Well, Kenny finally talked. He apologized for his tirade against various cameras and media members. According to this article on the Texas Rangers site (which includes a link to an audio clip of what he said), he still hasn’t made up his mind about the All-Star Game.
Personally I think he should sit out. Yes, the rules state that he’s allowed to go pending an appeal hearing, but it’s kind of tacky. You know if he’s there, he’ll get it from the media during press day. They’ll be talking about it on TV when he’s there. While I don’t condone what he did, I’d rather folks stop talking about it. The story needs to go away, and his being at the All Star game will likely bring up a fresh round of all this.
Saying he “failed miserably” is a bit of an understatement, especially since violence was involved. I still think the ban should be more than 20 games because he’s a pitcher. Would he have been suspended just 4 games if he was a position player? No – pitchers should be suspended an equal number of games, I think it should be about appearances. However, if anything, the number will go down after the appeal – it always does.
Let’s see if this apology has any impact on his current perception in the media.