The Alex Rios Video
Alex Rios is having a bad year and on Thursday night it just got worse. Coming out of a charity event at the ROM, Rios couldn't hold back from unleashing a string of profanities on a group nearby, one of whom initially took the Blue Jays right fielder to task for not signing an autograph for a young fan.
Rios, who hasn't come close to delivering on the huge contract he signed a couple of years ago, just can't seem to hold it together these days on or off the field. He struck out five times on Thursday before the ROM event and is 1 for 7 since.
Yesterday, after the video made its rounds on the internets, Rios offered an apology, telling the National Post "That could give me a bad image. It's not the person I am. I just lost my cool."
Over at Deadspin, Dashiell Bennett gives us all a bit of perspective and takes the heckling fan to task when he writes:
Sure, Rios lost his cool and called you a "fucking idiot," but you kind of are. When you're in the stadium do whatever you want, but when you pull stuff like this on the street, now you're the asshole. So he didn't sign an autograph for a kid? Big deal. The kid needs to learn at an early age that collecting autographs of mediocre middle outfielders is a pointless and highly non-lucrative pursuit. The boy should be home playing video games or racing chickens on horseback anyway.
Also: See 70 comments and counting at Drunk Jays Fans.
Comments (16)
rios isn't having a bad year stats-wise; he's in the top 5 in all major stat categories. i don't see his year 'getting worse' because he decided to be a private citizen and attempt to enjoy an evening on the town doing his thing.
tough call on the refusal to sign a kid's autograph as it takes about 5 seconds to do - but for someone who probably gets 5000 kids coming up to him on a daily basis - maybe just this once he wanted to take a break?
the kid will be fine... not so sure about the butthurt adult though, his dreams appear to be crushed.
5000 kids a day? lucky if it's 5. He was 50 feet from the entrance and there was only one kid, he then proceeded to use fowl language, what a great role model for a young boy. Guy is a classless clown, he was called out by a fan for refusing to sign an autograph - and deservedly so. When you're a ball player, getting paid millions of dollars to play a f*cking game I don't feel bad for you because you have to make a child's day by writing your name down on a piece of paper. And if you act like a pompous ass, guess what, you deserve to be called out. Who ever sticks up for him going forward, are either moronic rios fans or someone from Alex Rios' camp trying to smooth things over, because there's absolutely no excuse for this.
And who the f*ck is Dashiel Bennett? This kid wants an autograph because he's a fan, not because it's a lucrative transaction that will one day be worth money on eBay. Yeah, it's best to encourage kids to play video games rather than being out in the real world. You're the f*cking biggest idiot amongst the bunch.
digging up the old 'they make millions of dollars so i don't feel bad for them' argument is weak and neither here nor there. if someone makes more money than you do and you feel that makes them open season for being heckled in public, you just might be a jealous prick; the typical 'if _I_ had their money I would be way nicer and do great things' case of a person who never has to back up their words.
as far as your passionate, way over the top conspiracy theory that rios is sending henchmen to a local blog to play public relations - what?
in a way i'm sorta glad the kid _didn't_ get the autograph, because now he's got a way more entertaining anecdote for years to come about how some Hero acted like an ass over something relatively innocuous. was the kid disappointed? i'm sure he was, but i don't see him or his family members turning into self-entitled nitwits over it.
the next time you think someone making more money than another should stop every time a ball or a program is shoved in his face, think of all the homeless folks you ignore on your way to starbucks.
The initial hackling was edited out. That is, Rios walks out, there's a bunch of guys heckling him immediately while filming it, trying to get a rise from him... and one kid who wants his autograph. They edited it to make it look like the heckling was a response to his blowing off the kid, but the hecklers were there to bash him for his day's performance, the kid just happened to be there.
That dude heckling Rios is loser.
And what's with the "you forget where you come from" comment?
