Not sure how I feel about this and if the post will last .

[batman66]

I'm sure you've heard about it or read about it .

This past week Neris took 70 Latino minor leaguers out to a local Dominican restaurant and picked up the entire tab.

First thought was very cool gesture on his part , but then I thought hey what if I'm PCA , Matt Shaw ,  Cam Sanders etc , how do I feel if I'm not Latino and wasn't invited out.  

I know there is country/pride etc involved and can understand wanting to bond and show young kids the way of a veteran etc and he can't take out 300 minor leaguers but it's also seperating them from other non Latino players which is also something that for some reason bothers me a little during things like the HR derby where there are clearly ethnic divisions.

I'll understand if the mods want to remove the post , I've just been thinking about this since I read it a while ago and decided to post and give it a shot.

[bryzzobrist]

Maybe a language thing?
Racial segregation- hard to argue that it's anything other than a terrible thing, but what was the intent? Probably just to be a nice guy and help out the players to some degree. I try to look at intent instead of going straight to "wtf". That's a useful skill to have these days. Whether something is agree-able or not.

I'd say it's better than the actions of our last Chicago mayor (literally refused to interview with white people) amongst so many other examples of people having the wrong intent.

Nerris just wanted to do a nice thing.  The segregation involved doesn't look great, but I'm not a latino baseball player so I don't exactly know where he's coming from or why he made the decision.

[Reverency]

I honestly think there's something to be said for celebrating both diversity AND ethnicity, and everyone should appreciate that you can celebrate one and not have it be any reflection on the other. Good on Neris. And if I were one of the non-Latinos not invited to the event, I'd ask how the food was and what were the best dishes. Finding a new good place to eat would be MY priority.

[batman66]

Mar 18, 2024 12:49:08 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

Maybe a language thing?
Racial segregation- hard to argue that it's anything other than a terrible thing, but what was the intent? Probably just to be a nice guy and help out the players to some degree. I try to look at intent instead of going straight to "wtf". That's a useful skill to have these days. Whether something is agree-able or not.

I'd say it's better than the actions of our last Chicago mayor (literally refused to interview with white people) amongst so many other examples of people having the wrong intent.

Nerris just wanted to do a nice thing for people within the same box he's put himself in.

I'm sure it's not the wrong intent , I'm not even attempting to say that it is.
I'm 100% sure there is good intent behind it and he's just doing as you said in your last sentence.

But take Neris out of it ,this would not be a cool story had say Hendricks  taking out the american born white players only. 

You can see by like I said the All star home run derby's that teams and countries have their cliques , I'm not a great fan of that type of thing even if it's not their intent it seems to happen and it's more of a them and pride thing , it's still kind of dividing people , isn't it ? 

[batman66]

Mar 18, 2024 12:51:33 GMT -5 Reverency said:

I honestly think there's something to be said for celebrating both diversity AND ethnicity, and everyone should appreciate that you can celebrate one and not have it be any reflection on the other. Good on Neris. And if I were one of the non-Latinos not invited to the event, I'd ask how the food was and what were the best dishes. Finding a new good place to eat would be MY priority.

<<I honestly think there's something to be said for celebrating both diversity AND ethnicity, and everyone should appreciate that you can celebrate one and not have it be any reflection on the other.>>

I agree , and that should work for everyone , but it really doesn't though .

[kfidd]

I think it only divides people if we allow it to. By any account we have Nerris did a wonderful thing for a group of people who look like him. That’s it. I love Rev’s take here and I don’t have any problem with this gesture by Nerris.

[kfidd]

Mar 18, 2024 13:08:50 GMT -5 batman66 said:

Mar 18, 2024 12:51:33 GMT -5 Reverency said:

I honestly think there's something to be said for celebrating both diversity AND ethnicity, and everyone should appreciate that you can celebrate one and not have it be any reflection on the other. Good on Neris. And if I were one of the non-Latinos not invited to the event, I'd ask how the food was and what were the best dishes. Finding a new good place to eat would be MY priority.

<<I honestly think there's something to be said for celebrating both diversity AND ethnicity, and everyone should appreciate that you can celebrate one and not have it be any reflection on the other.>>

I agree , and that should work for everyone , but it really doesn't though .

I think that’s for those people to navigate and reconcile with. Not every act has to accommodate or account for every single person in this world, but that doesn’t mean that its existence is offensive to those it doesn’t. Good acts and gestures should be praised and encouraged.

[bryzzobrist]

Mar 18, 2024 13:02:08 GMT -5 batman66 said:

Mar 18, 2024 12:49:08 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

Maybe a language thing?
Racial segregation- hard to argue that it's anything other than a terrible thing, but what was the intent? Probably just to be a nice guy and help out the players to some degree. I try to look at intent instead of going straight to "wtf". That's a useful skill to have these days. Whether something is agree-able or not.

