



When the Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East this year, their fans did what most fanbases do when they’re suddenly struck with success after a long time of futility—they release their joy through wacky group moves. This time it’s modeling their mowhawks after the team’s non-official hairdo (even the women… down there). But Evan Longoria, in an interview, professed that their All-Star first baseman and all-around Dominican Carlos Pena shouldn’t have because he’s too clean cut for a Dominican… or something like that. We’re still not sure.
Q: Who on this team should not have gotten a Mohawk, no matter how much a team guy he wanted to be?EL: Well, he still doesn’t have one. Carlos [Pena]. And I told him not to. He asked me multiple times if he should get one. I just don’t think he’ll look good with it. He’s the clean-cut Latin guy on our team. I guess it’s debatable if he’s Latin or not. He is Dominican. I told him not to.
Q: Has he been in the United States “too long” to be considered Latino anymore?
EL: I don’t even look at him as Dominican, and that’s nothing against Dominicans, but he’s been in the States for so long — he went to high school and college here — in the States. He’s very well educated and it’s tough for me to look at him and think he came from the Dominican.
Longoria, who’s of waaaay back Mexican descent which makes his comments even more bewildering. Of course, he’s already apologized for the comments, in Spanish even ! But most importantly, let’s hope his relationship with Eva isn’t hurt by this. That would be sad.
Evan Longoria Apologized Before You Knew He Had To [Shysterball, via Deadspin]
Pide disculpas a dominicanos [ESPN Deportes]
Image [ESPN Deportes]


We do have a scandal right now regarding Dominican baseball academies, right? Where kids get educated in baseball over all other things?
Maybe Longoria’s words are poorly chosen, but he might be revealing just what a lot of MLB players think of guys from the DR, similar to what guys think of big-time college football players in the NFL.
Thoughts?
Posted by Divot Dick | October 14, 2008