At the Delmarva Shorebirds Game on the 17th which I happened to be in attendance for, the Shore Birds players were auctioning off their special ravens jerseys to benefit the relay for life team. A 16 year old fan, a season ticket holder, was celebrating her birthday. She won the jersey of 3rd baseman Jason Esposito who promptly tried to buy it back from her for his girlfriend after the game.
The 16 year old fan politely told him she wanted to keep it as that was what she wanted for her birthday. She had taken herself out of the other auctions because she had won this one. Well it seems Jason got ticked off at this and dropped 2 f bombs on the girl which made her break down in tears. He then slops an autograph on it and takes off. The girls father who is in law enforcement asked her what was wrong seeing she was obviously upset. She then threw the jersey at him and said she didn't want it and told him what had happened. The Father spoke to Chris Bitters the general manager who then spoke to Manager Ryan Minor. The Father told them to keep the jersey if that was the way Esposito was going to act. The General Manager worked hard to make things right and got the girl another jersey and gave them their money back.
The punishment for this outrageous behavior? He got chewed out but was playing in Saturday nights game. The season ticket holders booed him loudly but I think more punishment is deserved for this ridiculous behavior on his part. I guess Ryan Minor didn't feel the behavior warranted benching. The following day when out signing autographs seemed to snub the girl when she tried to get an item autographed by him even though he was signing right beside her. This behavior is appalling for a player to treat a fan like that for no reason.
original post 8/19 8:30pm
57 comments:
That's why the Shorebirds don't have many fan in attendance because of attitudes like that. I was there last night and joined them in the booing. He is a POS and Sammy Star ran circles around him. Everything Esposito missed Star snagged.
He is in a position that has the ability to be a mentor to so many young people and this is what he teaches them. He has a job not just on talent alone,but because of the fans! He really needs to be punished for his actions and she needs to be handed free season tickets w a public apology for next year!
I agree!! I was also at last night's game, wodered why he was being Bood until I read FB.
Most of these guys are prima donna assholes. Which is really a shame considering most of them are probably making about 30k a year filling a single A roster spot until better prospects can be found. It was really sad I took my young child to shorebirds baseball camp earlier this summer and the players all looked like they lost a bet and had to show up for this. Working with the kids was like a punishment or something. Now I read this.....I'm done with the shorebirds, if I want to watch a bunch of ignorant prima donna ballplayers I'll at least see a major league game!
I was planning to take my grandson to his first Shorebirds game, glad I saw this first. Behavior such as this is totally unacceptable. Had he done this to my child, his baseball career would have ended.
For one the boys make way less then 30k. They make a salary that doesnt even allow them to support their selves so their all playing for the love of the game and for a chance to maybe be able to make it to the bigs, not the money. For two the jersey wasn't for his girlfriend it was for his dad who doesn't get to see him considering he lives in Connecticut. One incident shouldn't put a reflect on the entire organization.
Either way if it was for his dad or his girlfriend he should not have acted this way. That is totally unacceptable.
Well at least Bitters gets it! I'm not sure how much power he would have over the starting line up, but I think it is a good sign that Chris Bitters is the GM and acted accordingly. So there is a silver lining.
It doesn't matter who the jersey was for or how much money the jerk makes. The point is you do not drop the f bomb on anyone not alone a 16 year old girl. What happened to family friend fun. You can't take your child anywhere these days without them being exposed to these types of things. It's darn right pitiful what this world is coming to!
I would just like to address one of the anonymous comments. I think it is wrong to use the word "most" when describing the type of person you believe the team members to be. I am the parent of one I the players and I can assure you that is not the case. I can also assure you that most of them make less than half of the $30,000 amount you threw out there. I understand the disappointment and anger "anonymous" feels but please don't direct it at players you know nothing about.
Anonymous said...
For one the boys make way less then 30k. They make a salary that doesnt even allow them to support their selves so their all playing for the love of the game and for a chance to maybe be able to make it to the bigs, not the money. For two the jersey wasn't for his girlfriend it was for his dad who doesn't get to see him considering he lives in Connecticut. One incident shouldn't put a reflect on the entire organization.
