Andrelton Simmons Isn’t Good Enough to Get Away with This

I see getting the vaccine like getting life insurance. You don't buy it for YOU...you buy it for the ones you love. You get the vaccine to help stop the spread the best way you can. And it has helped. Not perfectly...but imagine our situation today if the vaccine wasn't around. Masking has helped too. For those who work around kids for example...many teachers, bus drivers and school workers noted a distinct drop in getting the flu or even colds over the winter. Thats not magic, it is science. Viruses will always be around. But its nice to see when their effects can be lessened.

I will always believe in helping 'the team'. the greater good. My neighbors. The kids. If getting the shot and wearing a mask helps, then I'll do my part. Its not about me me me I , I, I--its about YOU. And I do care about you.

Um, yeah. It's time to void his contract.

4 hours ago, jgfellows said:

Also if someone is taking medical advice from Simmons or Cousins, that person is an idiot.  But again nobody deserves to get fired over having an opinion i don’t hold.

Normally I'd agree with your second statement, but in this case we have an employee who has 1) intentionally and very negatively impacted the physical health of his coworkers because of his opinion and 2) now taken to publicly spread disinformation about a public health emergency that has already killed roughly 1 in 500 Americans.

If he was publicly saying something like "I think you should vote for person X because I agree with their unpopular policy proposals" or "I do drug Y and I think you should too" then that's one thing. But we're talking about something that can kill the people that listen to and/or work with him.

Given the idiocy which has passed for "Another Minnesota day ending in 'y'" over the past year plus, no one associated with Minnesota should be sneering at ANY other state.

5 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

No, it doesn't. The first amendment is protection from the government restricting individual speech, not a private organization telling an employee/contractor "you're a pain in the ass and bad at your job, now get lost".

EXACTLY.   I have run into this in the business world multiple times over the last 10 years. Some guy wants to shoot his mouth off in the workplace and screams "1st Amendment" , when the company disciplines him for it.  The employer (Twins), would be well within their rights to send him down the road for anything they don't approve of.

Maybe this is satire. Maybe not. But I think this is a very disingenuous article not meant to be in this blog about baseball. Whether he is good or not does it really matter? Anti vax? Vaccinated? Who cares. I want to hear about legitimate baseball. These are highly politicized terms that mean nothing in this space. Or shouldn’t mean anything in this space. Or really others for that reason other than medical journals. In this day in age of cancel culture and censoring, taking political stances in a baseball blog and delegitimization of people based on baseball stats and baseball production seems icky. Why this is even tolerated in this space makes me want to walk away. No reason to get into these topics on here. This is supposed to be a place to get away. Devoid of political theatre. A place for enjoyment. If we’re gonna be doing this here then I guess this place is destined to become espn.com. Maybe that’s the goal? There’s already enough ad pop ups for it. 

54 minutes ago, Swing Batter-Batter said:

EXACTLY.   I have run into this in the business world multiple times over the last 10 years. Some guy wants to shoot his mouth off in the workplace and screams "1st Amendment" , when the company disciplines him for it.  The employer (Twins), would be well within their rights to send him down the road for anything they don't approve of.

I’m not suggesting that the Twins can’t DFA anyone for any reason on or off the field.  The issue I have is with groups of people who aren’t attached to a company thinking that they have the right to have someone fired.  It’s happening way to frequently these days.  This mob rule mentality is misplaced power.  That is the first amendment argument.  Mobs don’t have the right to try restrain someone else’s first amendment right.

I believe Simmons is a great role model for his years in baseball, his defensive prowess, and he seems like a guy who has added  stability at SS. Something we haven’t seen in years. Even with his comments it is his opinion and even in these times he has a right to voice his concerns about a product which failed him. I’m sure he’s disappointed that a product that was spread as a cure all has now prevented him from being a worthwhile member to the team at this point and has become a detriment and he doesn’t want to be the guy. His demeanor on the field shows that he loves the game regardless of his stats and that is the type of character the twins should welcome. It sounds like he got the vaccine and still contacted the variant which is seeming to be a nationwide problem. Instead of politicizing this we should welcome this. He is voicing his opinion and is obviously disheartened by this being the competitor that he is. People should speak out. It’s everyone’s right and instead of being ostracized we should listen. Simmons is a ball player. He feels sorry. But it’s not his fault. He’s a ball player. He’s trying his best and he still does pretty good defensively. I just hate where this topic is going and wanted to add this as andrelton Simmons is not the enemy. He’s a Twin. That is what we are here to talk about. I can believe he’s added a lot to this team and I’m not gonna look at the X’s and O’s Of this. Let’s talk baseball. Eh?

2 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Simmons did not take the vaccine and has stated he will not take it.

