MLB: The 50 Biggest Clubhouse Distractions in Baseball History
The intangible aspects of baseball are overblown. Outside of Little League, good sportsmanship is no substitute for being good at sports, and playing the game the right way isn't nearly as important as playing the game well.
But while a pat on the back might not make much of a difference on the field, a slap in the face will. A happy team won't get a huge boost in the game, but a frustrated team is at a big disadvantage.
In this slideshow are the 50 biggest clubhouse distractions—feuds, steroid allegations, legal problems, tragedies, and media pressures—in baseball history, ranked by severity, duration of time (a single isolated incident might not affect chemistry long-term) and consequences.
Remember to keep your eye on the ball!
No. 50: Miguel Cabrera's Legal Troubles
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This season marked the second year in a row in which Cabrera's mental state was in question after a run-in with the law.
He's far from the only current player to have had alcohol-related legal problems, but he's the biggest name and a repeat offender.
No, 49: Bryce Harper's Ego
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It's bad enough that Harper's teammates in Single-A Hagerstown are being overshadowed by someone who was hailed as a future star while he was still in high school.
Now that he's blowing kisses to pitchers he hits home runs off of, his ego may be too large for his team.
No. 48: Kenny Rogers' Pine Tar
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Already known for his short temper and fiery personality, Rogers gave his Tigers an on-field distraction in the 2006 World Series when the TV feed clearly showed him with a pine tar-like substance on his hand.
He wasn't solely responsible for Detroit losing the series, but that sure didn't help.
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No. 47: Alex Rodriguez' Chase for 600
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When the Yankees were mired in a midsummer swoon last season, many blamed the team's cold streak on Rodriguez' chase for his 600th home run.
It's hard to imagine that that could really bring down the whole team, but the media's insistence on it created some extra pressure.
No. 46: Milton Bradley on the Mariners
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After acquiring Bradley in exchange for dumping Carlos Silva's contract, the Mariners experience buyer's remorse after he left in the middle of a game in May 2010.
It was a relatively uncontroversial stop for Bradley, but his bad attitude and poor play led to his release last month.
No. 45: Carlos Zambrano vs. Michael Barrett
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A fistfight between teammates Zambrano and Barrett in a 2007 game led to the former needing stitches at the hospital and divided the Cubs' clubhouse.
Barrett was traded less than three weeks later.
No. 44: Ken Griffey Jr.'s Aging Process
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When the Mariners signed Griffey to a one-year contract for 2010, they weren't expecting much. But they surely thought he'd do better than a .184 average and a .454 OPS.
Questions over what Seattle should do with him became such a distraction that Griffey decided to retire.
No. 43: Rob Dibble vs. Lou Piniella
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After a game in 1992, Piniella told the press he'd held closer Dibble out because he had a sore shoulder. Dibble publicly declared that that wasn't true, and a brawl soon ensued.
Piniella was gone after the season, but things in the clubhouse were probably a little awkward until then.
No. 42: Hank Greenberg Takes Yom Kippur off
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In 1934, Jewish superstar Greenberg was caught in a pickle—play on the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur or abandon his team in the midst of a pennant race.
He ended up missing only Yom Kippur but still got quite a bit of flack for it.
Public Domain image (courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com)
No. 41: Shea Hillenbrand vs. John Gibbons
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Hillenbrand didn't make many friends in his tenure with the Blue Jays—he complained about his playing time and griped that he wasn't congratulated enough for adopting his daughter.
But there was no one he alienated more than his manager, who challenged him to a fistfight and threatened to quit if Hillenbrand wasn't cut from the team (he was).
No. 40: Bob Geren vs. the Oakland A's
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Geren's never been the most popular man in Oakland, but he had never caused much controversy until A's closer Brian Fuentes publicly criticized him last month.
Other players weighed in—including former Athletic Huston Street, who called Geren his "least favorite person...in sports"—and he was fired last week.
No. 39: Milton Bradley Calls Jeff Kent Racist
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In perhaps the most ridiculous accusation of his career, Bradley made headlines in 2005 by calling Jeff Kent a racist.
He probably did suffer a good deal of prejudice in his career, but from Kent?
No. 38: Manny Ramirez Tests Positive
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Ramirez has always been something of an attention seeker, and by May 2009, he'd already given the press in "Manny-wood" a lot to write about.
But nothing could compare to the firestorm that ensued when he tested positive for a banned substance used in conjunction with PEDs to restart hormone cycles.
No. 37: Fred Wilpon
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The Mets' ownership issues were an issue even before the season started, but Fred Wilpon's comments in a recent New Yorker interview made things that much worse.
In addition to continuing concerns about the team's financial security, his disparaging remarks about Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran couldn't have been big boons for clubhouse morale.
No. 36: Milton Bradley vs. Eric Wedge
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Bradley had problems with Mariners manager Eric Wedge long before he came to Seattle: Cleveland traded him to the Dodgers in 2004 after Bradley and Wedge clashed multiple times over the former's perceived lack of hustle.
