[CARL CRAWFORD] Carl Crawford Is Apparently ‘Gangster’ Because He Reads His Horoscope
Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford, Pink Hat Nation October 13th. 2008, 11:24am
[UPDATE] We are shutting down comments on this post. We have already deleted several comments in which somebody who came to this site from a link on another site has used the N-word to refer to either Carl Crawford or BJ Upton or both. Anymore comments on this post will be deleted immediately.
[Ed. note: This post was originally written last week and then shelved when the author gave a mea culpa in the comments section. But then the author's tone changed after some readers jumped on us after we expressed our concerns with the wording in the comments section.]
We can be pretty hard on Red Sox nation around these parts. Most of the time it is just good-natured ribbing, as we truly believe that 99.9% of Red Sox Nation is composed of good baseball fans that know the game and understand the nature of a friendly rivalry. Besides, our sister, with her idiotic Red Sox tattoo, is the biggest Red Sox fan we know. It is the other 25.1% that give Red Sox Nation a bad rap.
Unfortunately, one Red Sox blogger tried to single-handedly revive the stereotype that all Bostonians are racist when he explained why he hates the Rays.
Maybe it’s because of Jonny Gomes and his endless string of cheap shots. Or Carl Crawford’s gangster neck tattoo.
To which we wonder: Is it “gangster” because it is the symbol of Leo? Because you guys know, one stereotype of gangsters is they read their horoscope everyday. Or is it “gangster” because Crawford is black?
If that one statement wasn’t so ignorant we would tear apart the rest of his idiotic post, like the hypocrisy of a fan for a team that sucked for 86 years, making fun of another team for sucking for 10 years.
For the record, Crawford has the tattoo on his neck because Leo is his horoscope sign and it is a symbol that represents him as a person.
“People always want to know what it is, what it means. Some think it’s the Omega sign. Some people think it’s a snake or something. I always have to explain it. It’s my Zodiac sign. Leo. It’s the sign for Leo. When I got it, I wanted it to be about me. I look at my sign every day, my horoscope, so I figured that would be cool. I didn’t want it to be nothing crazy. I wanted it to be nice and elegant looking.”
Little did Crawford know, it is also apparently “gangster” looking.
[Ed. note: Here is the response from the author. "Let me explain the “gangster” comment. Obviously being black and having a neck tattoo doesnt make you a gangster. Al Capone was white and tat-free, and he was the original gangster.’Gangster’ was a poor choice of words, I should have described his neck tattoo as ugly, or unprofessional. Having a tattoo on your neck, regardless of what it is, is stupid. If it makes you feel better, I think Allyssa Milano’s neck tat is pretty ridiculous also."...This statement only proves our original point. The author does not describe the tattoo as "ridiculous" and as far as we can tell, the author never describes Milano's neck tattoo as "gangster". In fact, we did a search for "Alyssa Milano" and "gangster neck tattoo." The results were as expected.]
Love to Hate [The Foul Line]
Related posts:
Love it…this is priceless.
Now if only we could get Upton to stop doing that gangster leg kick before he swings.
and before Red Sox fans start ripping me about the “86 years” comment, let me say…
I know the Red Sox history very well. Probably better than a lot of people that have jumped on that bandwagon in the last 5 years.
I know the Sox won 5 world series in the first 20 years of the last century. I also know that the Sox had a couple of good years during the 86 year drought.
But every time you guys point out ’46, ’67 and ’75 it just accentuates how many more years the Sox sucked during that time period.
In that 86 year span, the Red Sox finished 5th or worse 36 times.
Prof, you don’t spend enough time with Red Sox fans. These are the people who wear really insulting shirts ANYTIME their team plays another team for a championship.
My first day in Boston, I knew I had entered a different world of sports. People we walking around with “shank a yank” shirts.
This is a fan base that suggests violence, homophobia, and regional hatred. This blogger’s statement should not have come as a surprise.
This is also a fan base that is very violent. Just over the summer, a Sox fan beat up a non-baseball fan father (with his kids watching from nearby) because he had NY plates on his car. This Sox fan beat him with a baseball bat.
