First Call: DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic post, Joe West's coronavirus confusion lead 'week of dumb' - TribLIVE

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We need games back.

Now!

Because we need to start talking about dumb decisions by players, coaches, executives and officials on the field. Those things are a lot easier to digest than what they are saying in quotes and on social media.

Wednesday’s “First Call” takes a look at this week’s “Run of Dumb.”

Dumb: NBA commissioner Adam Silver

Silver is considering a tape delay of NBA broadcasts from the Orlando bubble. According to Silver during an interview with TIME100, without crowd noise from fans in the stands, he is worried too much harsh language will be picked up on the court.

Dumb idea.

Aren’t all of these leagues cramming these rebooted seasons into reality for the sake of television ratings and broadcast obligations? Now you want to tape delay them?

No way. The fans won’t go for that. I doubt the networks will go for that either. And the gamblers will especially hate that idea. Not only will that impact traditional bets, live in-game bets will be useless.

It’s not the late 1970s anymore, Adam. That’s back when the NBA Finals used to be tape delayed. There’s this thing called Twitter now. Everyone is going to know the results of the games long before they are done. Try as you might, bubble or not, the final scores will get out.

Find a way around the problem. Fine or give technicals to the players. Get the networks to figure out a way to either dump the natural sound if the microphones pick up curse words or juice in some arena music or ambient sound from elsewhere.

I hate the idea of artificial crowd noise, too. But if your players are that foul mouthed, and they can’t adapt to the circumstances, then you’ve got to figure out a way around the problem.

Or — here’s an idea — just run it raw and let people know what’s really happening on that court.

Hmm. No. You probably don’t want that.

But tape delaying isn’t a solution either.

Dumber: MLB umpire Joe West

West is renowned for not taking any guff on the baseball field. Dare we say that by umpire standards, he’s confrontational.

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Now West apparently thinks he can eject coronavirus from a ball field as easily as he can an angry manager. At 67 years old, with sleep apnea concerns, “slightly elevated” blood pressure, and some extra … um … ”girth,” West was deemed by baseball to be in the high-risk category for umpires who may work MLB games during the pandemic.

But he wants to show up anyway.

Far be it from me to criticize anyone who wants to pursue their profession during this crisis. Good for whoever wants to do it. It’s their personal choice. If there are games to be worked and West wants to work them, I’m not going to tell him he can’t.

That, I respect.

However, what’s dumb is West’s explanation as to why he’s deciding to get between the lines.

“If this game hasn’t gotten me by now, no virus is going to get me,” West said on Monday night via The Athletic. “I’ve weathered a bunch of storms in my life. I’ll weather another one.”

Um, no, Joe. That ain’t how it works. Last time I checked, you can’t tough-talk away covid-19.

I’m not sure if hydroxychloroquine really works or not. But I do know the virus doesn’t get intimidated by old-man, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps bluster.

West wasn’t done.

“I don’t believe in my heart that all these deaths have been from the coronavirus. I believe it may have contributed to some of the deaths,” West continued.

Well, I’ve long questioned West’s ability to interpret a strike zone. So I guess he can question the CDC.

I refuse to take advice from Joe West about who is safe and who is not.

— Art Vandelay (@80GradeTweets) July 7, 2020

Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one.

Please understand, though, West isn’t doing this for him. Nay! He’s doing this … for all of baseball!

Because without veteran umps like him, the sport will melt. What a hero.

“I’m a little scared for baseball. If you take the seniority off the field, these young guys will be out there in a boat without an oar,” West said.

Weird. Because — since we’re using boat metaphors — I know a lot of baseball players and managers that feel like they are on the Titanic any time West umpires a game.

Dumbest: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson

Over the weekend, Jackson posted an anti-Semitic screed to his Instagram story.

An erroneously attributed Adolf Hitler quote said white Jews “will blackmail America. [They] will extort America, their plan for world domination won’t work if the Negroes know who they were.”

In the past two days, Jackson also has posts praising preacher Louis Farrakhan, who is considered to be an anti-Semitic extremist by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

That’s beyond dumb. That’s unforgivably ignorant.

Jackson has since apologized to the team and to the masses on social media.

By the way, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman are Jewish.

Here’s what former Eagles president Joe Banner said.

If a white player said anything about AA’s as outrageous as what Desean Jackson said about Jews tonight there would at least be a serious conversation about cutting him and a need for a team meeting to discuss. Which would be totally appropriate. Absolutely indefensible.

— Joe Banner (@JoeBanner13) July 7, 2020

He’s 100% right.

Now, there were many on social media who tried to deflect such criticism away from Jackson by pointing out that Riley Cooper was kept by the Eagles in 2013. That was after the white wide receiver was videotaped at a concert shouting racist slurs. He was fined. But not suspended. And eventually got a contract extension.

That’s also true.

But here’s a third thing that’s true. Thousands of people — journalists, fans, black players, white players — castigated Drew Brees for saying that he would “never agree” with the idea of protesting the national anthem in the wake of the George Floyd protests.

Saying you disagree with people kneeling for the anthem is a far cry from endorsing anti-Semitic hate speech. But Brees was treated like a social media piñata for weeks thereafter.

I’ve checked the social media accounts of a lot of those individuals. Many were on Mount Pious a few weeks ago, preaching about racial unity and togetherness and the need to erase prejudiced thoughts. Some of them are former Eagles. Some of them are Brees’ teammates.

I saw them tweeting about NFL labor issues and President Donald Trump yesterday. I didn’t see them condemning Jackson.

Some, like former NBA player Stephen Jackson, even defended DeSean Jackson.

The social media shame-game has become quite a popular sport. Maybe someday I’ll figure out the rules.

Unity, togetherness, and eliminating hate infer a two-way street, correct? Or am I just the dumb one for thinking that should be the case?

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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