Astros CF Carlos Gomez is off to a miserable start this season, as is his last-place Houston ballclub. However, it’s Gomez that was singled out by the Houston Chronicle’s Brian T. Smith on Thursday, suggesting the flamboyant 2015 acquisition needs to dial down the “sexy” (“we’ve witnessed the dabs, team-first taunts and me-first prancing all across the field”), but a quote from a seemingly contrite Gomez struck (at least) one observer as poorly handled on the journalist’s part :
“For the last year and this year, I not really do much for this team. The fans be angry. They be disappointed,” said Gomez as he roamed center field against the team with which he spent 2008-09.
Hardball Talk’s Craig Calcaterra scanned the confession above and declared, “it’s hard to escape the conclusion that the quote’s imperfect English fits satisfyingly into a column designed to rip Gomez and that it’s going to play right into stereotyping a certain sort of reader who has just HAD it with those allegedly lazy, entitled Latino players likes to engage in.”
For the record, its not uncommon for other players whose grammar is less than perfect to get [the bracket treatment] to make the mistakes less noticeable. Or, if the quote is less than clear or enlightening, to get the paraphrasing treatment and have his sentiment conveyed in keeping with the intent of the sentiment. I guess Gomez doesn’t get that treatment.