This isn't his first rodeo
February 25, 2020 3:02 AM Subscribe
This is great, but I'm always disappointed with people who have the opportunity to pick a pseudonym and go completely whitebread with it. If this wasn't the chance for a Pierre Delecto or Carlos Danger, I don't know what is.
posted by Rock Steady at 4:54 AM on February 25, 2020 [21 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 4:54 AM on February 25, 2020 [21 favorites]
Good old Ron Mexico.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:08 AM on February 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Literaryhero at 5:08 AM on February 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
I mean, terrible old Ron Mexico, but that is exactly what I am talking about. Sure, I could go with "Dan Collins" in some sort of reference to family names and whatnot, but why not try "Victor Castlebridge" or "Archibald St. John" on for size? Those are just off the top of my head! SMDH
posted by Rock Steady at 5:13 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 5:13 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
At first glance, I was amazed that the guy who did fine art restoration would also do rodeo. Didn't know his first name was Madison.
Then I realized the name in the post isn't Baumgartner.
posted by Ickster at 5:34 AM on February 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
Then I realized the name in the post isn't Baumgartner.
posted by Ickster at 5:34 AM on February 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
I get it, but the whole idea here is to not draw attention to himself. It's easy to say "pick something fun" when you don't stand to lose a eight-figure salary by doing so.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:49 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by kevinbelt at 5:49 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Since he used his wife's name, it's a good thing that it didn't work out with Madison Bumgarner back in the day.
posted by Etrigan at 5:54 AM on February 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 5:54 AM on February 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
Why the hell should everyone in baseball know this? As long as he’s not endangering anyone else in his off time and not breaking his contract, it’s nobody’s goddamn business what he does for a hobby.
And, yeah, Mason Saunders is a boring name, but that’s what you need when your hobby is nobody’s goddamn business but your own.
posted by drivingmenuts at 5:58 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
And, yeah, Mason Saunders is a boring name, but that’s what you need when your hobby is nobody’s goddamn business but your own.
posted by drivingmenuts at 5:58 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
Bumgarner and his wife Ali once killed a rattlesnake, rescued a baby jackrabbit it had swallowed, and nursed the rabbit back to health. True story.
posted by zamboni at 6:08 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by zamboni at 6:08 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
Honestly, if I were a reporter and I found out that a famous person had a completely unobjectionable hobby that they were doing anonymously to avoid being mobbed by gawkers, I might not publish the story.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:21 AM on February 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:21 AM on February 25, 2020 [5 favorites]
I felt like "everyone in baseball should know this" was meant more as "this is Madison Bumgarner, we're talking about, *of course* he enters rodeos in secret, why are you surprised?" and less as "this is important information that I am revealing to you because the public needs to know".
As long as he’s not endangering anyone else in his off time and not breaking his contract, it’s nobody’s goddamn business what he does for a hobby.
He arguably is breaking his contract. There's a standard prohibition on participating in dangerous sports (clause 5B) that would endanger the athlete without written permission from the team in baseball's player contract. Some specific sports are listed and rodeo isn't on the list, but the catch all risk of personal injury clause arguably includes rodeo, though team roping seems like one of the least dangerous of the rodeo sports.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:34 AM on February 25, 2020 [8 favorites]
As long as he’s not endangering anyone else in his off time and not breaking his contract, it’s nobody’s goddamn business what he does for a hobby.
He arguably is breaking his contract. There's a standard prohibition on participating in dangerous sports (clause 5B) that would endanger the athlete without written permission from the team in baseball's player contract. Some specific sports are listed and rodeo isn't on the list, but the catch all risk of personal injury clause arguably includes rodeo, though team roping seems like one of the least dangerous of the rodeo sports.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:34 AM on February 25, 2020 [8 favorites]
Cranjus McBasketball
posted by Billiken at 6:38 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Billiken at 6:38 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
As long as he’s not endangering anyone else in his off time and not breaking his contract, it’s nobody’s goddamn business what he does for a hobby.
Yeah, given the long history of baseball players hurting themselves doing stupid shit ranging from riding motorcycles, to making sandwiches, the shock value of this is pretty high. Its also EXCEPTIONALLY on brand, he once gave Ali a cow for her birthday.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:42 AM on February 25, 2020 [7 favorites]
Yeah, given the long history of baseball players hurting themselves doing stupid shit ranging from riding motorcycles, to making sandwiches, the shock value of this is pretty high. Its also EXCEPTIONALLY on brand, he once gave Ali a cow for her birthday.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:42 AM on February 25, 2020 [7 favorites]
This fact is hilarious, thank you.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:59 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:59 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
I love him
posted by sunset in snow country at 7:10 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by sunset in snow country at 7:10 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
The injured motorcycle riding ball player in Exceptional_Hubris' example is ...Madison Bumgarner, so he's got form. And the sandwich injury was another Giant, Matt McCain.
Go Giants!
posted by chavenet at 7:21 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
Go Giants!
posted by chavenet at 7:21 AM on February 25, 2020 [3 favorites]
he once gave Ali a cow for her birthday.