Ok, and we’re gonna demonize him in this space? A baseball blog? Are you really gonna be that guy in this space? Cause you’re proving to be “that guy!” The guy who brings in political arguments to a sports blog space and then you virtue signal that you’re doing it for “everyone else.” Give me a break bro! Go watch cnn and keep your BS out of this space. For the good of everyone who loves baseball and wants to talk baseball. Your taking a stance that’s just legitimizing yourself for everyone else to know who you are rather than even thinking about that the player may have a reason. Or an opinion. Basing on stats that because this guy said something controversial to your opinion he should lose his job? It’s no different than cancelling someone for saying something contrary to what you think. This is a terrible topic to post on here as it was libel to cause people with no brain to add charged subject material into a conversation regardless the player’s character. So how about we stop being terrible people and just stop this thread from going any further? Or are we gonna be those people?

This is Brock’s house. Don’t poop on the floor!   

3 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I have no witty retort to this that isn’t R rated so imma just gonna go watch some baseball now. 

It was meant with respect

47 minutes ago, TNtwins85 said:

Ok, and we’re gonna demonize him in this space? A baseball blog? Are you really gonna be that guy in this space? Cause you’re proving to be “that guy!” The guy who brings in political arguments to a sports blog space and then you virtue signal that you’re doing it for “everyone else.” Give me a break bro! Go watch cnn and keep your BS out of this space. For the good of everyone who loves baseball and wants to talk baseball. Your taking a stance that’s just legitimizing yourself for everyone else to know who you are rather than even thinking about that the player may have a reason. Or an opinion. Basing on stats that because this guy said something controversial to your opinion he should lose his job? It’s no different than cancelling someone for saying something contrary to what you think. This is a terrible topic to post on here as it was libel to cause people with no brain to add charged subject material into a conversation regardless the player’s character. So how about we stop being terrible people and just stop this thread from going any further? Or are we gonna be those people?

Where's the post where you are telling Simmons to stick to sports? 

3 minutes ago, Sconnie said:

This is not a first amendment issue. The government may not censor speech about the government made by citizens in public.

The sentiment is largely correct; but the government can't censor nearly any speech save for some small carve outs--typically that which causes others dangers (hate speech, fire in a theater) or time and place (you can say that, but just not hear and not right now).  As you suggest, one of the true safeguards of the first amendment is to ensure citizens can criticize the government.

14 minutes ago, Sconnie said:

This is not a first amendment issue. The government may not censor speech about the government made by citizens in public.

Twitter is a private platform, and Simmons is making speech about public health. It’s more equivalent to yelling “fire” in a movie theatre. Keep in mind, people go to jail for things like that.

essentially Simmons is telling his followers to use medical treatment alternative to prescribed treatment by public health officials. Saying stuff like that gets people in trouble and usually if you are speaking as a known public figure, you also speak on behalf of your employer. If you hear the “it’s a personal decision” answer in pressers, that’s most likely what the team tells the athlete to say.

Nope

19 minutes ago, Sconnie said:

essentially Simmons is telling his followers to use medical treatment alternative to prescribed treatment by public health officials

That’s what you claimed he said.  He literally said the opposite.  I was correcting you

7 minutes ago, jgfellows said:

Nope

 

 

Had he simply stuck to this position, this thread would not exist.  Some months later, he's not only not advocating for it, it seems he's advocating against it, which isn't at all a personal position.

The Selection Committee has voted unanimously to name Andrelton Simmons the 2021 winner of the Tommy Herr Commemorative Twins Infield Acquisition That Didn't Work Out Award.

22 minutes ago, PseudoSABR said:

Had he simply stuck to this position, this thread would not exist.  Some months later, he's not only not advocating for it, it seems he's advocating against it, which isn't at all a personal position.

The only issue that I have with his latest tweet is that he misspelled effects.  He doesn’t contradict his prior post in the least.  He’s making a passive aggressive smart a** statement and there are people just waiting to make a big deal out of nothing.  I think if you asked him directly, he’d say “do what’s best for you and your family” 

Mob thinking is more infectious than COVID

1 minute ago, jgfellows said:

The only issue that I have with his latest tweet is that he misspelled effects.  He doesn’t contradict his prior post in the least.  He’s making a passive aggressive smart a** statement and there are people just waiting to make a big deal out of nothing.  I think if you asked him directly, he’d say “do what’s best for you and your family” 

Mob thinking is more infectious than COVID

You don't think Simmons is implying that the vaccine isn't effective? Because I can't read it any other way.

What the heck is the  antivax movement but mob thinking? (Reliance on other people agreeing with me, rather than expert opinion, science or peer reviewed research). Seriously. Kettle meet pot. 

2 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Well done, sir. Well done. 

Looking for my check (and a like or five).