The stupidity of some people astounds me sometimes. Tell them not to do something, and what do they do, the exact opposite.
The Indians’ starting rotation has carried them through the first
three weeks of the season, as the offense continues to search for some
momentum. But now, the club will be without two of its starting pitchers
over the next few days due to violation of team protocols.
After the team sent Zach Plesac home early from Chicago on Sunday because he went out with friends on Saturday night, the club learned that Mike Clevinger
also broke team rules and will now miss his start against the Cubs on
Tuesday. Prior to the game, the Tribe placed both right-handers on the
restricted list, replacing them with outfielder Tyler Naquin and lefty Logan Allen on the 28-man roster.
“This one kind of hurts,” Indians manager
Terry Francona said. “And we talked about it as a team even today. We’ll
deal with it like we always do. We care about each other. It doesn’t
mean you don’t get disappointed with each other or even mad at each
other sometimes. But what I care about is making it better. Not being
vindictive, just trying to figure out how do we make this better so it
doesn’t happen again. The players will have a lot to say about this.
Taking ownership of what we’re doing is really important.”
Both Clevinger and Plesac will
self-quarantine for three days and will begin undergoing precautionary
COVID-19 testing on Wednesday. The two can be activated off the
restricted list at any time and they will receive pay and service time
while away from the team. Indians president of baseball operations Chris
Antonetti said he did not want to divulge whether the two hurlers will
face any further penalties for their actions.
“The actions we took were not mandated by
anyone,” Antonetti said. “They were choices we made organizationally. We
have no reason to believe either Zach or Mike were around a
COVID-positive individual. So there are no additional actions that are
warranted or required.
"As I said, we chose to take the actions that
we did because while we don't know whether they were exposed to a
COVID-positive individual, we felt their behaviors did violate our code
of conduct and agreed upon protocols.”
The Indians understand that the two going out
in Chicago does not mean that they contracted the virus, but they were
proactive in sending Plesac home via car immediately Sunday morning when
they received the news. However, they did not learn that Clevinger was
also out Saturday night until Monday afternoon, and the righty boarded
the plane with the rest of his squad -- including Carlos Carrasco, who's
considered "high-risk" after his battle with leukemia last year --
Sunday night.
“I have had a chance to talk to Carlos and a
number of other members of our team,” Antonetti said. “I'll keep the
specifics of those conversations private, but I shared with them the
same thing I'm sharing with you … these protocols are important, they're
there for a reason and [we'll] try to do the best we can to keep each
other safe and healthy. And that as an organization we will continue to
prioritize the health and wellness of our staff and players and take
actions that are consistent with that.”
Later Tuesday evening, Clevinger released the following statement:
“There is an implicit trust that each of my
teammates share as we navigate a season during this pandemic, and I
broke that trust,” Clevinger said. “In Chicago, I made the mistake of
violating the protocols but the biggest mistake of all was not
immediately coming clean to my teammates. I owe them better. I now
realize that by even exposing myself to just one person more than
necessary, I am putting myself, my teammates, the guys I compete
against, the umpires, the staff, the Indians organization as well as the
game that I love at risk.
“There is no excuse for my actions, and I can
only take responsibility and learn from my mistakes. Moving forward, I
promise my actions will reflect a full understanding of the protocols
set in place while I continue my passion for competing for the
incredible Indians’ fans and the city that I adore.”
Logistically, Clevinger and Plesac would need
just one negative COVID-19 test to be allowed to rejoin the Tribe;
however, the club is still debating whether they’d want them to be
tested again on Thursday to be extra cautious.
“What I would say is [this] reinforces for us
as an organization that the health and wellness of our players and
staff is of paramount importance to us,” Antonetti said, “and we’ll
continue to let that guiding principle govern how we act moving forward.
I do think it’s important to note, the vast majority of our group have
done a tremendous job and have embraced the responsibilities not only to
themselves, but to each other, to keep everybody healthy.”
The Tribe held a team meeting prior to
Tuesday’s contest to go over what transpired over the weekend. Francisco
Lindor said that he thought it was best for him to just listen to
understand the situation before saying anything in front of the team,
but the shortstop has already begun reflecting on his thoughts.
“At the end of the day, we have to sit and
look ourselves in the mirror,” Lindor said. “And it’s not about the
person you see in the mirror, it’s about who’s behind you, the other
people. … We’re in a time right now with COVID-19, with racism,
everything. This is a time to be selfless. This is when we have to sit
back and understand this is not about one person specifically. It’s
about everybody. You have to go out there and understand that it’s about
your neighbor and your neighbor’s neighbors.”
Well, there you have it, two little Indians jumping on the bed, one fell off and broke up the team, then two Indians fell off the bed, and broke the franchise's heart.
Boy what I wouldn't give to be in the Cleveland clubhouse when these two bozos return.