I'd say it's better than the actions of our last Chicago mayor (literally refused to interview with white people) amongst so many other examples of people having the wrong intent.

Nerris just wanted to do a nice thing for people within the same box he's put himself in.

I'm sure it's not the wrong intent , I'm not even attempting to say that it is.
I'm 100% sure there is good intent behind it and he's just doing as you said in your last sentence.

But take Neris out of it ,this would not be a cool story had say Hendricks  taking out the american born white players only. 

You can see by like I said the All star home run derby's that teams and countries have their cliques , I'm not a great fan of that type of thing even if it's not their intent it seems to happen and it's more of a them and pride thing , it's still kind of dividing people , isn't it ? 

If it were an american player in japan taking out a bunch of other american players in japan, would that have been a questionable action? I don't think it would.  Ofcourse Latino and American aren't exactly synonymous.  It'd be more like an american player taking out white players from the US, canada, europe, wherever they've come from, wouldn't it?

Maybe just chalk it up to Nerris trying to be a nice guy for the group of players he feels a connection with, having come from their home country to play ball in a place where they often times don't speak the language.  Can't be an easy thing, so it makes a lot more sense looking at it from that point of view.

[batman66]

Mar 18, 2024 13:18:25 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

Mar 18, 2024 13:02:08 GMT -5 batman66 said:

I'm sure it's not the wrong intent , I'm not even attempting to say that it is.
I'm 100% sure there is good intent behind it and he's just doing as you said in your last sentence.

But take Neris out of it ,this would not be a cool story had say Hendricks  taking out the american born white players only. 

You can see by like I said the All star home run derby's that teams and countries have their cliques , I'm not a great fan of that type of thing even if it's not their intent it seems to happen and it's more of a them and pride thing , it's still kind of dividing people , isn't it ? 

If it were an american player in japan taking out a bunch of other american players in japan, would that have been a questionable action? I don't think it would.  Ofcourse Latino and American aren't exactly synonymous.  It'd be more like an american player taking out white players from the US, canada, europe, wherever they've come from, wouldn't it?

Maybe just chalk it up to Nerris trying to be a nice guy for the group of players he feels a connection with, having come from their home country to play ball in a place where they often times don't speak the language.  Can't be an easy thing, so it makes a lot of sense looking at it from that point of view.

I'm 100% chalking it up to Nerris doing it as a gesture to his fellow Latino organization mates.

Again, I'm not saying anything negative about Neris with this. 

And I know it would be  akin to a white american player doing similar in Japan as an example, but would society in general look at it that way or differently because he's white or would they make it more of a racial  thing and I think they would .  

I guess I'm talking more about society in general here and how with one race it would be looked at differently and others not.

[fine09]

Mar 18, 2024 12:18:06 GMT -5 batman66 said:

I'm sure you've heard about it or read about it .

This past week Neris took 70 Latino minor leaguers out to a local Dominican restaurant and picked up the entire tab.

First thought was very cool gesture on his part , but then I thought hey what if I'm PCA , Matt Shaw ,  Cam Sanders etc , how do I feel if I'm not Latino and wasn't invited out.  

I know there is country/pride etc involved and can understand wanting to bond and show young kids the way of a veteran etc and he can't take out 300 minor leaguers but it's also seperating them from other non Latino players which is also something that for some reason bothers me a little during things like the HR derby where there are clearly ethnic divisions.

I'll understand if the mods want to remove the post , I've just been thinking about this since I read it a while ago and decided to post and give it a shot.

That is a tough one but I feel like Rev does in that it was just Neris taking his countrymen out that grew up in the same conditions that he did & showing them what he can.  Typically as a general rule life is a whole lot different than what we have around here which is sad but it's still the case so I look at it as more honoring his people more than excluding others.

And yes you sure could never have the opposite scenario happen per your example with Kyle.  

[batman66]

Mar 18, 2024 15:49:26 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

I think anytime anyone is pushed aside or not invited to something because of their skin color, that's an obvious form of prejudice and oppression. Did Nerris say "no white people or black americans allowed" or did he say "hey, let's get some of the latino minor leaguers together and go have a night out". Same end result, very different story. There's certainly been a rise of "no white people allowed" in recent news (see Lori Lightfoot and keep going and going), so I can see why the question arose, but also have seen no indication of prejudice being the reason behind Nerris' night out.
It's ok to ask why.
It's also ok to invite a bunch of people out for dinner.

