Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: The Adam Eaton-Todd Frazier Beef Could Not Be Any More Stupid
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At least it’s over now
When Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton and Mets infielder Todd Frazier started chirping at each other on the field on Monday night, I was excited by the possibility of a rare interpersonal baseball beef. It turned out to be so much less interesting, but more asinine.
In the locker room Monday night after the on-field incident, Eaton went off on Frazier, calling him “childish” and saying he wasn’t surprised the veteran was trying to stir the pot.
Frazier initially refused to elaborate on the incident but did speak about it Tuesday after seeing Eaton’s comments. Even still, he was annoyingly vague, refusing to say anything about the source of their animosity other than that it stemmed from their time together with the White Sox.
“He understands where I’m coming from. He knows the past history,” Frazier told reporters. “He’s going to have to take it, that’s it. I’ve said my piece and I’m done with it now, unless something stirs up. That’s about it.”
Todd Frazier has responded. He called Adam Eaton immature, alluding to an incident when they were teammates with the White Sox.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 21, 2019
Frazier also offered some advice for Eaton: "Pay off your mortgage." pic.twitter.com/TueTLtJVAp
But thanks to a report by Dan Bernstein of 670 The Score in Chicago, we know a little bit about what exactly went wrong and how deeply silly it is.
It all goes back to the equally-stupid controversy over Adam LaRoche’s son, Drake. LaRoche retired during spring training that year after White Sox GM Kenny Williams told LaRoche not to bring 14-year-old Drake to the ballpark so often. The Drake drama divided the White Sox clubhouse, and Eaton was one of the guys on LaRoche’s side, telling 670 The Score at the time that the team “lost a leader in Drake.”
At the same time, according to Bernstein, Eaton was trying to assert himself as a team leader, attempting to fill the void left by the departure of Jimmy Rollins. “Frazier, who just happened to have the locker next door, called out Eaton for being a phony and made it clear that he lacked the standing in that room to be taken seriously as a leader,” Bernstein writes.
To defuse the tension, Eaton’s locker was moved away from Frazier’s. This is where Bernstein adds a detail that should tell you who’s right and who’s wrong in this case:
“Perhaps the best part is that Eaton claimed that he had actually wanted to move lockers the whole time, because its proximity to the doorway to the dugout tunnel made him ‘too cold.’”
If Eaton, who was a better player and had been with the team since 2014, was the one who had to move his stuff and not the guy who had just been acquired in December, it’s clear how people felt about Eaton. Just ask Ozzie Guillen, who got involved to tell Eaton “nobody liked you” in Chicago.
.@OzzieGuillen on the Frazier vs. Eaton soap opera 👀 pic.twitter.com/4htPcmrQEm
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) May 22, 2019
Mercifully, this idiotic feud appears to have run its course. The two spoke at length on the field before Tuesday’s game and seemed to bury the hatchet.
So that’s that.
The Stanley Cup Final is set
The Blues drubbed the Sharks, 5–1, to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1970. They’ll face the Bruins, starting on Monday. St. Louis’s last Final appearance was also against Boston, when this happened:
May 10,1970. The last time St Louis met Boston in the SCF.#StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/PboHZM7ADf
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) May 22, 2019
The best of SI
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Around the sports world
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Note the fan they had to blur
After making the final out in right field in the sixth inning, Bryce Harper trolls Cubs fans and LAUNCHED the ball out of Wrigley Field and on to the rooftop. 😂 pic.twitter.com/31Yec16lGe
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 22, 2019
Kinda creepy, Drake
Aaron Rodgers went on a rant about the end of Game of Thrones
This is a guy who could barely throw 80 when he retired two years ago
Never a dull moment at the @NorthRanchCC member guest! Great group of guys...my guy Mike Liberthal behind the plate in full gear 😂 love it #minifrathouse pic.twitter.com/rtx6rq1LGi
— Jered Weaver (@Weave1036) May 21, 2019
Hitting big league pitching his hard.
Major props to Alex Bregman for speaking Spanish with his Latino teammates
The old gluteal goal
An incredible goal, no butts about it 😂
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 21, 2019
(via @Travis_Chinn / KMEG) pic.twitter.com/1cFdPqTC8U
Hmm... no.
Leonsis says he believes that in 10 years an NBA 2K League player will become better known and better paid than LeBron James is today!
— Bob Williams (@WilliamsBob75) May 21, 2019
Always bring snacks
Tim Herron may have the best staff bag on tour. Guaranteed only one with a designated deli meats pouch. pic.twitter.com/Me7ZXDOvxa
— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) May 21, 2019
Not sports
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The “horns down” at the end is a nice touch
This man is now the Governor of Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/ZzhlxXzzWm
— Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) May 21, 2019
Comedian discovers Spanish-speaking comic stole a bunch of his jokes
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
A good song
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