Ryan Helsley is my MLBoyfriend of the week because he had the courage to speak out against racism. I worked on this post for about half an hour, and realized I was going to bury the lede way too deeply.* So, let me put this upfront, Ryan Helsley, a member of the Cherokee Nation, got my attention and won my heart when he had this to say about the Atlanta Braves' horrible "Tomhawk Chop":
“I think it’s a misrepresentation of the Cherokee people or Native Americans in general. [It] just depicts them in this kind of caveman-type people way who aren’t intellectual. They are a lot more than that. It’s not me being offended by the whole mascot thing. It’s not. It’s about the misconception of us, the Native Americans, and it devalues us and how we’re perceived in that way, or used as mascots. The Redskins and stuff like that. ...That’s the disappointing part. That stuff like this still goes on. It’s just disrespectful, I think.”
Ryan Helsley is a rookie who just played his first postseason game. He showed a lot of strength and civility in what has to be a both a very exciting and stressful time. That makes his stand all the more impressive.
Congratulations, Ryan Helsey! You are my MLBoyfriend. Before this season began, I said I would keep an eye out for "My Ethical MLBoyfriend", and you definitely fit the bill. Plus, you're super cute.
I am happy to report that I was wrong. Ryan Helsey's criticism has actually caused the Atlanta organization to make some positive changes.
The St. Louis Dispatch has a headline that I really wasn't expecting to see: "No foam tomahawks on seats at Braves ballpark after comments by Cards' Helsley; other changes expected". Is the "Tomahawk Chop" gone forever? Absolutely not. Is this a pretty big step in the right direction? Absolutely.
Congratulations, Ryan Helsley! You've had a very good week so far. On Monday you were named my MLBoyfriend, and struck out all three batters you faced in the eighth inning of the Cardinals' series-tying win. Then, today, we found out your words had the power to make something good happen. I am very happy to update this post and recognize all of that. Also, I'm really happy to have the chance to post this pic that a friend sent me too late for the post on Monday:
*This was how I originally start this post:
We're exactly one week into the MLB postseason, and there have been a lot of great performances on the field so far. The pitching has been especially strong. Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole both threw fire for the Houston Astros. Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg also threw very impressive games for the Washington Nationals. So, it may be a surprise the my pick for my MLBoyfriend this week is a little-known relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Helsley.
Helsey only pitched 0.1 innings last week. Yes, that's right, not one full inning but just one third of an inning. In the eighth inning of the The Cardinals first game against Atlanta on Thursday, October 3, he faced two batters--the first singled, and the seconded grounded out. He ended the night with a 3.00 WHIP and 0.00 ERA. Since this is the only postseason of his career those are also his career postseason stats.
Like I said, the anti-racism angle, which is the reason I selected Ryan Helsley, really shouldn't be buried 155 words into the post.
You may have to get in line. From all accounts, Helsey is the pride of Tahlequah, Okla., the capital of Cherokee Nation. He's the first player from his all-Native American high school to reach the majors, the first player from his college to reach the majors, and one of the few citizens of Cherokee Nation to reach the majors.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me that for all these MLB players, there's always a community back home rooting for them because he's theirs.
And among those rooting for Helsey, his mom Sherry, who works in the radiology department at the Cherokee Health Services Hospital.
“It gives me goosebumps talking about it,” Sherry said this past week standing in the concourse at Busch Stadium before a game. “That’s my kid. They’re talking about my kid.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 4/29/19)