Sportswriter Apologizes for Comparing A-Rod to Boston Marathon Bombers
The Alex Rodriguez media circus has claimed another victim: MLB Network’s Peter Gammons. The venerated baseball writer apologized this week after likening troubled Yankees third-baseman A-Rod to the Boston Marathon bombers.
Gammons was talking with ESPN radio host Mike Lupica earlier this week about Rodriguez’s ongoing drama related to steroids, his contract, and a pending MLB suspension, when he pulled out this analogy [bolded below]:
GAMMONS: I’m not sure I have any answers to it, because it was so crazy. Everybody’s just running after the money, is what it all comes down to.
LUPICA: Peter, what’s the endgame here? Because it’s going to be very hard for them to get this thing into federal court. I keep holding out hope for the good of the sport that there is still a deal to be made on this suspension.
GAMMONS: I don’t know whether—and I’ve had people on the Yankees say this to me. He wants to blow up the world. You know, he’s like the marathon bombers. It’s just, he’s going to get them.
Well-known for being a “class act,” Gammons’ comments stunned many, leading to his profuse apologies plastered all over Twitter:
@awfulannouncing @EliIsELITE And there is awful announcing, mea culpa taking the concept of blowing up the process and mangling it.
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) November 21, 2013
@dianagram @SI_ExtraMustard Stupidly worded comp of blowing up a process. He is owed, and gets my apology for mispeaking
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) November 21, 2013
@craigcalcaterra It was a stupid, poorly worded comp of blowing up a process.Alex would never hurt a human . I hope I haven't hurt him
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) November 21, 2013
Listen to the offending incident below, via Awful Announcing:
[h/t SportsGrid]