August 19, 2012 10:09 PM
I talked to the father of the 16 year old who told me the story. Are you trying to lead us to believe a sworn officer of the law is lying? I will believe him over you, dirt bag!
10:09, it only takes 1 apple to make the whole basket rotten!
I concur with Becky, the mother of one of the players, they make very little at this level. Also most of the players are great guys. The problem is one jerk has soured it for a whole group and that is a shame.
Anonymous said...
I concur with Becky, the mother of one of the players, they make very little at this level. Also most of the players are great guys. The problem is one jerk has soured it for a whole group and that is a shame.
August 20, 2012 2:05 AM
I was playing one of the games between innings last year with my 10 year old child in front of the dug out. One of the players kept dropping the F Bomb because he made a bad play. I wanted to go over there and tell him to watch his mouth. Jason Esposito wasn't there last year so there goes your theory.
12:10,
That "dirtbag" comment was uncalled for. The mother of the player was simply asking for some objectivity in the conversation. She's right, it is unfair (not to mention poor debate) to ascribe the actions of one player to the entire organization. I would say you are the dirt bag for not reading her comment and for being such a petulant child.
Now stop being such a dirtbag.
I agree with 7:45 the mother is simply saying not all the players are like that which is very true and fair
Someone needs to do a Jason Esposito Suck FB page.
The dirt bag comment was to the individual who was calling the sworn police officer a liar, had nothing to do with a players mother, unless of course she was the one making the statement.
7:52 and I'm with you on that I def believe the officer
Perhaps someone can point me to where anyone said an LEO was a liar? Because I don't see it. Nowhere in this thread do I see that comment.
Again, the dirtbag thing was way out of line.
Does it make any difference who the jersey was for? It doesn't give that player the right to trash this young fan. She was never told the story about the father and the jersey. Is that true? Maybe because the heat is on this player is coming up with a little better sounding story. The fan was told the girlfriend wanted it. And after the fact. I'm sure she would have let him have the jersey if the communication would have been better. You know no F bombs.
When I first saw the headline I assumed that some smartass 16 year old was heckling the player.After reading the entire story I realize his actions are inexcusable.It sounds like she "was" one of his biggest fans.
You are absolutely correct. Chris Bitters and Jimmy Sweet were fantastic to the young fan and di the best they could to rectify a terrible situatio. If only the team were an image of them. They are to be commended!
What kind of manager (Ryan Minor) scolds but does not bench a player for this kind of actions. I personally hope Jason never goes any further than he is right now. ...and perhaps we may need to look for a new manager! The shirt is incidental, his salary is incidental, the behavior a supposedly wanna be professional displayed is the question and he does not deserve to be representing us at the shorebird games. Toss his foul mouth and bad attitude out off of the team and let the shorebird players that have some respect for their fans as well as their selves move on. Don't judge that whole team by Esposito and a poor manager.
two sides of every story . so i guess jason side doesnt matter.he ask for a meeting with the family an gm but the parents refused .maybe they dont want to hear truth.give jason his time to tell his side
after they jacked the ticket prices and the food and started charging for parking, i stopped going. in fact, i lost any bit of caring i had left.
dont think ive been there in 9-10 years maybe?
