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‘You Are a F**got’: MLB Investigating Blue Jays Short Stop Over Homophobic Eye-Black Slur

Sep. 18, 2012 6:58am Billy Hallowell

TORONTO (TheBlaze/AP) — Major League Baseball is checking reports that Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar, a Cuban native, played Saturday’s game against Boston wearing eye-black displaying a homophobic slur written in Spanish.

Yunel Escobar Being Investigated by MLB for Offensive Eye Black

SEPTEMBER 14: Yunel Escobar #5 of the Toronto Blue Jays fields a ground ball during MLB action at the Rogers Centre September 14, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Credit: Getty Images

Pictures posted online show Escobar with the message written in his eye-black, a sticker players wear under their eyes to reduce glare from the sun. The slur did not appear to be directed at any person in particular. The Huffington Post explains the message and its connotations:

Photographs of the 29-year-old taken by Getty Images during the game, as well as images captured by a Blue Jays fan seated near the home dugout, make it clear that Escobar’s eye-black bore the message “TU ERE MARICON.” The phrase (with a slight spelling fix) is most commonly translated from Spanish to English as “You are a faggot,” according to the Toronto Star. The Globe And Mail notes that “Other possible translations of the phrase lack the homophobic connotation, but are nevertheless offensive.”

While the message is certainly entirely offensive to many, the Globe and Mail notes that there isn’t yet enough information to determine how the phrase appeared on the player’s face. Escobar is known for placing messages on his eye black, but it is unclear if he wrote these words himself or if he was the victim of what the outlet calls “a tasteless prank.”

Yunel Escobar #5 of the Toronto Blue Jays signals to the dugout during MLB game action against the Boston Red Sox on September 15, 2012 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The offensive message can be seen on the eye black in this picture. Credit: Getty Images

MLB spokesman Pat Courtney confirmed the commissioner’s office is looking into the reports.

“The club takes this situation seriously and is investigating the matter,” the Blue Jays said in a statement Monday night, adding they “do not support discrimination of any kind nor condone the message displayed by Yunel Escobar during Saturday’s game.”

The team said Escobar will be available to the media Tuesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium along with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, manager John Farrell and coach Luis Rivera.

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Comments (91)

MistaB
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:34am
Really? This matters? The economy is almost off the cliff, the world is on fire, our ambassador is dead, and this is important? Just another distraction from the reality of the Obama presidency.

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- REALID 239823749828-HIF
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:58am
  @MISTAB
  My sentiments exactly. I was going to reply and say pretty much the exact same thing, but you nailed it.
  
  Report this comment
- JRook
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:58am
  Try and remember who brought to and leaned us over the cliff. If you don’t have a sense of how bad Bush left the economy take the time to go back and look at the economic data for 2008, 2009 as well as his $1.2 trillion deficit run rate that he handed the PRESIDENT. As they say you are entitled to your own opinion, not you own facts.
  
  Report this comment
- Jaycen
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 11:20am
  @JRook
  
  Rook, you’re correct that Bush was part of the problem, but I don’t blame one man, I blame his philosophy. Regressive Socialism is destroying our country, and unfortunately Barrack Obama has only intensified Bush’s programs. Obama has either continued Bush’s programs or increased their funding.
  
  You can blame a single man. I can blame a single man. The problem isn’t the Bush or Obama, it’s the mindset of a lot of individuals that’s dragging us down.
  
  Report this comment
- Ohio Guy
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 12:19pm
  If you feel so strongly then why did you click on the story and read it?
  
  Report this comment
- MCGIRV
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 12:33pm
  Yeah who gives a crap!
  
  Report this comment
- JQuentinEvermann
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 12:33pm
  I hated Bush, then I met Obama and realized how much worse things could be. This man is spending my money 8 times faster than Bush did, and Bush was spending too much! America is finished, of this there is no doubt, but Texas will live on. God Bless Texas!
  
  Report this comment
- Xiccarph
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 12:51pm
  Remember, you libs who will blame Bush for everything for the next 20 years…Bush, neither one, was a saint by any means. But remember, in what comes out of WDC, it takes two to tango, sometimes even three if you count the now-political SCOTUS. Bush had CONGRESS as a partner, and for the last two years of his presidency, had a Democrat dominated Congress. One can’t accomplish anything without the other’s involvement. Cast your blame for eternity if it makes you feel better, but you have mud on your face equally.
  
  Report this comment
- 48Straights
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 1:13pm
  Exactly, I had to change my username because it no longer works on The Blaze after my criticisms yesterday. The Blaze has become part of the problem. It is distracting us with endless Saturday Night Live links and human interest stories.
  
  I wonder if Glenn Beck has lost control of his empire. Does he read this rag, does he care what is being reported in his name?
  
  Meanwhile a Chinese General may have just declared war on Japan. Not that the blaze would report that.
  