The reaction of most people in Boston to this event? Pretty ho-hum.
Something is really wrong with Sox fans. They don’t understand that they have become the new yankees, and yet they still snarl with the hatred of a team beat down for 86 years.
The violence, homophobia, and regional hatred are all available at any five-dalla haht shop, just a stone’s throw from Fenway.
this is pretty moronic, but have definitely heard much worse from Red Sox fans.
don’t 25.1% and 99.9% add up to 125%?
some of the Fans seem to fall in both categories, depending on how many PBRs they have had.
Not to mention that Crawford described a neck tattoo as being ‘elegant’. Impressive.
listen you racist FUCK…I already deleted one of your comments…now go away
Speaking of idiotic posts, Professor, I think you’re way off base with your assessment of this guy as a racist. He called the tattoo, not Carl Crawford himself, “gangster.” Getting a tattoo on the side of your neck is far from mainstream, and it’s certainly not elegant, no matter what the design. I can appreciate what the symbol is and what it means to him, but putting it on the side of his neck changes everything.
A recent article in the New York Times begins, “WHO in the world gets a neck tattoo? A couple of years back you could have narrowed the answer to gang members, prison inmates, members of the Russian mob and the rapper Lil Wayne.” The article goes on to discuss the growing popularity of tattoos you can’t hide while acknowledging the fact that “we are still a long way from seeing facial tattoos on the selling floor at Bloomingdale’s or the trading floor of the stock exchange.” The fact is, most people would still find a neck tattoo startling, and most would associate it more closely with gangsters than with ordinary people expressing themselves.
You stated that this post was shelved after the author’s mea culpa, but you changed your mind after his “tone changed.” I’ve read the entire post and all the comments. His tone didn’t change. You called him a racist, a powerful and baseless accusation, and a couple of his regular commenters came to his defense, and he thanked them for having his back. He has been responsive and respectful. You’ve been rude and inflammatory.
Calling that tattoo gangster isn’t calling Crawford a gang member any more than calling your post idiotic is calling you an idiot. I don’t think you’re an idiot, but I do think you’re overreacting to a perfectly reasonable use of an adjective.
calling something “idiotic” does not have a racial connotation.
And in all of your research and all of your typing, you still haven’t addressed the single most important point…Why is the neck tattoo on Carl Crawford “gangster” and it is not on Alyssa Milano? Until you can come up with a reasonable answer that does not involve the color of their skin, then I firmly stand behind my post.
The other gave a mea culpa, but it was basically the equivalent of saying “How can I be racist, I have a black friend”. What in the world does Al Capone have to do with this matter? Am I supposed to think that he could have been referring to a 20s Mob boss? And again, the Alyssa Milano reference only proves my point. Nobody, including the author, in the history of the internet has ever referred to her neck tattoo as gangster. and yet, based on yuor argument they should.
Huh?
You’re missing the point. It is gangster on Alyssa Milano too. Just because you are assuming gangster=black doesn’t necessarily make it so. I was under the impression that a gangster was a member of a gang. Are you saying all gang members are black? My entire answer “does not involve the color of their skin.” I understand that you want this to be an argument about race, but I am honestly saying that gangster seems an appropriate adjective for a neck tattoo, regardless of the color of the skin it’s on.
And as far as your evidence of no hits on a Google search for “Alyssa Milano” and “gangster neck tattoo,” have you tried a search for only “gangster neck tattoo?” There are two hits: the original post on thefoulline.com, and some ignorant racist who uses it in reference to a Mexican person. So it would seem that the history of the internet on this phrase proves nothing.
again. the author would have NEVER described her tattoo as “gangster” and he wouldn’t have described a neck tattoo on a white baseball player as “gangster”.
Tell me why the guy takes the time to rip Jonny Gomes and yet makes no mention of all the tattoos on his body. He is covered head to toe in tattoos and yet the only two factors that make Carl Crawford’s very simple tattoo “gangster” are 1) it is on the neck; 2) he is black.
and this is not just my opinion. I was sure to discuss this topic with several other people white and black, to gauge their reaction and to make sure I wasn’t overreacting. the reactions varied from “racist” to “ignorant” to “are you kidding me?”