Bradley later said the Indians under Wedge were "like a sinking ship."
No. 35: Fredi Gonzalez vs. Hanley Ramirez
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When Hanley Ramirez' lack of hustle in a game last May allowed two runs to score, he was benched and got into a public feud with manager Fredi Gonzalez.
A feeling of discomfort seemed to hang over the Marlins' clubhouse until he was fired a month later.
No. 34: Ozzie Guillen
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By far the most controversial manager in the game, Guillen is known for his offensive slurs, his irrational embrace of "small ball" and threatening to "rip (Bobby Jenks') throat."
If not for his 2005 World Series ring, he'd probably be out of a job by now.
No. 33: George Steinbrenner's Death
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Steinbrenner might not have had any real involvement in the team, but in spite of his illness, he remained one of the most recognizable figures for one of the most recognizable franchises in all of professional sports.
His death was felt by the whole team.
No. 32: Dave Boswell vs. Billy Martin and Bob Allison
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In August 1969, Martin found Boswell beating up Allison outside a bar. Boswell knocked out Allison, then took a punch from Martin and needed 20 stitches.
This was the first of many times Martin would be fired.
No. 31: Manny Ramirez Tests Positive—Again
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The Rays had a lot to worry about at the beginning of the season as they struggled to score runs. The last thing they needed was for their highest-profile player to be caught in a scandal and abruptly retired.
And yet, that's exactly what happened when Ramirez got busted for his second positive PED test in less than two years.
No. 30: Rafael Palmeiro Tests Positive
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After wagging his finger at Congress and flatly denying ever having taken steroids, it's no surprise that Palmeiro didn't get off easy from the press when he tested positive in 2005.
It got so bad that he tried wearing earplugs to block out the boos.
No. 29: Leo Durocher vs. Arky Vaughan
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A clubhouse fight ensued when Vaughan stuck up to his manager after Durocher had fought with one of his teammates.
The impact of the fight was felt for three years—the amount of time Vaughan sat out rather than play for Durocher.
Public Domain image (courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com)
No. 28: Jorge Posada's Ego
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Mariano Rivera is ageless, and Derek Jeter, while declining, is still a useful player. Posada, meanwhile, is hitting .226 with -0.3 WAR.
He caused a huge stir when he took himself out of the lineup last month in response to being demoted to the No. 9 slot.
No. 27: The McCourt Divorce
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In what has become perhaps the nastiest divorce in MLB history, the Dodgers' owners' marital problems have been getting in the way of the team's performance for two years now.
With Bud Selig now trying to take over the team, the big story in LA this summer won't be about how the team is playing.
No. 26: Billy Martin vs. Ed Whiston
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In perhaps the worst manager-player fight in MLB history, Martin and Whitson got into it in a hotel bar in which Whitson broke his manager's arm.
Martin was fired at the end of the season (again).
No. 25: The A-Rod Opt-out Controversy
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In 2007, after years of insinuations from reactionist sportswriters that he was solely responsible for the New York Yankees' failure to win the World Series, Rodriguez was ensorcelled in drama about whether or not he would exercise his opt-out clause at the end of the season.
As it turned out, he did, though he ended up coming back to New York anyway.
No. 24: Billy Martin vs. Reggie Jackson
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In 1977, Martin pulled Jackson from a game after he didn't hustle to catch a weak fly ball that ended up as a double. This led to a fight that destroyed whatever good will their relationship had.
Martin resigned a year later after again publicly slamming Jackson.
No. 23: Ball Four
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In his kiss-and-tell diary of the 1969 MLB season, Jim Bouton destroyed the popular notion of the upstanding baseball player.
His unflattering comments about other players embarrassed his teammates and alienated him from the league.
No. 22: George Steinbrenner vs. Everybody
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Under Steinbrenner's reign, there was never a sense of calm and security in the Yankees' clubhouse—a player or coach who somehow got on The Boss' bad side was as good as gone.
It can't have been easy to play in that atmosphere.
No. 21: Everybody vs. Roger Maris
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Maris' chase for 61 home runs was a big deal in itself, but the real spectacle came from the press, who didn't want him to break Babe Ruth's record.
Maris wasn't a "true Yankee" (that stupid cliche has been around longer than you thought!) and thus wasn't fit to be the home run king.
No. 20: Moneyball
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Baseball traditionalists were outraged when Michael Lewis' book was released in 2003.
GM Billy Beane, the main subject who was frequently misidentified by critics as the book's author, wasn't the only target—the whole Athletics team was put under a microscope as haters waited for reasons to pounce.
No. 19: Lena Blackburne vs. Al Shires
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The 1929 White Sox' clubhouse was probably an uncomfortable place to be.
Blackburne, the manager, and Shires, the captain, got in at least two fistfights that season, and Shires was suspended thrice.
