The Cubs Had A Conversation With Aroldis Chapman About His Off-Field Behavior, And He Doesn't Remember It
(NY Daily News) — When the Cubs announced the trade with the New York Yankees on Monday, the team released a statement from Chairman Tom Ricketts saying they were aware of his 29-game suspension to begin the season under Major League Baseball’s new domestic violence policy.
Ricketts said he and Epstein talked by phone with Chapman before the deal was completed and “shared with him the high expectations we set for our players,” adding that Chapman was “comfortable” with them.
But when asked repeatedly about that phone conversation before Tuesday’s game against the crosstown White Sox, Chapman said through an interpreter that he couldn’t recall details because he was taking a nap at the time the call came in.
The question was asked several more times. A Cubs spokesman once asked the question himself to the interpreter, coach Henry Blanco.
“It’s been a long day,” Chapman said. “Trying to remember.”
Asked again several minutes later during the group interview if he could now remember what Ricketts said, Chapman shook his head.
“I still don’t remember,” he said in Spanish.
I feel like this story’s getting blown out of proportion a little bit. Not the Aroldis Chapman assault on his girlfriend story — that one’s gotten plenty of justified attention. But I can totally relate to the sleep amnesia excuse. My mom used to do that shit all the time when I was in high school. Wake me up at fuckin’ 6 o’clock in the morning, and tell me all the important shit I needed to remember for that day, and I would have zero recollection of that conversation because I was half asleep when it took place.
But if you’re Chapman here, and you know that your reputation is damaged, perhaps beyond repair, why would you openly admit that you forgot the entire conversation? It obviously meant a lot to Theo Epstein and the Cubs to have that particular conversation with Chapman before acquiring him, so just lie. Fill in the blanks. You know it was about your off-field behavior, so just go along with it. Yeah, the Cubs have very high standards here, I’m really happy to be here, I want to do what’s best for the organization, I’ve learned from my mistakes, blah, blah, blah. It’s all PR bullshit anyway.
You are who you are as a person. By all accounts, it sounds like Chapman is a real piece of shit. Do people change, or do people just get better at hiding who they really are? I think the latter. You’ve got plenty of good vibes going on in Chicago, and now there’s plenty of hesitation surrounding Chapman joining a fairly happy-go-lucky bunch, and rightfully so. I wouldn’t want that dude in my clubhouse if I’m Anthony Rizzo or Kris Bryant. Does he make the Cubs better? You bet your ass he does. But he’s a distraction and a negative presence. At least right now, he is. Help win a World Series in Chicago for the first time since 1908, and I’m sure that changes. That’s the unfortunate reality of professional sports. However, wherever he goes from now until the end of his career, he will bring with him a discussion about domestic abuse. That’s just how it goes, and honestly, how it should be.
Teams have to speak to him about his off-field behavior prior to bringing him into their organizations now because of his history. The least you can do — the absolute VERY least you can do, is act like you care if you’re Chapman. It just comes off as completely tone deaf with no self-awareness to say you don’t remember that conversation, which was a very important one. Horrible first impression. Sometimes, honesty isn’t the best policy. Do I believe him that he doesn’t remember the conversation? Well, I’m not sure what he’d have to gain by lying about that. But would he have been in the wrong for just giving a PR-friendly answer, one that I’m sure he’s rehearsed plenty of times since he joined the Yankees following his suspension for domestic assault? I don’t think so.