  Report this comment
- drbage
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 3:35pm
  JROOK, Don’t forget who was in charge of Congress during the last two years of the Bush Presidency.
  
  Report this comment
- eric6161
  Posted on September 19, 2012 at 9:50am
  If we go back far enough we learn that progressives screw the economy up… conservatives take a messed up economy and, just in time for the democrats to take credit for it. The only time this doesn’t work is when a democrat replaces another democrat… then it really tanks. Look at FDR… year after year it was bad. Reagan turned Carters economic destruction around just in time for Clinton to say what a great job he did… but Clinton and Bush screwed it up just in time for Bush .. then Obama really screwed up a bad Clinton/Bush economy.
  Clinton created the housing crisis that started this whole thing.
  
  Report this comment
- Secret Squirrel
  Posted on September 19, 2012 at 11:53am
  .
  The correct response would have been to laugh and say, “You’re a moron.”
  
  Who cares? What? Now we’ll have to ban eye black, oh, jeez, I can’t say “black”.
  
  Now, I’m a homophobic racist……….and……..anti moron. I’m doomed.
  
  Report this comment
PhineasJWhoopee
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:24am
What a dilemma for Progressives, A gay slur by a Hispanic. What to do?
I know, he’s rich, get him.

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- tcseacliff
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:07am
  still free speech. now worse than the crap put out by most famous lib’s. HHmm. hey , Bill Mahr comes to mind! nobody bitches at them! why is there an investigation? stupid waste of time money for a non issue. get over it!
  
  Report this comment
- Wango
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:15am
  I hear he painted something called PissChrist. Now what to do?
  
  Report this comment
- Zipit
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:42am
  Wang! You should write a book! You can call it,”My life as a total loser”! And, your credibility will be affirmed when nobody buy’s it……..
  
  Report this comment
Tri-ox
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:21am
It’s not nice to direct mean, little eye-black statements at obama.

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Inlightofthings
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:06am
The MANY meanings of the word F A G G O T: Perhaps he was calling a fan a bundle of sticks or pitching his needlework hobby….who knows?

****** or esp ( US ) ***** 1 (ˈfæɡət)

— n
1. a bundle of sticks or twigs, esp when bound together and used as fuel
2. a bundle of iron bars, esp a box formed by four pieces of wrought iron and filled with scrap to be forged into wrought iron
3. a ball of chopped meat, usually pork liver, bound with herbs and bread and eaten fried
4. a bundle of anything

— vb
5. to collect into a bundle or bundles
6. needlework to do faggoting on (a garment, piece of cloth, etc)

[C14: from Old French, perhaps from Greek phakelos bundle]

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- 13th Imam
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 11:03am
  Maybe an Obama Bundler?
  
  Report this comment
- Chet Hempstead
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 4:02pm
  None of those are meanings of the Spanish word maricon. You must have read just the headline of this story, then gone off to read the dictionary definition of ******, retyped the dictionary definition of ****** and posted it all without bothering to read even the first full sentence of the story.
  
  Report this comment
- Inlightofthings
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 4:59pm
  Actually Chet…I cut and pasted. I read the article in full and have a tendency provide responses that equal the stupidity of the P.C. nut jobs out there. I’m sure you can relate now that you bit…
  
  Report this comment
nobull14
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:41am
Who cares, people need to get a life .

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Susie
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:32am
For Pete’s sake. Can we all just take a pill and regain our senses !
The Gay/Lesbian community which literally holds more power than God over the citizens of Canada will, no doubt, be calling on the bull pen, from where the Ontario Human Rights Commission will come out rubbing their filthy little U.N. sanctioned hands together, gleefully calculating just how much they’ll make this time, as they once again stomp all over any semblance of free-speech in my country.

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- mkw22
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:42am
  great point. let’s move along…no problems here…
  
  Report this comment
- rosegrower
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:03am
  I have to ask, how many gay Hispanics live in Canada who would 1) understand the sentence and 2) take offense? This would have gone completely unnoticed but for a media that lacks the sense to look for REAL news and instead pounces on something obscure that they can turn into news.
  
  Report this comment
- tcseacliff
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:13am
  @susie, you are correct,but i think the gays and Lesbians must leave room on the podum for the Atheist’s also. all these fringe groups are killing freedom. the wackos libs , the ACLU. they only hide behind free speech when it suits them.
  
  Report this comment
aggiebrewer
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:15am
so let me get this staight…words deemed offensive, whether written or spoken, warrant an investigation by commissioner’s office and a media onslaught. But actions such as storming our embassy and killing Americans including our ambassador to Lybia and the media basically balks…hmmm

Now I get it….

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- moreteaplease
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:36am
  Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it?
  
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Gonzo
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:12am
Hispanics hate gays, but are voting for “the first gay president’ 60% to 30%. Go figure.

