So, um, was there anything newsworthy yesterday?
Tribe There’s currently no Cleveland news other than Chief Wahoo news
Decision on Indians’ logo about bigger picture | MLB
Castrovince has an excellent piece on the recent decision to cease the use of Chief Wahoo in 2019. This passage specifically stands out:
And so I’ve always understood the sentimentality associated with Wahoo. I get why people here view the logo as some intrinsic piece of this ballclub’s brand. It’s why many fans will be upset with Major League Baseball’s announcement Monday that the 2018 season will be the last with Chief Wahoo on the Indians’ uniforms.
But the inconvenient reality of sharing a planet with other human beings is that you don’t get to decide what is or what is not offensive to people. And if you divorce yourself even momentarily from the laundry you’ve grown up rooting for, it’s really not difficult to understand why Native American groups would be offended by this exaggerated, unflattering, cartoon portrayal of their people.
Indians’ Chief Wahoo logo Q&A | MLB
Contrary to popular belief (at least popular among Facebook commenters), MLB is not going to raid your house for all Chief Wahoo gear and burn it in front of you. With that being said, I do appreciate this passage:
It seems like MLB forced this change to get the ASG, is that true?
The two are not connected in any way. Our submission for the All-Star Game occurred years in advance of this topic becoming a heated national focus during our postseason run in 2016. The decision was made for us to host the All-Star Game based on our proposal and ability as an organization and community to create a first-class Midsummer Classic in celebration of Major League Baseball.
Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo, from inception to end: A timeline | Cleveland.com
From the contested origin story of the “Indians” moniker to the retirement tour of Chief Wahoo this season, learn all there is to know about the history of the team’s controversial logo.
Cleveland Indians’ owner Paul Dolan said that removing Chief Wahoo is “the hardest decision we’ve had to make during our entire ownership”.
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson cheers Indians’ decision to retire Chief Wahoo | Cleveland.com
A politician showing support for this decision. I’m sure internet message boards will respond to this in a rational, measured way.
Before someone gets upset that Chief Francis is voicing his support of this decision, remember the words of Castrovince from further up this article:
...you don’t get to decide what is or what is not offensive to people...
Non-Chief Wahoo news Around the league
- The Royals get some salary relief and some pitching as they send LGFT Brandon Moss and LHP Ryan Buchter to the Oakland A’s.
- Matt Albers signed a two-year, $5 million dollar contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.
- Got some time this evening? Watch the new MLB Network feature on Tony “Mr. Padre” Gwynn at 5pm tonight.
- And you thought that the removal of Chief Wahoo was the only uniform crisis going on in MLB.
- One more excellent point by Anthony Castrovince:
So if I'm understanding this correctly, the people now talking about boycotting Indians games think seeing the smiley guy on top take the field is more important than seeing the smiley guy on the bottom take the field. pic.twitter.com/Kr5iiCHyxc
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) January 29, 2018