from fans ALL THE TIME. Maddon actually had a racist fan ejected. It happens everywhere. It just appears to happen more frequently in Chicago. Consider the black players (and manager) the Cubs have had over the last decade. The following people had significant time with the Cubs: Dusty Baker, Corey Patterson, Derrek Lee, LaTroy Hawkins, Milton Bradley and Jack Jones unless I’m forgetting someone. All of them except Lee received racist hate mail. Jack Jones’s mom was called by some Cubs fans. For real.
mb21Quote Reply
The mind boggles. People actually send hate mail? To athletes? WTF
MishQuote Reply
[quote name=Mish]The mind boggles. People actually send hate mail? To athletes? WTF[/quote]
As long as there is a certain level of stupidity in the world, there will be a certain level of stupid shit being done. It’s too bad people haven’t learned much since the days of Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I guess my next question is why did derek lee never get it
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
Dunno why bubbles. Maybe the racists figured there were easier targets, maybe Lee just threw some stuff out as junk mail. Who knows.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=bubblesdachimp]I guess my next question is why did derek lee never get it[/quote]Because Lee was a damn good player for the Cubs. He was considered a leader. He was strong on defense and had decent speed at one time. There really wasn’t much wrong with Lee’s game.
That doesn’t really matter though. Pointing out one or two who didn’t get racist mail doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. Fans always point out that Ernie Banks and Billy Williams love Cubs fans. True, but we’re talking about players that are Hall of Famers. Plus, they got plenty of hate mail in their day. Hank Aaron did too.
mb21Quote Reply
yea that shit is fucked up
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply