Bengie Molina's Outrage At ESPN Is Slowly Rounding Third

Molina has declared himself unamused by the SportsCenter clip you see here, in which the Giants catcher is lightly mocked for running from second to home like the QE2 steaming into port. This from a guy whose Wikipedia entry calls him slow.

On his blog, Molina harrumphs that "ESPN's intention was not to criticize but to humiliate."

I know I'm a public figure and I just have to take my lumps. But I would like those people at ESPN who, from a safe distance, make fun of players for a cheap laugh, to remember that players are actual people. With wives and mothers and fathers and children and brothers and sisters. My mother saw the clip. She doesn't speak English so she asked Yadier's wife what the announcer was saying. Yadier's wife didn't want to tell her. My mom was pretty upset. She didn't understand why they were making fun of my running when there are so many other things I do every day to help the team win. I told her I didn't understand it, either.

All I can do is play the way I always have - with respect and professionalism. It's shame that ESPN, a once great network, won't have any idea what I'm talking about.

You know who does have an idea? Henry Schulman, the San Francisco Chronicle's Giants beat reporter, who went all for its "inexcusable disrespect":

You, as a Giants fan, have a right to think what you will of Molina's speed, and maybe you threw your hands up in frustration when he couldn't score on a play that results in a run 99.5 percent of the time. That said, for a network that considers itself the worldwide leader, that is a partner of Major League Baseball, such a showing was inexcusable.

(Shame on you, ESPN, the sportswriter says, for not being purely a promotional vehicle for your corporate partners!)

Needless to say, this is all very stupid, and that the world has been laughing at slow catchers for years without somehow shattering their self-esteem. Also, it should probably be noted that this happened a week ago, and Molina is just now getting around to professing his outrage. The guy's slow even to anger.

ESPN's cheap shot [Behind the Mask] ESPN's inexcusable disrespect of Molina [SFGate]