Davidi on Escobar: Tepid reaction from fans

TORONTO – There were no torches and pitchforks waiting for Yunel Escobar on Thursday upon returning to the Rogers Centre for the first time since his suspension for taking the field with a homophobic slur, just mostly indifference from fans toward the Toronto Blue Jays shortstop.

Mild boos greeted him during the pre-game introductions and again when he stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the first inning. In comparison, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez got crushed simply for being A-Rod, so people definitely had some venom in the tank.

That tepid reaction is not necessarily a bad thing as Escobar is paying his penance, and doesn’t deserve to be punished in perpetuity for the stupid and senseless act of wearing an anti-gay slogan on his eye-black during a Sept. 15 game against the Boston Red Sox, provided he continues to make amends.

Prior to taking the field Thursday, he did exactly that.

For about 45 minutes in the Blue Jays’ executive offices, Escobar met with Patrick Burke, president and co-founder of You Can Play, and Jose Estevez, a 19-year-old long-distance runner at Boston College who came out to his teammates six or seven months ago.

They discussed the inadvertent hurt Escobar caused, why it was important to choose his words more carefully in the machismo-charged realm of the clubhouse, and how he could help.

“He’s really sorry for what he did and I felt the sincerity when I was talking to him, so I think he has changed,” said Estevez, who shares Cuban descent with Escobar and grew up near where the 29-year-old lives in Miami. “I feel like we really made some progress today with his feelings toward the whole issue.”

Added Burke, whose organization promotes tolerant environments for gay athletes: “I think there was a genuine and legitimate change of heart.”

The experience of athletes like Estevez is sure to sway the hearts and minds of all but those who are truly bigoted, and while Escobar displayed insensitivity and remarkably poor judgment, he is not among them.

Before he came out, Estevez would routinely hear homophobic slurs in the locker-room, and felt compelled to hide his identity for fear of being ostracized if his sexual orientation became known. Eventually, however, suppressing who he is became too difficult.

“I couldn’t take it anymore, I needed to tell them, I needed to get it off my chest,” he said. “It was such a weight off my shoulders to know my team was accepting and loving of me.

“I know what it felt like to be in the closet for so long, all the pain and the struggle you go through, and I really felt like if you can eliminate that factor in the locker-room, it makes it a lot easier for kids my age, younger or older to come out.”

If that message truly resonates with Escobar, than some good has come of this, but for there to really be an effect, the Blue Jays must take action, as well.

The team issued a three-game suspension to Escobar word of the incident broke last week – a compromise number negotiated along with Major League Baseball and the players association – and while some derided it as light, consider that Detroit Tigers outfielder Delmon Young got seven games earlier this year after being arrested for allegedly yelling anti-Semitic slurs and attacking a group of tourists.

Rather than being aimed at anyone specifically, Escobar’s act seems legitimately borne out of ignorance and GM Alex Anthopoulos has made a point of saying how players need to be better educated on the matter.

Burke intends to hold the Blue Jays to that.

“The Jays were embarrassed by what happened,” he said. “That’s not how they want the city of Toronto to see them, and they’re making long-term commitments and talking to us about finding ways that they cannot just whitewash this, not just do a PR stunt tonight to make everything fine, but long-term productive ways to be involved.”

What those ways are have yet to be determined, but Burke says he’s approached Major League Baseball about addressing some rookie symposiums, and that he and others in the LGBT community have come up with ideas both big and small for the Blue Jays.

As for Escobar, Burke says they plan to give him a bit of break and reconnect with him and the team during the winter and into spring training.

Escobar may not have been booed as mercilessly as some expected, but his reputation has taken a hit, the distraction he created has annoyed the clubhouse and his future with the club, already in doubt with the emergence of shortstop prospect Adeiny Hechavarria, is far from certain.

That’s all part of the price he’s paying, too.

“My guess is he’s going to get booed,” Burke said before the game. “I hope he doesn’t because after meeting him, I like Yunel, he did a stupid thing but I think he’s learned from it. Like all of us do at You Can Play, I hope the fans of Toronto are willing to give him a second chance.

“Just a second chance, if there’s a third chance then we’ll be booing him, too.”

That’s the new level of accountability now for Escobar, one he must live up to.