Well.... I'm not being anonymous on here.If you don't have the balls to put your name you should not put your 10 cents worth in.This sweet young lady wanted to spend her sweet 16th birthday at the game in hopes to bid on a jersey.She was able to win,only to be approched by his girlfriend trying to buy her off.Then after she told the girlfriend that she really wanted it she was then approched by Mr.Esposito.Which he stated it was for his girfriend who was in a minor accident before the game NOT his father.After she told him how much she really wanted to keep the jersey he dropped the F bomb not once but twice to her.This is a person who is suppose to be a role model to these young people.No one is blaming the whole team there are players on that team who are awesome inside and out.They come out and talk to her before each game.She still has contact with one player from last year via facebook.She takes pictures of players and sends them to their webpage so the families can see them due to living so far away.One mother she has spoken to has thanked her for doing that.This girl is a season ticket holder and loves the game.So for a JERK like Mr. Esposito he deserves all the bashing he is getting.We will see how the Orioles oraganization thinks of this player actions.As far as Chris Bitters I feel sorry for him his hands are tied he can only do so much.He was very upset that this had happen and tried everything to make it right.I can't say alot for Ryan Minor yes he chewed him out big deal smack his hands and say don't do it again.He played him the very next night,this guy should have been benched for awhile.I thank Mr.Taylor for putting the truth out here.The next step is Baltimore lets see what happens there.
The only side to his story is that Minor was going to tell him he had to tell her he was sorry that's the truth in this matter.Get your facts straight Butthead!!!!
All they done was lost a future fan or two. The players are a touch snobish. But on the other hand they have to put up with the fans a lot.
Salary for minor league players may be smallish. But the hefty signing bonus makes up for that. Esposito got over $600,000 to sign with the Orioles. He's not exactly eating out of the dumpster.
did they ask for a meeting with your family an Mr. Esposito????
It is a shame that one players actions bring shame on the whole team. I agree that the General Manager has done everything in his power to make it right for the family, but the coach decided this very disrespectul young man was above and beyond reproach for his actions. Obviously this player will go no where with his career, not because he does not know how to play, but because he does not know how to treat his fans and the general public. Sad that he will know represent Maryland by playing with the Orioles and sad that he ever played for the Shorebirds. The players left on the team should take a hint from some of the comments and make themselves more fan friendly as that is who brings the money to the stadium and the Coach should make the player apologize to the young lady and fans and bench him for a game.Do the right thing Coach! If not then I personally have no desire to support them with my attendance or my money. I hope the young lady continues to come to the games and support the players who deserve our support after this one rotten player leaves.
mr.Esposito did want to do right thing by having a sit down with the family.so why didnt they take up his offer.?
Kick Ryan Minor out if this is how he justifies wrong. Jason got a slap on the wrist sooooooo do you think someone who would curse a 16 year old as he did cares about a slap on the wrist. Maybe all of this should be reported to the Orioles organization and I hope her father does just that.
And as for the manager Mr Minor you should be ashamed that you handled this incident the way you did. What kind of a manager are you?? You are not a good manager or a good example for the team. Find another job!
Anonymous said...
two sides of every story . so i guess jason side doesnt matter.he ask for a meeting with the family an gm but the parents refused .maybe they dont want to hear truth.give jason his time to tell his side
August 20, 2012 11:46 AM
Jason is that you? Maybe you should have stayed in school to learn proper grammar!
JT:
I worked for the Shorebirds for a number of years and it is an unusual situation there. The management (Chris Bitters, Jimmy Sweet, et. al.) contols the promotions and ticket sales, but the players and coaches essentially take their orders from the Orioles in Baltimore. If Ryan Minor is told by Orioles management to play Esposito, Esposito plays. Minor is just following the orders of his supervisors, just as most of us do. He does not have the power or authority of a Buck Showalter to play whomever he feels is best suited to help the team win. The players know this, and know it well. On the other hand, I am sure a report went to Baltimore on Esposito's behavior from Minor and Shorebird management on the incident, since these types of reports are filed every day on the player's performance, for both on (and, when warranted) off-the-field behavior. If Esposito asked for a meeting with the family later, it was probably on direct orders of Orioles management. They do take this seriously, snce this type of behavior is factored into promoting and developing players. I'm sure if the family took the meeting with Esposito, he will be quite sorry for his outburst, since it will be factored into future promotions and advancement in the system. Essentially, if Esposito is asking to meet the family, he is under orders to apologize(or has been told it is best that he thinks it's a good idea to do so if he wants to get to the big leagues) and is trying to make this right. Neither the Orioles or Shorebirds want negative publicity like this.
