Stephen A. Smith: Shohei Ohtani ‘harming’ baseball because he ‘doesn’t speak English’

New York Post ^ | 7/12/2021 | By Jared Greenspan

[NohSpinZone]

Shohei Ohtani has 33 home runs and a 3.49 ERA, but Stephen A. Smith believes the Angels’ two-way star is detrimental to Major League Baseball.

During Monday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” the show’s host, Molly Qerim, asked Smith and Max Kellerman if “it’s good for Major League Baseball that Ohtani is the top attraction.” In response, Smith answered “not to me,” reasoning that Ohtani’s use of a Japanese interpreter diminishes the sport’s popularity domestically.

“The fact that you got a foreign player that doesn’t speak English, that needs an interpreter, believe it or not, I think contributes to harming the game to some degree, when that’s your box-office appeal,” said Smith, who is paid a reported $12 million annually to share his opinions with the ESPN audience. “It needs to be somebody like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, those guys. Unfortunately at this moment in time, that’s not the case.

[stevem]

MLB is committing suicide down the woke path. Look to the commissioner. He only speaks The Soros tongue.

[Magnum44]

[dfwgator]

I note how foreign athletes seem to respect our flag and anthem more than our homegrown athletes do. Usain Bolt was one example that comes to mind, when he stopped his interview while the Star Spangled Banner was playing.

[lodi90]

What a bigoted thing to say. Somebody needs to hand Stephen A. a white hood.

[chajin]

I gave up MLB when it went anti-Trump, but this guy is an idiot. We’ve had non-English-speaking players for at least the last four decades, and half the English speakers couldn’t speak English either. It’s what’s on the field that matters, not what’s on the mic.

[SoCal Pubbie]

I guess Smith never heard of Fernando Valenzuela.

[pnz1]

Is he the only player that doesn’t speak English?

[dfwgator]

I suspect what Smith really can’t stand is that white people like Ohtani.

[ocrp1982]

Democrats seem to have developed a deep disdain for Orientals. Attempting to discriminate against them in college/university admissions and now in sports.

[Verginius Rufus]

Has Smith attacked Latin American baseball players who spoke little or no English?

How do you say "Beisbol has been berry berry good to me" in Japanese?

[NohSpinZone]

Way longer than that, actually. There’s a famous story about Richie Ashburn from the ‘60s and how he’d collide with a Venezuelan shortstop until he learned that “Yo la tengo” meant “I got it”.

https://shibevintagesports.com/blogs/news/17995728-richie-ashburn-is-the-inspiration-for-the-band-name-yo-la-tengo

[StAnDeliver]

Hideki Matsuyama's English is shaky, at best, but I would have put the green jacket on him myself. He's good for the sport.

Stephen A Flapalip knows he can get away with it, it's intentional clickbait. He saw what ESPN did to Kenny Mayne (cruel!), and Flapalip knows he's on his last contract at Disney, so he be advertisin' da hooptdy for either Fox or CBS/Viacom.

[llevrok]

Well, we could always legislate that English is the national language. (and before Mexican is declared an option)

[chajin]

Usain Bolt was one example that comes to mind

Look at that mango!

[windsorknot]

I think we know what the A. stands for, Stephen.

[dfwgator]

I never forgave Chico for writing “Bad Stuff ‘Bout the Mets”

[Responsibility2nd]

[mac_truck]

Steve Smith is simping for Barry Bonds.

[chajin]

There’s a famous story about Richie Ashburn from the ‘60s and how he’d collide with a Venezuelan shortstop until he learned that “Yo la tengo” meant “I got it”.

I grew up with Ashburn and By Saam, I shudda remembered that

[NohSpinZone]

I don’t know if the story is a yarn but it’s a great story. He avoided colliding with the Venezuelan with “yo la tengo” but then ran into outfielder from Pittsburgh!