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- Inlightofthings
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:03am
  And the ones I know are generally hardworking…and devout…
  
  Report this comment
- Wango
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 10:16am
  Not everyone is consumed by their homophobia like you conservatives. Go figure.
  
  Report this comment
- jackact
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 1:23pm
  Good point.
  Just further illustrates the fact that those Hispanic votes for Obama may just be coming from Hispanic women?
  
  Report this comment
DenisWTexas
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:09am
I find these words offensive, because I had to read them in Spanish.

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jackact
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:07am
Yes, the further ghetto-ization of American sports continues.
Language barriers and super-star entitlement mentalities added to steroid riddled bodies is a lethal combination and is endemic throughout the industry.
I can remember a time where, for many decades, the only ‘hater’ in baseball was Ty Cobb.
Now it seems many broken english speaking players are now the ‘new normal’ for heralding the same ignorance that Cobb was held accountable.
Except we don’t hold these players accountable and they are subsequently cheapening the game.
Without restraint.
Stop watching. Send an email to former used car salesman, Bud Selig.
Let him know what a disastrous job he has done since 1998 and how he personally has helped destroy our national pastime.

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- aggiebrewer
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:16am
  ESPN…the best AND the worst thing to happen to sports…
  
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USA-Ron
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:00am
are you afraid to say the word ………….. ***** ???

then you think queers is OK ??

Homosexual is a SIN

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FlagWavingPatriot
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:58am
Political correctness is a cancer. And it looks to be terminal.

I’m so sick and tired of everyone getting offended so easily…makes me want to puke. Drop your Kleenex and man up, you jackwagons!

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EqualJustice
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:52am
But when the liberals, atheists or the black panthers call white Christians disgusting names…. CRICKETS?

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- HumbleMan
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:12am
  Not that you’re wrong; you’re right. But the point of “political correctness” has nothing to do with reason or logic. It’s a concept based in the history of communism. Only that which supports the government’s position. Now it should be clear to all thinking people that Christian is “out”, what’s hard to grasp (for me at least) is why Islam should be “in”. I don’t really believe the president is Muslim, although the brand of Christianity to which he attached himself is certainly not “Christian” except in name. I think he worships something other than God, something more in keeping with his lack of humility, like government. But why Islam holds a special place? I don’t know. It seems inconsistent.
  
  Maybe his administration is simply afraid of them.
  
  Report this comment
Brother_Terk
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:50am
My Headline would read ” Friend pranks his buddy and the PC police investigate!” thats hilarious .. thats a big ole “KICK ME”: sign on the back or a drawn mustache on a sleepin friends face LOL… funny stuff.. not everyone has the same meaning for the word ***… like it or not… still a good one… HOWEVER not as funny as the Shemale stripper my friends wife sent to his bachelor part but FUNNY IMHO

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kenboo1
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:46am
muchas gracias Escobar

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HOOT_OWL
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:40am
Just Great , now I’m being taught how to spell bad words in a second Language .

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RGB
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:38am
Sticks and stones….

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- aggiebrewer
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:11am
  sticks and stones…the very thing the peaceful religion people want to pelt you with for not being one of them. But I digress
  
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PATRIOTINTN
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:37am
Again, the outrage goes to show that free speech has its favorites. It’s okay to offend some groups, but not others. Christians can be denigrated and mercilessly derided and if they respond, they’re considered overly sensitive at the least, or extremely intolerant at the worst. But let the LGBT community or the Muslim community have something negative said about them and all hell breaks loose.

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ounceoflogic
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:33am
The guy is a communist right? So why is baseball trying to hold him accountable? Communists are not accountable. I’m surprised this even made the news. Obviously this was someone else’s fault… George Bush perhaps?

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DEMOCRATS.ARE.EVIL
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:33am
Freedom of speech is a great thing.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 11:23am
  “………..against the Boston Red Sox on September 15, 2012 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA.”
  The Bill of Rights doesn’t apply to Canada.
  
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:27am
As maxwell Smart would say, “Ahhh, the old psych out eye black trick!”

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- Zipit
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:28am
  Would you believe two Gay’s in a rowboat and Shaun white on a skateboard with a black eye?
  
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grimmster
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:21am
First off, who gives a rats ass, this isnt “news” Blaze.Second, why are you people at the Blaze STILL using huffpo as your news source? Come on Glenn, please get rid of all the reject huffpo crew…..

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denispaul
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:19am
What’s the definition of a ******?In Great Britain a *** is a cigarette.

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- HOOT_OWL
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:43am
  It use to be here too, until the homosexual stole it .
  
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- MRMANN
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:47am
  I think their word is “***.”
  
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- PATRIOTINTN
  Posted on September 18, 2012 at 8:05am
  In the music world, classical that is, the word is used for the instrument, bassoon.
  
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Mapache
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:17am
Maybe he wanted to write “Soy,” which of course would have been much different.

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izukiddin
Posted on September 18, 2012 at 7:17am
So what!

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