I know , again I'm NOT putting any of this on Neris , just saying in the general perception  this would not fly if it was a white player taking out all white players. 

I don't even need to know why he did it , I kind of get why he would make a gesture like this and it's honorable.

A lot of them come from extreme poverty and in his own way he's showing with a lot of hard work and dedication you could be able to afford to do things like this and honor your fellow Latino's.

I have no issues at all with him doing this and it's not even the "no white people allowed" mentality which I did NOT see this as being to be clear , it's only that if this was a white person doing it even as you or somebody mentioned doing it in Japan this would be turned into negative news.

And I'm not saying this should be negative news at all , it's a great gesture and I see nothing wrong with it.

i just had the thoughts that in general not all ethnic groups could get away with this and personally I don't like seeing what I see at all star games with the different ethnic backgrounds seeming to for cliques (clicks) not sure I spelled it right but I think the whole WBC plays that divide up as well.

[kfidd]

The story is here for anyone who is interested.

www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/spring-training-notebook-hector-neris-heartwarming-gesture-for-cubs-minor-leaguers/

I understand no one is arguing against his intentions here, but just wanted to highlight how pure they are. He experienced a coach doing this when he was a minor leaguer and it was so impactful he has decided to carry it on as his own tradition. And he has! Apparently he’s done this in Philly and Houston prior. It’s a good short read that is worth your time.

Regarding the example of how the narrative would be different if say Hendricks had done this with a group of white minor leaguers, it’s no secret that culture wars in this country are a very real thing. People have to be able to see reason and be empathetic towards others. If they can’t do that, or if they conjure up a different reality in their head just because, then that is their cross to bear.

[bryzzobrist]

Remember when Mookie gave away free pizza to grocery store workers?
Bought groceries for those in line (who may or may not have needed the help) and then gave the mimnimum wage employees pizza.
Like, gee thanks mister.

Nerris makes much much less than Mookie, so his generosity seems more legit.

If you make hundreds of millions and then give pizza slices away while you make sure to have cameras follow you - not very generous, seems almost self serving. Pay those workers rent - that's something that would've helped them.  As he then goes to his 20,000 square foot mansion, or one of his other many properties.   He did feed the homeless during his time in Boston without media presence, so I'll give him that.   But here's the deal- if you make 100m and then give away 10k, are you a generous person?

Rizzo would be making what, 7m a year at the time, and then donate millions to charity.  That's a generous person.

Also makes me think of a time where Miley Cyrus went to an underdeveloped country with a full camera crew to act like she was "helping".  If you're in a country where labor is dirt cheap and people are poor, giving them free labor after spending hundreds sometimes thousands just to get there is a piss poor way of actually helping people.  They need money, food, infrastructure and a means to make a living, not unskilled labor for a week while you make them take selfies with you to put on instagram.

[batman66]

Mar 18, 2024 16:49:13 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

Remember when Mookie gave away free pizza to grocery store workers?
Bought groceries for those in line (who may or may not have needed the help) and then gave the mimnimum wage employees pizza.
Like, gee thanks mister.

Nerris makes much much less than Mookie, so his generosity seems more legit.

If you make hundreds of millions and then give pizza slices away while you make sure to have cameras follow you - not very generous, seems almost self serving. Pay those workers rent - that's something that would've helped them.  As he then goes to his 20,000 square foot mansion, or one of his other many properties.   He did feed the homeless during his time in Boston without media presence, so I'll give him that.   But here's the deal- if you make 100m and then give away 10k, are you a generous person?

Rizzo would be making what, 7m a year at the time, and then donate millions to charity.  That's a generous person.

Also makes me think of a time where Miley Cyrus went to an underdeveloped country with a full camera crew to act like she was "helping".  If you're in a country where labor is dirt cheap and people are poor, giving them free labor after spending hundreds sometimes thousands just to get there is a piss poor way of actually helping people.  They need money, food, infrastructure and a means to make a living, not unskilled labor for a week while you make them take selfies with you to put on instagram.

Kind of like Oprah when she had her Chicago based TV show giving away free stuff acting like she paid for it herself when it was the actual products sponsors like Chevy giving away cars. Neris actions were genuine and not for attention. And again did not mean to put anything on him here.

[lajoiesghost]

In the Kyle Hendricks comparison, what if Kyle wanted to buy a meal for all the Ivy Leaguers in the organization? Should the others feel left out? What if they all happen to be white? Nah, I don't see an issue here. It's like when my GM occasionally takes the sales staff out to lunch. I don't feel slighted just because I'm not in sales.