Kudos to Shorebird management for their efforts here. They have a hard tightrope to walk in matters like this, and, knowing some of them as I do, they do their best to walk it every day.
So you get one side of the story, throw out a bunch of misguided information and assume the worst?
I know Espo very well and this seems a little uncharacteristic to say the least. He has always carried himself as a poster child. He's somebody you would want your daughter to marry. I'm sure the story is, at least mildly, misconstrued.
We're talking about an individual who "pimped" a walk-off homerun in college and emailed the opposing coach to apologize for his behavior.
Am I biased? Of course-- and I'm not denying what ALLEGEDLY happened or that he acted inappropriately, however I caution you to know what happened before jumping to any conclusions.
They were asked to sit down so he could tell her that he was sorry.Only because he was forced to by Ryan Minor.Why listen to someones apology if they don't mean it.I wouldn't want her to go through more stress.She has and will continue to attend all games this will not keep her back.Just shows you that a 16 year old has more class then Esposito!!
There is no need to resort to name calling... I happen to be dating a police officer and guess what? There people too and are prone to lie at times like the rest of us ... don't get me wrong, I am in no way accusing this gentleman of anything!!!! I'm just saying that to say cops don't ever lie is a little naive if you ask me.... just sayin......
Anonymous said...
The only side to his story is that Minor was going to tell him he had to tell her he was sorry that's the truth in this matter.Get your facts straight Butthead!!!!
August 20, 2012 11:59 AM
And no one is saying Butthead is out of line?
I guess it wasn't directed at you August 20, 2012 7:45 AM was it.
What great role models, Esposito and Minor They should both be suspended for the remainder of the season.
If this situation occured as described,it is unacceptable. The Shorebirds obviously want this to go away without further publicity. This complaint should be filed with the league President at the contact numbers below:
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE
111 Second Avenue NE, Suite #335
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Telephone: (727) 456-1240
Fax: (727) 499-6853
Web Address: www.southatlanticleague.com
President: Eric Krupa, office@saloffice.com
Who says athletes need to be great mentors/role models? They are in the entertainment business just as an actor or actress would be. These guys get paid to play the game, not mingle with fans (however if a player wants to add to his "brand" obviously that would be a good idea).
Try telling your kids to want to model a school teacher or another community figure.
And if the girl that claims she got verbally abused really feels like she was mistreated... take away your business! Why are you going back and being loyal to the team? It's the only way you can fight back.
not sure how we got from a A league player acting like an a$$ to whether police officers lie or not. The fact that her father is a cop has nothing to do with the incident in my opinion.
Here's the deal, Esposito acted inappropriately. A sixteen year old girl used her money to buy his jersey and then he is mad because she won't sell it to him. He gets mad and says a couple of things he regrets. Who lost here. Espo doesn't plan on being here long and won't be settling down, so I'm pretty sure a lashing from Minor and the boos of the crowd haven't really lost him any sleep. The girl apparently tossed back the jersey after it was over, so Espo may have gotten it anyway. She is a season ticket holder already so no seats are comp'd for a couple of upcoming games, maybe next years tickets will be at a reduced rate or freebies. If Dad's a cop, they may have been freebies anyway, not sure who the send out complimentaries to. Stadium Administration got her another jersey and her money back. So the real loser I see is the charity who apparently was out the $140 she bid on the jersey in the auction. I agree he should be benched, but he should also be fined (which goes to the charity) and if they can't do that then held to some type of appearance and support at a function for the charity in the future. Give him a chance to prove that he isn't a spoiled "pro" ballplayer, which as of now, he appears.
I want to add a clarification from the family. Jason Esposito never offered to apologize on his own accord, the general manager told the family they could make that happen if they wanted. The girl said no she did not want to even be near him for that especially since it wasn't sincere.
I have to agree with Ms. Bridwell I don't know alot of the boys on the team but my son being one of those boys I do know how much he enjoys the fans and the community projects they promote. I don't know what happened or what was said but cussing at a fan is not a good choice and hopefully he learns from it. Charma is a powerful thing !!!!!! Judging people you don't know a thing about is putting you at the same level as him. I am sorry it ruined her birthday that is the bad thing about the world not everyone is nice. Kudos to her for coming back to the games it will only show what a better person she is.