The fact that you, the professor, brought up the skin color issue first makes me question whom the real racist is here? I belive the quote was “…..Gangster Neck Tattoo”, describing the tattoo and not the individual. Unless we are talking about the color of the tattoo, then that is about as meaningless as claiming to be a Rays fan for more then 6months. Seems to be some underlying issues with Racism you need addressing, talk to the Pyscology professors in your department, you are a professor right?
Well, back on point. You being an idiot, and subsequently a fair respresentation of Ray’s Republic or whatever rip-off name of Red Sox Nation they choose in St. Pete this week. You’re trying to pick a fight. You never had a good argument in the first place, and, after meandering around calling thefoulling racist, you have simply made yourself look even worse.
i am a racist for defending Carl Crawford’s right to have a horoscope tattoo on his neck without having to be associated with gangbangers? how does that make any sense.
are you really that stupid? please just go away. I’m tired of having to explain this to you. Even the author admitted it was a bad thing to write.
you, sir, are just a moron.
You live a sad life if you can turn an exciting baseball series into a black/white argument. I pity you.
not black/white…it is about right and wrong. and has absolutely ZERO to do with this series. and if you can’t see that, i pity YOU
Good comeback, but I don’t need your pity. You are a hipocrite that perpetuates hate. I’ve read all of the comments from your readers. To allow Jihad comments, about the execution of 40,000 Boston fans on your site is irresponsible and disgusting. To comment on distateful T-shirts in Boston, all while having a Buck Foston shirt on your home screen?? You’re a sad individual Professor. Maybe it’s time to take a look in the mirror.
The 9/11 comment was despicable and is gone. Sorry if I was working for an hour didn’t have a chance to get to it yet.
and “sad” is stereotyping somebody because of the color of their skin. I will gladly rip the next idiot that does it. now if you will kindly go away, I no longer feel the need to justify my actions to somebody like you.
Skipper, who the fuck are you dude? are you really that fucking blind? did you read that post. it was fucking disgusting and the author even admitted it. and now you are judging prof because he was the one person that was willing to call him out on it makes you a pathetic little fuck.
good job Prof. don’t worry about that dickless piece of shit.
and hypocrite is spelled with a ‘Y’. But I am not surprised. You reek of ignorance.
I wanted to like the Rays, I really did. I live in Florida. Grew up outside of Boston, went to more games then I know at Fenway. Have friends that work high in the organization, and have had the blessing to watch games from the home dugout, and to walk around on the field after the all star game and meet some hall of fame athletes. I’m not trying to draw attention to all that, but rather make the point that I’m deep rooted in “Red
Sox Nation”.
But, truth be told, I live in Florida. Tampa is the closest team to me, and it saddened me to attend games at the Trop and see the stands 3/4 full mostly with Sox fans the first couple of years in existence. But, I wanted it for you guys. I wanted that sense of bonding that a sports team can bring, and I wanted to see a local fan base. This season could’ve been the chance to jump ship, but why? To join a bunch of iggnorant “fans” that at the first hint of success stick out their chests as if they’ve been here for years? I think not. The Red Sox fans I know, and I grew up with, are very good people. There are plenty of teams in the leauge in which we have great relationships. But, Tampa has it coming to them. No class, nor respect has been shown by Bay Area locals since the team began. Instead of greeting a friendly rivalry with sportsmanship and class, Tampa took the low road and chose to be assholes game by game at the Trop. Now, at the slightest hint of Trash talk from the opposition, Ray’s fans get all bent out of shape, throw over the line insults, and, frankly make fools of themselves. There are people that apprceiate good baseball, a friendly rivalry, and sportsmanship, and then there’s Rays fan’s. Professor, congrats on turning this great series into a race battle.
i love how somebody from Boston, the most racist city in this country is lecturing somebody on race. nicely done jackass
Here is another one. Stay classy Red Sox Nation
“Especially that punk-ass Carl Crawford, who you know is just an injury away from boosting car stereos.”
SURVIVING GRADY
[...] isn’t the first time we have been down this road and unfortunately it probably won’t be the [...]