CHICAGO -- Coming off an 0-6 road trip when they managed just nine runs, the Chicago White Sox returned home Tuesday and were confronted with more questions about two female blowup dolls than they were about their shaky offense. Before Sunday's game in Toronto, an unnamed player positioned two nude blowup dolls in the clubhouse with bats of the players fanning out around them -- a ritual of sorts to try and get the team out of its slump. Some found the shrine more tasteless than amusing. Manager Ozzie Guillen said it was a joke that has been blown out of proportion after it got play in the press. General manager Ken Williams, who had lunch Tuesday with Guillen, said he was disappointed by the display and was assured it wouldn't happen again.... "We have proactively tried to and just did so this spring training, organizationally, we brought in some people to discuss a better work environment whether it's gender issues or racial issues," Williams said.
As someone who's spent his fair share of time in various and assorted locker rooms, I can tell you that most of what goes on in that environment isn't exactly fodder for the family hour. Because of that, I'm finding it difficult to work up anything resembling outrage for whatever sins the Chicago White Sox may have committed in this instance. OK, so we have baseball bats, a couple of nude female blowup dolls, and a locker room. The rest can probably best be left to your imagination.
Now it appears that some who worship at the altar of political correctness have their panites in a wad over the injustice of it all. I'll grant you that this whole episode probably borders on tasteless and perhaps even offensive to certain members of the population, but how about we keep things in perspective here? This is the locker room of a Major League Baseball team we're talking about. You're not going to find players sitting in front of their lockers reading Proust or analyzing the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS vaccines. No, you're going to find things involving blow-up dolls and baseball bats. Hey, if you want maturity and sober reflection, to a meeting of the Federal Reserve Board. If you can't handle the reality that immaturity is often rife in the testosterone-saturated environment that can be and usually is a male locker room, you really need to find yourself another pursuit. Men are pigs, and baseball players...well, let's just say that they don't do pigs justice.
If you really need something to protest, how about grabbing a picket sign and hanging around outside a Hooters? At least you wouldn't have far to go in order to grab some lunch...
