MLB looking into Sox doll prank
A spokesman for Major League Baseball said today the league is looking into an incident in the White Sox clubhouse in Toronto involving inflatable dolls. The team apologized for the incident.
The locker room before Sunday's game in Toronto featured two inflatable female dolls, one with a bat inserted in her backside, reportedly to prop up the doll.
(Sun-Times file)
A "Let's Go White Sox" sign adorned one doll while the other doll urged players on with "You've Got to Push." Team bats were pointed at the dolls.
The display was meant to be a slump-buster for the team, who suffered six straight losses heading into tonight's home game against the Minnesota Twins.
"We are looking into it," MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said. "We're talking to the club."
There was plenty of reaction in the Sox clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field today, and general manager Ken Williams and at least one player apologized. Manager Ozzie Guillen, however, pointed out that he will not apologize.
"What's done is done," Sox outfielder Nick Swisher said. "It might have been messed up on our part. We apologize."
It had been speculated that Swisher might have been behind the stunt, and he was asked if he regretted doing it.
"Why are you saying I did it?" Swisher said. "We just need to [erase] the entire 0-6 road trip."
Williams said he had lunch with Guillen and will let his manager and coaches talk to the team.
"It was blown out of proportion," Guillen said. "Baseball's changed a lot. They used to say, ‘Whatever happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.'
"We weren't trying to disrespect anybody or hurt anybody. We were just trying to have fun. A lot of people took it the wrong way."
Guillen pointed out he was not behind the prank, as had been reported in at least one story.
"Whoever bought that thing spent a lot of money and got me in a lot of trouble," he said. "If people thought we were wrong, well we will try to fix it up and move on."
Joe Crede equated the prank to other ways the team tries to snap out of a slump.
"It was in the same sense as guys going up to the bat rack and beating the crap out of the rack," Crede said. "Obviously it doesn't come out that way.
"We were just trying to wake everybody up in here. I was not behind it, but here I am. I walked in, saw it and I have to answer questions about it."
Team captain Paul Konerko said: "Hindsight is 20-20 It is what it is. We know it's never boring around here."
Contributing: Chris De Luca
