Karl Ravech is Slightly Racist

Karl Ravech is wondering when Kirby Puckett played for the Dodgers

I tuned in to Baseball Tonight on ESPN to catch up on the days baseball action.  Instead of Web Gems, I got racism. 

Analyst Chris Singleton reflected on what Jackie Robinson meant to him as a former player.  Host Karl Ravech narrated an interesting piece about Jackie Robinson, which gave a biographical fact about his life and baseball career corresponding to every number counting down from his uniform number 42.    But then, the train jumped the tracks when Ravech tried to ad lib about Robinson’s life after baseball.  Most notably, he told America about Jackie’s tragic death in a plane crash while flying supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. 

One problem Ravy, that was Roberto Clemente. 

I’m sure Jackie Robinson’s family was shocked to learn of his untimely demise considering their belief that he had passed after a heart attack in 1972.  Perhaps Karl knows something they don’t.  Or, more likely, he’s seen “Heaven Can Wait” too many times and believes Robinson’s soul inhabited Clemente’s body for a couple months. 

I’m sure Clemente’s family was also none too pleased to hear that the heroic, albeit tragic, death of their beloved Roberto had been stolen posthumously by Jackie Robinson.  Isn’t it enough that MLB retired Jackie’s number but not Clemente’s?

To his credit, Ravech apologized late in the broadcast after being made aware of his gaff by producers and the angry mob of Brooklyn Dodger fans hanging him in effigy in the parking lot.  That doesn’t, however, excuse his error.  You see, ESPN would have us believe that Ravech is a baseball savant.  If you’ve seen his latest Baseball Tonight commercial, he purports to know Tony Gwynn’s career total bases off the top of his head.  Of course, he may well know that but also “know” that Gwynn died of a brain tumor in 1932 1947. 

That was Josh Gibson. 

In a statement obtained by Bootlegger Sports*, Ravech had this to say: “I apologize for the mix-up.  I made a mistake.  Jackie Robinson was a great man, despite his alleged steroid use, that time he threw a firecracker into a crowd, his dog-fighting ring and his child pornography case.”

That was Barry Bonds, Vince Coleman, Mike Vick and R Kelly, respectively.

*By “obtained”, we obviously mean “made up”

Editor’s Note: We apologize for the lack of video evidence, but as soon as someone does the leg-work for us, we’ll slap it up.  In the meantime, you should be ashamed for missing Baseball Tonight and seeing it for yourself.  Communist.

2nd Editor’s Note:We also apologize for the factual error contained in this story.  Obviously, this was an attempt by the author’s subconscious to cry out for help.  He has a problem.  He’ll soon get the help he needs.

Tags: baseball, Baseball Tonight, Chris Singleton, ESPN, Jackie Robinson, Karl Ravech, MLB, Roberto Clemente