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Phil Mushnick Takes Shot At Gary Sanchez For Using Interpreter

Brandon Contes

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The assumption that foreign-born players use translators because they don’t understand English is a tired one. 

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez grew up in the Dominican Republic, he was not signed by a North American baseball team until he was 17 years old. He left his family and everything that was comfortable when he moved to a foreign country as a teenager. Expectedly, Spanish is the language he’s most comfortable speaking. And despite what Phil Mushnick of The New York Post writes, that doesn’t mean he’s incapable of understanding or speaking English.

In his Saturday column, Mushnick wrote the following:

Despite defensive lapses, give Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres credit.

Last week the Venezuelan with just four years in the bigs stood for a pregame interview on YES, and through faulty English, nevertheless understood and answered Meredith Marakovits’ questions to the best of his English-speaking ability. It’s clear he’s working on his English.

Gary Sanchez, after seven seasons with the Yankees and before that with the club’s farm teams, still can’t be bothered. He still relies on an interpreter, still as deficient in English as he is in fundamental baseball skills and awareness.

An unwarranted shot at Sanchez. Let’s say Sanchez did conduct public interviews with a second language that he didn’t begin learning until he was an adult, would Mushnick be kind to any potential misspeak? Or would the often-controversial writer use it as an opportunity to disparage Sanchez? Sanchez is frequently criticized by fans and the media, why should he trust that it wouldn’t be worse if miscommunications were an added variable?

This wasn’t the first time Sanchez’s decision to use an interpreter has been viewed as an inability to speak or understand English. During the 2019 MLB All-Star game FOX broadcaster Joe Buck made a similar assumption.

With Freddie Freeman mic’d up and approaching the plate, the Braves first baseman told Sanchez, “I know what you’re going to throw at me,” joking that because he’s connected to the broadcast booth, he’ll be able to steal signs. After Sanchez laughed, Buck said “I don’t think he understood what you were saying,” an assumption that the Yankee catcher can’t understand English.

Masahiro Tanaka spent seven seasons with the Yankees and spoke through a translator during his entire career in New York, but that doesn’t mean he’s unable to speak English. In fact, Tanaka was often described as being one of the more popular teammates in the Yankees clubhouse. 

After his contract with the Yankees ran out last year, Tanaka returned to Japan, signing with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. A Japanese magazine recently suggested racism during the COVID-19 pandemic was one reason Tanaka and his family decided to leave the United States. Although it was later reported Tanaka was not quoted in the story. 

Sanchez will be a free agent after next season. Despite being a baseball rarity as a power-hitting catcher, the 28-year-old and two-time All-Star has been hardly appreciated in New York, often criticized for his inconsistencies more than he’s respected for his abilities. Mushnick’s column is a clear example of that disrespect, and maybe the best way for Sanchez to earn some credit will be starting fresh with a new team. 

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Saquon Barkley to WFAN’s Tiki Barber: “Don’t Feed Into the B.S.”

Barkley said any narrative that he chose to go to Philadelphia over staying with the Giants is incorrect because New York never offered him a contract.

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Logo for the New Heights podcast and a photo of Saquon Barkley

Former New York Giants and current Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley made an appearance this week on New Heights, the podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce. In addition to several football related topics, Barkley spoke about his war of words with WFAN host and former Giants running back Tiki Barber.

After Barkley signed with the Eagles on a three-year, $37.5 million deal, Barber said that Barkley was “dead to us,” referring to New York Giants fans. Barber has said those comments were more about what the fans were thinking and were “tongue-in-cheek.” Barkley came back at Barber on social media and said he was a “hater” since he came to New York.

In explaining what made him upset about Barber’s response, Barkley said he didn’t think it was right to be attacked by a former player.

“I love seeing NFL guys, I love seeing OGs, I love seeing you guys, you have a platform, this is a place where you know ball, you can talk, you can educate fans,” Barkley said. “Maybe use that time to show, ‘Maybe this is why Saquon is going to Philly’ … the business side of it, use that to show, I’m not saying you got to have loyalty to me because I don’t care for that, to be honest, but you are an ex-NFL player, an ex-NFL athlete, don’t feed into the B.S., let fans do that, they’re supposed to do that, they’re emotional.”