The same article I linked before also carefully makes clear that, while he did give Ali a cow just before their wedding, a) it was not specifically a wedding present, and, b) she loved it.
posted by zamboni at 7:22 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
The same article I linked before also carefully makes clear that, while he did give Ali a cow just before their wedding, a) it was not specifically a wedding present, and, b) she loved it.
posted by zamboni at 7:22 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
Not going to lie: I'm straight up disappointed there was no scorpion angle to this story.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:26 AM on February 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 7:26 AM on February 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
Sadly, Bumgarner never played for the Scottsdale Arizona Fall League minor league team, home of such baseball stars as Michael Jordan and Tim Tebow.
posted by zamboni at 7:48 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by zamboni at 7:48 AM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
At least he lassos with his right (non-pitching) arm.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:55 AM on February 25, 2020
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:55 AM on February 25, 2020
> ArbitraryAndCapricious: Honestly, if I were a reporter and I found out that a famous person had a completely unobjectionable hobby that they were doing anonymously to avoid being mobbed by gawkers, I might not publish the story.
Yeah, I sort of think the same thing, but if you are a sports journalist, you kind of have to buy into the idea that "the fans" have some sort of "right" to know things about the players they cheer for. That includes positive things, like "Madison Bumgarner is so cool he is a secret cowboy" and negative things like "Madison Bumgarner is putting himself at serious risk for injury (again) doing dangerous things off-season".
posted by Rock Steady at 10:48 AM on February 25, 2020
Yeah, I sort of think the same thing, but if you are a sports journalist, you kind of have to buy into the idea that "the fans" have some sort of "right" to know things about the players they cheer for. That includes positive things, like "Madison Bumgarner is so cool he is a secret cowboy" and negative things like "Madison Bumgarner is putting himself at serious risk for injury (again) doing dangerous things off-season".
posted by Rock Steady at 10:48 AM on February 25, 2020
> drivingmenuts: And, yeah, Mason Saunders is a boring name, but that’s what you need when your hobby is nobody’s goddamn business but your own.
The Wikipedia list of Team Roping champions includes names like Speed Williams, Rich Skelton, Chad Masters, Jhett Johnson, and Turtle Powell, so he had some rope to play with there.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:55 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
The Wikipedia list of Team Roping champions includes names like Speed Williams, Rich Skelton, Chad Masters, Jhett Johnson, and Turtle Powell, so he had some rope to play with there.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:55 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]
Turtle Powell
Hero in a horse show, Turtle Powell!
posted by zamboni at 11:07 AM on February 25, 2020 [14 favorites]
Hero in a horse show, Turtle Powell!
posted by zamboni at 11:07 AM on February 25, 2020 [14 favorites]
Well, there was a picture posted to a public facebook page for the rodeo, so it wasn't exactly like someone leaked it secretly.
posted by tavella at 11:27 AM on February 25, 2020
posted by tavella at 11:27 AM on February 25, 2020
He arguably is breaking his contract. There's a standard prohibition on participating in dangerous sports (clause 5B) that would endanger the athlete without written permission from the team in baseball's player contract. Some specific sports are listed and rodeo isn't on the list, but the catch all risk of personal injury clause arguably includes rodeo, though team roping seems like one of the least dangerous of the rodeo sports.
There's an example from a 2012 Cubs contract that goes
"The prohibited activities are as follows:
'(A)uto racing, motorcycling, piloting, co-piloting, learning to operate, or serving as a crew member of, an aircraft, being a passenger in a single engine airplane or private plane, hot air ballooning, parachuting, skydiving, hang gliding, bungee jumping, horseback riding, horse racing, harness racing, fencing, boxing, wrestling, karate, judo, jujitsu, any other form of martial arts activity, use of an All Terrain Vehicle (‘ATV'), skiing (water or snow), snowmobiling, bobsledding, luging, ice hockey, ice boating, field hockey, squash, spelunking, basketball, football, softball, white water canoeing or rafting, kayaking, jai-alai, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, rodeo, bicycle racing, motor boat racing, polo, rugby, rodeo, handball, volleyball, in-line or other roller skating, surfing, hunting, paddleball, racquetball, archery, wood chopping, mountain climbing, boating, any weightlifting not prescribed by or approved in advance by Club (said approval not to be unreasonably withheld), participation in the ‘Superteams' or ‘Superstars' activities (or any like activity) or other made-for-television or made-for-motion picture athletic competitions, or any other sport, activity, or negligent act involving a reasonably foreseeable substantial risk of personal injury or death.'"
