"When you take 3 steps back, this does not rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. This is what's known as a faux controversy. The term 'Jackie' is offensive here? You know who called Tim Anderson 'Jackie' before Josh Donaldson? TIM ANDERSON! He called himself that in an interview in Sports Illustrated a couple of years ago...Anderson of the White Sox being offended by this is extra special aloofness."
In the video above, Ben Maller shares his reaction to a controversial situation from Saturday where New York Yankees' Josh Donaldson called Chicago White Sox's Tim Anderson 'Jackie.' The term was in reference to baseball pioneer and legend, Jackie Robinson. Anderson, Donaldson, and White Sox Manager Tony LaRussa said the following regarding the name-calling:
He just made a disrespectful comment,” Anderson told reporters, per ESPN. “Basically he was trying to call me Jackie Robinson. ‘What’s up, Jackie?’ I don’t play like that. I don’t really play at all. I wasn’t really going to bother nobody today, but he made the comment and you know it was disrespectful and I don’t think it was called for. It was unnecessary.
White Sox manager Tony La Russa attached a much more straightforward label to what Donaldson said to Anderson.
“He made a racist comment, Donaldson, and that’s all I’m going to say. That’s as strong as it gets,” La Russa told reporters.
Donaldson claims the comment was inspired by a 2019 Sports Illustrated interview in which Anderson explained how he felt like “today’s Jackie Robinson” in the big leagues. The 36-year-old insisted there was no racist intent behind what he said to Anderson and claimed the two have “joked around” about it in the past.
In the latest news on this story, MLB has suspended Yankees Josh Donaldson for one game for his actions during Saturday's game involving Tim Anderson of the White Sox. Donaldson is appealing the ban.