[bryzzobrist]

Mar 19, 2024 8:30:49 GMT -5 lajoiesghost said:

In the Kyle Hendricks comparison, what if Kyle wanted to buy a meal for all the Ivy Leaguers in the organization? Should the others feel left out? What if they all happen to be white? Nah, I don't see an issue here. It's like when my GM occasionally takes the sales staff out to lunch. I don't feel slighted just because I'm not in sales.

I'm not sure that Ivy Leaugers and Kyle would be the comparison.

Maybe the comparison would just be English speakers getting together in Korea or Japan.  Latino is a large demographic - even Gomes who hails from Brazil is technically latino (though not hispanic). But aside from Gomesy (brazilian portuguese), all of these other latino guys all speak spanish.

[batman66]

Mar 19, 2024 15:17:17 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

Mar 19, 2024 8:30:49 GMT -5 lajoiesghost said:

In the Kyle Hendricks comparison, what if Kyle wanted to buy a meal for all the Ivy Leaguers in the organization? Should the others feel left out? What if they all happen to be white? Nah, I don't see an issue here. It's like when my GM occasionally takes the sales staff out to lunch. I don't feel slighted just because I'm not in sales.

I'm not sure that Ivy Leaugers and Kyle would be the comparison.

Maybe the comparison would just be English speakers getting together in Korea or Japan.  Latino is a large demographic - even Gomes who hails from Brazil is technically latino (though not hispanic). But aside from Gomesy (brazilian portuguese), all of these other latino guys all speak spanish.

Speaking spanish casts a wide spectrum of people so it's tough to compare.

With that in mind , I feel you should learn the language of the country you make a living in if it's not your home country.
I know I would.
I get annoyed with some players like Vlad Jr , this guy grew up in baseball clubhouses with his dad so he's been around English speaking players, coaches etc since he was young and I've heard more English come out of Imanaga's mouth than I have ever heard from Vlad Jr's .
I think it's respectful to learn the language, not only makes things easier on you but it also shows respect.
I thought it was extremeley cool what Shota did as his presser and he immediately won me over.

[bryzzobrist]

Mar 19, 2024 15:33:41 GMT -5 batman66 said:

Mar 19, 2024 15:17:17 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

I'm not sure that Ivy Leaugers and Kyle would be the comparison.

Maybe the comparison would just be English speakers getting together in Korea or Japan.  Latino is a large demographic - even Gomes who hails from Brazil is technically latino (though not hispanic). But aside from Gomesy (brazilian portuguese), all of these other latino guys all speak spanish.

Speaking spanish casts a wide spectrum of people so it's tough to compare.

With that in mind , I feel you should learn the language of the country you make a living in if it's not your home country.
I know I would.
I get annoyed with some players like Vlad Jr , this guy grew up in baseball clubhouses with his dad so he's been around English speaking players, coaches etc since he was young and I've heard more English come out of Imanaga's mouth than I have ever heard from Vlad Jr's .
I think it's respectful to learn the language, not only makes things easier on you but it also shows respect.
I thought it was extremeley cool what Shota did as his presser and he immediately won me over.

I can see why guys will speak english to teammates and whoever but get kinda shy around the cameras.  Easy to say the wrong thing or get stuck trying to communicate, so having a translator makes their life easier.  I can speak a little of a couple languages - enough for simple conversation, but if I were in front of a camera - no way. 

[batman66]

Mar 19, 2024 15:41:59 GMT -5 bryzzobrist said:

Mar 19, 2024 15:33:41 GMT -5 batman66 said:

Speaking spanish casts a wide spectrum of people so it's tough to compare.

With that in mind , I feel you should learn the language of the country you make a living in if it's not your home country.
I know I would.
I get annoyed with some players like Vlad Jr , this guy grew up in baseball clubhouses with his dad so he's been around English speaking players, coaches etc since he was young and I've heard more English come out of Imanaga's mouth than I have ever heard from Vlad Jr's .
I think it's respectful to learn the language, not only makes things easier on you but it also shows respect.
I thought it was extremeley cool what Shota did as his presser and he immediately won me over.

I can see why guys will speak english to teammates and whoever but get kinda shy around the cameras.  Easy to say the wrong thing or get stuck trying to communicate, so having a translator makes their life easier.  I can speak a little of a couple languages - enough for simple conversation, but if I were in front of a camera - no way. 

I get it , I'm just saying I have not even heard Vlad jr say hello or thank you or anything .

I know it can be akward and uncomfortable and also lead to bad moments.

I recall many a Sammy Sosa interview where his response had nothing to do with the question he was asked,

[chubbycub]

I don't care what Neris does with his personal time or with whom he does it.

But let him serve up meatballs to a white guy, a Latino and a black guy back to back to back, and I'm gonna question SOMEthing. Like he needs more sauce on that, maybe.