Public Domain image (courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com)
No. 18: Barry Bonds Chases 70, 755
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Whenever a player is chasing down one of the most revered records in baseball history, the rest of his team starts to get overshadowed.
That happened twice during Bonds' tenure with the Giants—when he hit 73 homers in 2001 and in 2007 when he broke Hank Aaron's career home run record.
No. 17: Juiced
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Jose Canseco isn't the most credible source, and the claims in his book were far from gospel.
But he certainly made life difficult for the players he named in the book as fellow steroid users.
No. 16: Alex Rodriguez' Positive Test Revealed
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In the aftermath of Barry Bonds' steroid scandal, Rodriguez became known as the best "clean" player in the game.
At least until 2009, when the revelation that he had tested positive in what was supposed to be an anonymous 2003 test started a controversy that dogged the Yankees at the start of the season.
No. 15: Thurman Munson Killed
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In August 1979, Munson was killed in a plane crash during a pilot's lesson.
The already-tragic loss was worsened by the fact that he and manager Billy Martin had had an altercation earlier that season.
No. 14: Babe Ruth vs. Lou Gehrig
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Two of the greatest teammates in baseball history had friction between them from a time when Gehrig found his wife in Ruth's cabin on a cruise.
The next time you hear someone talk about how Jeter and A-Rod are destroying the team by not getting along, think back to how much success Ruth and Gehrig's teams had.
No. 13: The Mitchell Report
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The 2007 release of nearly 100 names of players who were connected to PEDs showed the world that it wasn't just the hulking superstars who were juicing up.
For the 36 then-current players who were called cheaters, it certainly made life interesting.
No. 12: The Media vs. Barry Bonds
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Bonds' ego is as big as his swollen head, and as his body started to break down in the mid-2000's, word was he was negatively affecting the Giants' clubhouse.
Of course, it seems likely that the much bigger distraction came from writers' relentless attacks about how OBPing over .400.
No. 11: Darryl Kile's Death
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On June 22, 2002, Kile was found dead in his hotel room. He was 33 years old.
His loss was a devastating blow to the Cardinals and to the game at large.
No. 10: Alex Rodriguez vs. Derek Jeter
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There's been friction between Rodriguez and Jeter since the former came to New York, and their friendship has had its big ups and downs.
I suspect that people's fascination with talking about them has significantly exacerbated the problem.
No. 9: Milton Bradley vs. Chicago
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Out of all his controversies, the biggest ones Bradley was a part of came in Chicago.
After getting too close to the umpire when arguing a call in April and throwing a live ball into the stands in June, he got himself kicked off the team after going on a rant about his disdain for the city of Chicago.
No. 8: Manny Being Manny
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For at least three full years, Ramirez had been asking for a trade and inspiring ire for his perceived lack of effort off the field.
Both his "Manny being Manny" philosophy and the media's reaction to it distracted the clubhouse constantly.
No. 7: BALCO
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Everyone knew steroids had become a problem before the BALCO investigations began, but the implications and legal investigations of big names like Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi sparked a media firestorm and put a lot of weight on the accused players' shoulders.
No. 6: MLB vs. the Montreal Expos
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In August 2003, the Expos found themselves in the midst of a pennant race that could have saved the team. At least, until MLB announced that it would not pay for the team to call up minor leaguers in September.
"It was a momentum killer," GM Omar Minaya said. "What killed us was not getting the call-ups."
No. 5: Nick Adenhart Killed
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In April 2009, Adenhart, 22, was killed by a drunk driver—a tragedy that had a huge impact on the Angels clubhouse.
The team wore patches dedicated to him on their jerseys all season and included his memory in their celebrations when they made the playoffs.
No. 4: Jim Palmer vs. Earl Weaver
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No single event characterized the feud between Weaver and Palmer, but for 17 years, the Orioles manager hated his best pitcher. They were forced to be together for nearly two decades.
Probably made things awkward when Weaver went out for mound visits.
No. 3: Oscar Vitt
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Not every manager is popular, but few are truly hated.
Vitt, who called his team the "Cry Baby Indians" and inspired his players to mutiny against him and petition for his firing in 1940, was one of them.
Public Domain image (courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com)
No. 2: Roberto Clemente's Death
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One of the game's saddest days was December 31, 1972, when Clemente's plane (also carrying relief packages for victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua) crashed into the ocean.
The death of any person is a tragedy, but no death in baseball history has touched more people's hearts than that of Roberto Clemente.
Public Domain image (courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com)
No. 1: Jackie Robinson
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Never in the history of baseball has a clubhouse distraction been as big or as important as Jackie Robinson.
The hostility he faced from fans, other players, and even his own teammates was unrivaled in MLB history. And yet, his courage and bravery in breaking the color barrier made him one of the most influential players of all time.
Public Domain image (from Wikimedia Commons)
For more of Lewie's work, visit WahooBlues.com.
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