Barkley said any narrative that he chose to go to Philadelphia over staying with the Giants is incorrect because New York never offered him a contract.

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Joe Buck Misses Calling Baseball But Says He’s Already Called it for “A Lifetime”

“People go, ‘Do you miss calling baseball?’ — I did it for 35 years, that is a lifetime in broadcasting…I feel like I put my time in.”

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Picture of Joe Buck
Credit: Richard Shotwell AP

Longtime sports broadcaster Joe Buck gave up calling baseball when he made the switch to ESPN and, while he says he misses the sport, he’s called 35 years’ worth of the sport. On the latest edition of Nothing Left Unsaid with Tim Green, Green asks his former broadcast partner about the lack of baseball in his life. While Buck says he misses parts of baseball, he doesn’t miss all of it.

“People go, ‘Do you miss calling baseball?’ — I did it for 35 years, that is a lifetime in broadcasting…I feel like I put my time in. I did 24 World Series — that’s a lot, 24 more than I ever expected to do on national television. What I do miss is calling the game for the home crowd. I do miss the local stuff, where you go into the booth, and you’re the Cardinal announcer, and when the Cardinals win, ‘Yay,’ and when the Cardinals lose, ‘Boo.’ When you do the network stuff, it’s like death by 1000 cuts. It’s, ‘you hate my team, screw you,’ and it gets in your head and it takes a little bit of the fun out of it…I don’t miss the stress that comes with all that, but I do miss calling baseball for [a local team]…You show up, you’re not just there for an organization, but for their fans, and you’re kind of rooting along with them. That’s fun. And so, I miss that, but as far as the national stuff, I don’t miss a lot of that.”

Buck reiterated points he made months ago on 810 WHB with Jason Anderson. “I miss doing local baseball. I miss putting on a headset and being the eyes and ears of Cardinal fans, Royal fans, Rangers fans, whatever,” Buck said back then. “That’s more fun than being Switzerland and getting all the junk that comes with it.”

He stopped calling baseball when he and longtime football partner Troy Aikman moved from FOX to ESPN to call Monday Night Football. While he said publicly that he would miss calling the World Series, he also said the 2022 World Series would have been his last anyway. Buck says he may one day feel compelled to call baseball again, though, saying, “I’ve never said that before, but I just feel like I’m 53, basically 54, [and] I think it’s too early to say nevers at this point in my life. I think at some point, I’ll get the itch again.”

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Former Red Sox Pitcher Jonathan Papelbon Joins Roster of ‘Foul Territory’ Hosts

“I am joining the Foul Territory podcast full-time, no more guest spots…I’m coming in and I can’t wait to pop a bottle on this year’s baseball season.

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The already-stacked roster on Foul Territory just got its closer. Jonathan Papelbon, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, and Philadelphia Phillies, announced today that he was joining fellow former All-Stars A.J. Pierzynski, Todd Frazier, Adam Jones, Lorenzo Cain, Brock Holt and Jason Kipnis on the show.

The podcast also features former MLB Network host Scott Braun and former 11-year MLB catcher Erik Kratz.

“I am joining the Foul Territory podcast full-time, no more guest spots,” Papelbon said in a video posted to his X account. “Whether it’s a big Ohtani gambling scandal or me giving you baseball gambling winners…I’m coming in, no bulls—-, real talk, and I can’t wait to pop a bottle on this year’s baseball season.”

Papelbon has been a contributor to the show in the past as a guest but will now join in an official capacity. He has also contributed to linear and digital content for NESN since 2021 and will reportedly head to the booth this year.

The former closer will join Alanna Rizzo on the Foul Territory network, who was brought on just a week ago to co-host the podcast’s live program, Fair Territory, with baseball insider Ken Rosenthal.

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