Minor leaguer: It was a "one-time incident"
The commissioner of Japanese baseball came out and said, "You will not draft Tadano". But this kid didn't assault anybody. He didn't commit murder. If anything, he is guilty of being naive.
- Alan Nero
Of all of the things a professional baseball player might reasonably do to win friends and influence teammates, engaging in a homosexual act on camera would NOT seem to fit the bill. Granted, it was in the past, and I suppose we all did stupid things during our college years, right (Just not THIS stupid)? Did any of us do the nasty with a member of the same sex on camera? Well, I can't speak for y'all, but I sure as hell didn't. I was too busy trying to drink myself into oblivion.
CLEVELAND -- Indians minor leaguer Kazuhito Tadano is asking for forgiveness for what he called a one-time mistake -- his appearance in a gay porn video in which he engaged in a homosexual act.
Tadano took part in the video three years ago when he was a college student. Sitting in the Cleveland clubhouse Tuesday, the pitcher said he hoped to put his actions in the past.
"All of us have made mistakes in our lives," Tadano said, reading a statement in English. "Hopefully, you learn from them and move on."
Shunned by Japanese baseball teams, the 23-year-old Tadano signed with the Indians last March. They think he can make their club this spring.
Tadano gave few details about the video, which he made after his sophomore year at Rikkyo University.
"I did participate in a video and I regret it very much," he said. "It was a one-time incident that showed bad judgment and will never be repeated. I was young, playing baseball, and going to college and my teammates and I needed money.
"Frankly, if I were more mature and had really thought about the implications of what I did, it never would have happened."
Through an interpreter, Tadano added: "I'm not gay. I'd like to clear that fact up right now."
Well, gee, Kaz, thanks for resolving that question. Speaking for myself, I can honestly say that I could't care less if Tadano had buggered goats on camera as part of a fraternity initiation. What bothers me is the furious attempt at spin control, the "Not only did I not inhale, I know that I wouldn't have liked even if I had" approach. It happened, and yes, he IS truly a DUMB@$$...can we all move on now without the PR-meisters becoming involved? They're giving me a headache.
Somehow, I think the Indians locker room during Spring Training could be a very interesting place. I don't imagine that our latest DUMB@$$ will have much competition for the locker space next to him, eh? Major League Baseball players are hardly renowned for their open-mindedness, though by all accounts, Tadano was relatively popular with his minor-league teammates. For his sake, I hope that he can get past this "mistake". Still, I can't help but wonder how long it will be before the Kazuhito Tadano video is as readily available on the Internet as the Paris Hilton romp-a-thon. I'm not at all certain that we as a society are ready for that.
