Could you imagine a team winning the World Series and not celebrating with champagne showers in the locker room? I can’t. If it happens, you can blame the Red Sox for ruining recess for everyone as Bob Nightengale of the USA Today reports that the Sox woes have caused the league to consider banning alcohol in clubhouses.
It’s no longer a rumor that the Red Sox pitchers were drinking beer in the locker room during games, John Lester confirmed it. “There’s a perception out there that we were up there getting hammered and that wasn’t the case,” Lester called his “bad habit.”
“Most of the time it was one beer, a beer. It was like having a Coke in terms of how it affected you mentally or physically. I know how it looks to people and that it probably looks bad.”
Somehow I don’t think a doctor would agree with that assessment. There aren’t many jobs in which you can sneak off and drink even a single beer. In fact, baseball might be the only one. Now these actions could cost the rest of the league the celebrations that Major League Baseball has become known for.
You don’t see football players spraying each other with champagne after a Super Bowl win and that’s because despite having 178 beer commercials during a 60 minute game, they have an alcohol ban. Could you imagine baseball following their boring lead?
Oh come now, a beer is no big deal, especially when the pitcher wasn’t scheduled to pitch that day. These guys are built such that one beer won’t affect them. Hell, one beer doesn’t affect most people who are 6′ whatever and 200-some lbs. Just because they are Red Sox players doesn’t mean we need to vilify what they did. It was stupid, and Lester seems to realize that. I also don’t think Lester or anyone else would have connected lounging around with a beer to banning champagne celebrations. Classic MLB overreaction while they don’t react at all to the important controversies.
When Brian Roberts was caught using steroids he told the media that he only used one time. He hasn’t had a healthy season since.
These pitchers might not be scheduled to pitch on the night they drank “one beer,” but starters are always on call. The Orioles had an 18 inning game this year that Jeremy Guthrie was forced to throw a couple innings in around midnight. Good thing he wasn’t drinking on his off day.
If a doctor is on call, or hell even a cashier at Old Navy, and they came in to work having had alcohol they get fired. In baseball that’s ok?
I think most of us could get away with one beer and not be falling off our chairs. I have had co-workers who grabbed a beer during lunch and didn’t wear a lampshade on their heads in the afternoon. I am not saying it was a good or smart idea- even Lester acknowledges that. But it isn’t some huge shocking thing to me. These guys are paid to perform- I don’t think Lester would be stumbling out of the bullpen if he was forced into action in the 17th inning, 5 hours into a game. If the team doesn’t think it makes them look good or isn’t professional, it is on them to stop it. Clearly it wasn’t that important to the Red Sox. Drunk is different than one drink at work, just ask Don Draper.
P.S. I have never had a drink at work because my employer doesn’t allow it. That’s on them- i.e. Boston in this case.
Expatriate – I’m with you! My boss never told me I couldn’t drink on the job. I was just down at the breakroom drinking one beer, well maybe it was two, while on the clock and he fired me! Never told me it was against the rules! It’s HIS fault I got fired! I wasn’t drunk, just drinking on the job and not doing what I was supposed to be doing! I was on break! It’s the company’s fault!
@Expatriate
I don’t know that the company I work for has ever expressly said “no drinking on the job”, but come on, you are putting this thing back on the employer? Are you kidding me? There is a certain decorum that we are all supposed to abide by and it’s not always on the employer because “you didn’t know the rules”. These guys make a very nice living and to expect them to refrain from drinking one beer – which I highly doubt is the case, probably more like 2 or 3 – for a few hours shouldnt be a whole lot to ask. I don’t think it’s just because it’s the Red Sox, although I do find it funny, it’s because a team made a historical collapse and has admitted to more than one discipline problem, which their own city’s paper, the Boston Globe, brought to light. Also, taking part in a music video called “Hell yea, I like Beer” makes the culprits look even more foolish. Not to mention that these guys, especially given the circumstances, should not only have refrained from drinking, but also maybe refrained from gouging on wings and playing video games.
To put this back on the employer is ludicrous. These guys are adults and they knew what was at stake and they continued down a path that may have lead to their team’s demise.
In order to expect someone to follow a rule there needs to be a rule in the first place. It does not follow that Lester and others were breaking a rule when the Red Sox did not have such a rule.
I am not saying it was a good idea, but if you read my comments you would have figured that out. Whatever, have whatever opinion you want.
AGAIN, not a good idea (and not something I would do or ever have done), but the Red Sox should be held accountable for what their employees do on the job.
@Expatriate
It’s called “Personal Accountability” my friend.
Maybe beer in the clubhouse would help the O’s,,,,,,,they couldn’t get any worse……….