It’s taken a life of its own. Perhaps there are some Mets fans out there who know what the hell I’m talking about, but for those who don’t, here’s the situation in a nutshell. This past weekend, during a live broadcast of a Mets/Padres game on Sports Net New York (SNY, the Mets’ regional network), color commentator Keith Hernandez made some inappropriate comments. Hernandez, perhaps best known for his role as Elaine’s boyfriend in the third season of “Seinfeld,” noticed something very peculiar during Saturday’s game. It was “military day” for the Padres, and all members of the Padres’ staff (players, coaches, trainers, whatever) wore camouflage uniforms to honor our fighting men and women. One trainer, a “massage therapist” named Kelly Calabrese (a female, gasp!), was picked up by the camera hanging around the dugout celebrating a big play or whatever the hell people do when the Padres actually do well. She was wearing a Padres camo uniform as well.
Keith Hernandez, a consummate professional, remarked, “Women don’t belong in the dugout,” after which his broadcast partner tried to cover up such comments. Keith went on and on, apparently appalled that a penis-less person had any business anywhere near America’s pastime. Every time the poor lady was on camera, Keith would bring up obscure MLB rules regarding the personnell allowed on the bench, as if that justified his sexist remarks.
Obviously, Mr. Hernandez comes from an old-school baseball background, where gender equality wasn’t as big of a deal. In today’s game, and in this day and age, where any offbeat comment can be subject to scrutiny, Keith’s comments are simply inappropriate in the eyes of today’s viewing public, and subject to the infinite scrutiny of the media, the worst being the New York sports media.
Hernandez, the father of three daughters, most likely does not feel like women need to be subjugated to the kitchen, barefoot and popping out babies. He was obviously shocked by the presence of a woman and, taken by surprise, he spouted one of the oldest adages in the book. The notion of “women in the kitchen” isn’t a new one. While it’s completely outdated and biased, it’s still on the tip of any jokester’s tongue when a woman is seen in a setting not usually associated with her gender.
The man obviously felt bad, but unfortunately, tried to cover it up with another joke. “You know I love the ladies,” said Hernandez on the air.
It doesn’t end. Interviewed by members of the SNY network and reporters for the Daily News, Hernandez apologized, but was still met with an unending battery of questions from muckraking reporters. Hernandez himself had to keep reminding the hosts of what the issue was, constantly pointing out he made inappropriate comments.
The kicker was when the woman herself, Kelly Calabrese, fielded questions. She started the conversation with, “Keith called and apologized to me himself, and I have nothing left to do but accept.” That wasn’t enough for the ravenous media. Questions about how it sets back male/female relations followed, plus questions about her credentials and her official title. Does it matter if she’s a masseuse or a massage therapist? The woman deals with athletes and their physical well-being. Let her be. The camera caught her, and Keith Hernandez said something he would regret. End of story. He apologized directly to her, and then apologized to the viewing audience.
Looking for a big story, everyone in the media jumped on Keith Hernandez’s comments. They disregarded his apology, disregarded the fact that the woman in question accepted the apology and obviously wanted to move past the whole situation and made it bigger than it had to be. Shame on you, people. A man with 2,182 career hits, 11 Gold Gloves and a starring role in a special two-part “Seinfeld” doesn’t deserve this crap. The man is only human: let his mistake blow over so we can all focus on the President’s shortcomings once again.