Doesnt matter who it was for or what they make. The reason the majors exist is fans. Minor leaguers should understand this
The unfortunate truth is that Espozito is one of their top prospects and they are more interested in his development as a player that his development as an adult. They really don't care about his fans at A ball, because if he makes it to the majors, all that will be forgotton by the O's fans.
sounds like both sides should have got together instead of blogging it.
Please dont believe these players are choir boys. There area few good men as they say, but most are premaddonas with inflated egos that specialize in bad behavior. The Orioles go out of their way to cover up their actions and seldom discipline anyone. As the reader stated they are more concerned about getting them to the majors. One of the current players served a 50 game suspension this season for marajuana. This is the second time he was caught. Relations with underaged girls,Theft,speeding and drunken parties are a few of their other specialties. I dont fault the Shorebirds or Mr. Bitters. I fault the Orioles. They know about these actions and chose to ignore them most of the time. I will be highly surprised if this case goes anywhere. The Shorebirds are left to deal with this mess and I applaud Mr. Bitters for his quick action to remedy the situation.
The love affair with the Orioles in this area is a sour one at best. The Shorebirds have struggled to win 50 games this season and havent had a winning season in years. The Nationals would be a great fit here in Salisbury and the fan base is every bit as large. I would bet the Shorebirds and Mr. Bitters would love to unload the Orioles and welcome the Nationals farm club given the current situation.
put them both in a room an settle this.
The blame is on John stockstill Ryan Minor has to do as he says.Mr stockstill makes poor choices of who he keeps and who he releases !! He is famous for keeping a player based on who he knows or who he is related to or who he lives next door to. Until he is let go from the orioles organization you will continually get players with poor character .
I tried to send email to their web address and it does not work. Will have to make the phone call to complain about the incident and ab out Ryan Minor tap on the wrist.
Jonathan, could you please be clear as to whether it was Ryan Minor or Jason Esposito who ignored the same girl the following day when she wanted something signed? After this debacle, I can't imagine her going back to Esposito for a signature, but your sentence is unclear.
Ryan
Those ragging on Minor don't know what they are talking about and should not comment until they do. As with any other minor league team, the Shorebirds organization runs the business end of team operations but who is on the team, who plays, how much they play, whether punishment is warranted and what that punishment should be, are all determined from the Orioles offices in Baltimore. Neither Chris Bitters, Ryan Minor, or the attendants in the parking lot for that matter have any say in player personnel matters. They can give their input & observations and forward that to the appropriate Orioles front office person but that is the extent of it.
The way these auctions work is that it is done as a silent auction up until the 6th inning. At that point, the sheets are all taken off the table. Live auction begins at the highest silent auction price and anyone who put down a bid during the silent auction phase can participate in the live auction but they must be present to do so. It is rare for a fan/bidder to know whether a girlfriend, parent, or other friend of a player is trying to win a jersey but when that is known most fans will back off. From what I have been told, players have the option to withhold their jersey from being in the auction if they choose to do so for some reason. If that is the case, then if this was so important and such a big deal to Jason he missed his first chance right there.
I also heard that the girlfriend or whoever was supposed to be bidding on Jason's behalf was not present for the live auction and as such, was not able to participate. Why they were not there, how much of an effort was made to be there, and who was responsible for them not being there are things I do not know and cannot comment on. There was a second chance missed if this was so important to him. In any case, the behavior of J.E. (maybe J/A or J/O would be more appropriate initials in this case) can explained but cannot under any circumstance be excused or tolerated. His pitiful performance this season will probably get him a return trip here again next year unless the Orioles decide to get rid of him but it does not justify cussing out a 16-year-old. If he proves himself to be sincerely and truly remorseful for what he did (time will tell) and makes a real effort at improved behavior, then I reserve the right to change my current judgements of him.
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