Now that the kerfuffle referenced in the headline is settled, I thought I’d weigh in on it.
As you know, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong got into it with a White Sox fan during Sunday’s game> it happened after PCA just missed a spectacular catch in center field and sat on the field for a few moments, in his words, “processing” that he had missed it.
That’s when the Sox fan started in on PCA. I’m not going to get into the details of it; you can read those in this Sun-Times article, which also
has a social media post embedded with the video — and the video is why we even know about this.
Now, let’s make it clear right up front. PCA should not have done that, period, end of story. As someone who is at every Cubs home game, and I was at the games on the South Side too, there are hecklers pretty much all the time. Most of what they yell at players is way too far away to be heard. Sometimes the player does hear it and the bigger man just walks away. It’s dumb stuff. Trash talk. There’s no reason for a player to engage with a fan in that way, and especially not using the words PCA did.
Late Monday, PCA told reporters he “regretted” his choice of words:
“I think I just regret my choice of words the most,” Crow-Armstrong said, “and who that affects in my life directly and indirectly. I don’t think that any of the women in my life would ever think that I would use those kinds of words regularly, especially referring to them. So, I’m just bummed out about the word choice, and that a bunch of little kids go and probably find their way to social media and see that as well.
“But, I am intense on the field and in a moment like that, I just let it get away from me a little bit.”
There’s no question that PCA plays the game with intensity. And when directed to his actual play on the field, you absolutely want that. Directed at a fan in that way? With those words? Uh, no.
Some might say that’s not an apology. I think it is, it feels more genuine that some of the corporate-speak “apologies” we sometimes hear from professional athletes that sound more like “I’m sorry I got caught.” It’s not necessarily wrong for players to interact with fans — but as I said, with those words? Nope.
Manager Craig Counsell clearly had a talk with his young center fielder:
“I think Pete made a mistake with his choice of words,” Counsell said. “I think he’s aware of that. And that’s it. He made a mistake and we’ve got to move on from it. It’s a reality of this job. It happens. Fan interactions happen. You want to try to keep them positive, even when they’re not. Sometimes, when it’s a really emotional situation, it’s difficult. But, it’s still a requirement of the job.”
Counsell added that, while Crow-Armstrong should have handled the situation in a different manner, the center fielder should not shy away from playing with emotion. That is part of the reason the budding star has quickly blossomed into a favorite among Cubs fans.
“He’s an emotional player – we’ve discussed that a lot,” Counsell said. “And I’ve said consistently, I think that’s a good thing. It’ll improve and it’ll be kind of pointed in the right direction better as he gains experience. But, it’s important for him and he needs it. And we love it. We love a lot of it. But, there’s also going to be learning moments from it.”
That’s exactly right, in my view. A professional athlete must remain… well, professional, when interacting with a fan. And Counsell is also correct in calling this a “learning moment.” I would imagine that he and perhaps some of his teammates had a long talk with PCA about this incident and I hope that something like this will never happen again. And, from that MLB.com link, he’s indicated as much:
“I don’t want to let that deter me from the competitiveness that I feel out on the field,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think channeling it in a different way would probably be my next task. That’s something I should be aware of at all times, that there will be cameras and such on me.
“I’m not always going to let stuff like that fly, either. It’s just about being a little more respectful and maybe killing somebody with kindness instead of matching their level of intent.”
Keep your competitiveness and intensity, Pete. It’s why Cubs fans love you and why you have been successful on the field. Just be respectful — to everyone.
I hope the lesson has been learned. And now, let’s have PCA and the Cubs get back to the business of winning baseball.