I do not care how the film was edited. He is getting paid millions of dollars to represent the team and city in a respectable manner. What a disgrace! I have run into Alex a few times on the club circuit, and have seen him completely loaded the night before a game. Complete immaturity. Btw, he is not leading the league in any offensive categories, except maybe strikeouts!He consistently has underperformed from year to year since the big contract. Just another athlete that gets paid big bucks and then decides to cash his check without putting in the work. He should have responded to the hecklers by agreeing with their criticism. They were all valid! What a loser.
what, you think he strikes out because he wants to? i doubt there is anyone more disappointed about alex rios' recent performance than alex rios himself.
sure, he could have given the kid an autograph, but that is no excuse to heckle someone out in public. he should have agreed with their criticism? i think his overt disagreement to the heckling just goes to show that it affects him and he does care about how he plays. it's way easier for you to say "oh you have this big contract so go hit more home runs!" maybe you should call up gene tenace and offer him some insight as to how alex could do better at the plate... also give terry francona a call while you're at it, david ortiz needs some help too.
Imagine if the general public decided to criticize you day in day out about how you do your job? You think you'd be happy? You think it would be tolerable to have every tom, dick and harry scrutinize your spreadsheets, criticize your photoshop skills or tell you how to do your accounting better? Throw that "they make millions..." bullshit out the window because it has nothing to do with that. Alex Rios isn't a publicly traded company. He doesn't answer to you. In fact, I think a lot of pro-athletes exercise a great deal of restraint when it comes to heckling because at the end of the day, neither you or I - or any arm-chair quarterback for that matter - could do Alex Rios' job. Ever.
You and I though? There's a million and one people that could probably actually do our job and better.
Politicians get heckled and criticised all day, as do bus drivers, cops, receptionists, fast food workers, retail. The list is larger I am sure. Yet none of these people could get away with acting like Rios did and, aside from politicians, none of them are "publicly traded companies".
Rios does have to answer to the fans since they ultimately pay his wage. And why is it irrelevant as to the size of his salary? If a large amount of money for a service and it is delivered poorly does that not justify complaint? If you get paid millions to represent a team and city I think you are beholden to act in a more civil manner and that includes giving autographs. At the very least, if he does sign thousands of items a day, he could apologize to the kid and move on, not ignore him like he is a panhandler.
So what if no one could hit or catch a ball as well as a pro athlete? It's a pointless life skill in reality anyway, like saying I can write my name in the snow with my urine better than anyone else. Just because morons build a league and pay millions so some other morons can get all excited over bullshit games that mean nothing doesn't make the athletes better than anyone else - just richer.
I am more impressed with a man or woman who makes so much money and has fame who can make time for a little kid with stars in his eyes. Comparing that to someone walking by a bum and not giving change to someone who probably could get off their ass and work, as I'm so high did is specious at best.
Alex Rios is the poster child for why teams should not give out multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts. His attitude seemed to chage the moment he struck it rich.
This is a guy who has all the skill and talent a baseball player could want, but looks like he couldn't give a crap out there.
His original response to the heckling says it all....he might as well have said "Who cares....I'm getting paid....tell it to someone who cares....I'm set for life, no matter how crap I play."
Watch him on the field....I have never seen a guy with so much talent strike out so easily, or run the bases so poorly.....his head ain't in it...he has no focus.
They should trade him for however many cents on the dollar they can get! I guess the Lincecum for Rios trade is a pipe dream now....too bad.
Politicians get heckled and criticized about their work because they directly serve the public - they answer to us. Players don't serve the public, they serve the team which ultimately fans support. If you don't like the team/company or it's representatives/players, then you are not obligate to support them. Likewise, they (the organization or players) are by no means obligated to placate you or I. Is it their best interest for the sake of publicity to be likeable? Maybe.
Also just because bus drivers, cops, receptionists, and food workers get heckled doesn't mean they like it. It also doesn't mean that it won't cause some sort of provocation amongst them. But you are right, I've never heard of a cop beat the shit out of someone in frustration, a fast food worker spit on someones burger because they were berated, a bus driver deny a fare because he's in a bad mood or a receptionist answer the phone rudely because she out of sorts. Nope. that shit never happens.
nic, i only ever want to read your answers on this shit. hilarious.
"But you are right, I've never heard of a cop beat the shit out of someone in frustration, a fast food worker spit on someones burger because they were berated, a bus driver deny a fare because he's in a bad mood or a receptionist answer the phone rudely because she out of sorts. Nope. that shit never happens."
HAHAHA!
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