MLB 'investigating' Blue Jays' Kevin Pillar for violating the Ministry of Sensitivity's speech code

Have you ever played sports? Or been around sports? Have you even gotten close enough to hear the chatter that goes on? If everything that's said on the field of play was investigated for propriety, well, you'd have a permanent full-employment plan for investigators. Much of it is crude. Some of it is angry. Most of it is quickly forgotten because it's in the heat of the moment, and it's almost never personal. That doesn't mean it never crosses lines, or that players don't sometimes regret their words. But for the most part, what's said on the field is dealt with on the field, and it rarely sparks anything more than a few words in response because participants understand it's wise not to turn mere words into some sort of war. But this is 2017, and certain societal groups are out for scalps. Right now, they're out for the scalp of Kevin Pillar. What did he do? Well:

So are we just going to pretend that @KPILLAR4 didn't initiate all this by yelling a gay slur? Better step up on this one, @MLB. pic.twitter.com/8bB3xijtCu

— Dr. B (@BlakeTheRxGuy) May 18, 2017

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Braves pitcher Jason Motte "quick-pitched" Pillar

Apparently Braves pitcher Jason Motte "quick-pitched" Pillar, which is to say he threw the pitch before Pillar was really ready in the batter's box. It's a frowned-upon move but it's not illegal and occasionally pitchers can get a swing-and-miss out of a surprised hitter. In this case, Motte got a strikeout, which elicited what lip-readers seem to think was the word "#" out of Pillar's mouth. As far as I know, Motte is not gay, nor would you expect Pillar's use of the word indicates he is. In case it's been awhile since you were in eighth grade (and it certainly has been in my case), that is a widely used word - especially by adolescent boys - to land a verbal blow on another kid. Often the fact that the kid is not gay is exactly why it's such a stinging comment. But it's also stupid, juvenile and hardly worth the time to analyze. You'd think a grown man who's a major league baseball player would be too mature to use it, but when you're really pissed off, you'd be surprised what might come out of your mouth. That said, what's with the demand by people like "Dr. B" that MLB had "better step up on this one"? What exactly is that supposed to mean? If Pillar had called Motte an a**hole instead of a #, would anyone need to "step up"? What are they supposed to do? Terminate his contract and send him off to join Pete Rose in Banville? Homosexuals have decided that they need to be a specially protected class, like racial minorities, and that any use of a word that offends them must result in the utterer of that word being severely sanctioned as an example to anyone else who might dare violate the speech code of the Ministry of Sensitivity. And make no mistake: Gay activists are not upset that Pillar used this word or that people will hear about it. They're thrilled. They want everyone to hear about it because they can use it to claim they are the victims of widespread discrimination and need special protection.

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Let's dispense with this notion that racial minorities and homosexuals are two sides of the same coin

And let's dispense with this notion that racial minorities and homosexuals are two sides of the same coin. Your skin color is what you look like. It's of no importance. Homosexuality is behavior you engage in. These two things are not the same. That said, MLB has already announced an "investigation" of the matter, which pretty much guarantees the overreaction gay activists will demand:

Closeup replays of the incident involving Pillar have led to calls for a suspension of the Jays centre fielder with suggestions he may have uttered a homophobic slur. Pillar was certainly rattled by the incident after Wednesday’s game and profuse in his apology, though not specific about the details. “It was immature, it was stupid, it was uncalled for,” Pillar said about the altercation that seemed to begin with him objecting to a quick pitch, but also included at minimum words for Braves pitcher Jason Motte. “It’s part of the game game, it’s just I’m a competitive guy and (it was) heat of the moment. “Obviously I’m going to do whatever I’ve got to do to reach out and apologize and let him know he didn’t do anything wrong. It was all me.” Pillar went on to say that he was frustrated by the Jays recent skid after the team seemed to turn fortunes in the right direction with a five-game winning streak.

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It’s worth pointing out that when Pillar referred to it being “part of the game” he was talking about the emotions involved. Whatever led to the outburst, the quick-tempered Pillar says he hopes to better control himself in the future. “It’s not a good look for me, it’s not a good look for our team and it’s something that happens when you’re competitive,” Pillar said. “You do your best to reach out to the other side, tell them that you’re sorry and you try to move on from it."

If MLB suspends Pillar for this, it will be nothing more than a knee-jerk based on fear. He should not have said it and he knows that, but everyone know it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing and he's apologized profusely for it. Punishing him now, when any one of 100 other pejoratives would have brought no sanction at all, would simply be a way of affirming that gay activists have unlimited power to bring the hammer down on anyone who - in their opinion - steps out of line. A baseball diamond is no place for the strict enforcement of political correctness. Then again, no place is.

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