Rodeo is actually listed twice. It must also suck for the amateur luge or jai alai enthusiasts out there who can also throw a slider.
posted by Copronymus at 12:01 PM on February 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
There's an example from a 2012 Cubs contract that goes
"The prohibited activities are as follows:
'(A)uto racing, motorcycling, piloting, co-piloting, learning to operate, or serving as a crew member of, an aircraft, being a passenger in a single engine airplane or private plane, hot air ballooning, parachuting, skydiving, hang gliding, bungee jumping, horseback riding, horse racing, harness racing, fencing, boxing, wrestling, karate, judo, jujitsu, any other form of martial arts activity, use of an All Terrain Vehicle (‘ATV'), skiing (water or snow), snowmobiling, bobsledding, luging, ice hockey, ice boating, field hockey, squash, spelunking, basketball, football, softball, white water canoeing or rafting, kayaking, jai-alai, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, rodeo, bicycle racing, motor boat racing, polo, rugby, rodeo, handball, volleyball, in-line or other roller skating, surfing, hunting, paddleball, racquetball, archery, wood chopping, mountain climbing, boating, any weightlifting not prescribed by or approved in advance by Club (said approval not to be unreasonably withheld), participation in the ‘Superteams' or ‘Superstars' activities (or any like activity) or other made-for-television or made-for-motion picture athletic competitions, or any other sport, activity, or negligent act involving a reasonably foreseeable substantial risk of personal injury or death.'"
Rodeo is actually listed twice. It must also suck for the amateur luge or jai alai enthusiasts out there who can also throw a slider.
posted by Copronymus at 12:01 PM on February 25, 2020 [4 favorites]
There's a standard prohibition on participating in dangerous sports (clause 5B) that would endanger the athlete without written permission from the team in baseball's player contract.
Bumgarner's agent probably had to go back to the front office like, "Yeah, we're, uh, we're good on the numbers, there's just a couple things on the dangerous sports exclusion list...No, no basketball...Yeah, so we need to take out, uh, spelunking, jai alai, ATVs, rodeo, and, uh, a tomato festival?...Okay, Madison, so we're a go on ATVs and rodeo, but they want a map on file for the spelunking. No movement on jai alai or the tomato thing. That's okay? He says that's okay."
posted by Snarl Furillo at 12:12 PM on February 25, 2020 [6 favorites]
Bumgarner's agent probably had to go back to the front office like, "Yeah, we're, uh, we're good on the numbers, there's just a couple things on the dangerous sports exclusion list...No, no basketball...Yeah, so we need to take out, uh, spelunking, jai alai, ATVs, rodeo, and, uh, a tomato festival?...Okay, Madison, so we're a go on ATVs and rodeo, but they want a map on file for the spelunking. No movement on jai alai or the tomato thing. That's okay? He says that's okay."
posted by Snarl Furillo at 12:12 PM on February 25, 2020 [6 favorites]
Copronymus: "There's an example from a 2012 Cubs contract that goes"
Well, of course, the Cubs
posted by chavenet at 1:20 PM on February 25, 2020
Well, of course, the Cubs
posted by chavenet at 1:20 PM on February 25, 2020
And the sandwich injury was another Giant, Matt McCain
I'm FTG all day, every day, but I do admit than when I go up to Ike's up in Cupertino I do order the Matt Cain.
Also, I'm glad that Bumgarner didn't leave the division. We still get to hear him complain about (mostly non-white) players violating the unwritten rules of baseball at Dodger Stadium East.
posted by sideshow at 3:21 PM on February 25, 2020
I'm FTG all day, every day, but I do admit than when I go up to Ike's up in Cupertino I do order the Matt Cain.
Also, I'm glad that Bumgarner didn't leave the division. We still get to hear him complain about (mostly non-white) players violating the unwritten rules of baseball at Dodger Stadium East.
posted by sideshow at 3:21 PM on February 25, 2020
And of course that's basically the Don't Be An Idiot clause they have for those guys they want to dump when it's convenient. Honestly back in 2014 Chipper Jones saved teammate Freddie Freeman on his ATV and the team created this Chipper Jones Freddie Freeman ATV Rescue Bobblehead.
Ahem:
In January, 2014, Freeman got stuck in traffic during a freak southern snow storm. Catching word of this through Twitter, Jones braved the elements on his ATV and got his former teammate out of traffic.
OTOH Aaron Boone playing basketball... The spring after his 2003 World Series walkoff homerun for the Yankees, Boone blew out a knee playing buckets and they voided his $4.9m contract. And that was someone they liked. This is business.
posted by Cris E at 5:51 PM on February 25, 2020
Ahem:
In January, 2014, Freeman got stuck in traffic during a freak southern snow storm. Catching word of this through Twitter, Jones braved the elements on his ATV and got his former teammate out of traffic.
OTOH Aaron Boone playing basketball... The spring after his 2003 World Series walkoff homerun for the Yankees, Boone blew out a knee playing buckets and they voided his $4.9m contract. And that was someone they liked. This is business.
posted by Cris E at 5:51 PM on February 25, 2020
Team roping has this distressing tendency for thumb amputations. I would imagine his baseball team might want him to retain all his digits.
posted by blob at 7:53 PM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by blob at 7:53 PM on February 25, 2020 [1 favorite]
I would imagine his baseball team might want him to retain all his digits.
By gum, if it worked for Mordecai Brown back in aught-six, there's no reason it can't also work for Madison Bumgarner today.
posted by Copronymus at 9:54 AM on February 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
By gum, if it worked for Mordecai Brown back in aught-six, there's no reason it can't also work for Madison Bumgarner today.
posted by Copronymus at 9:54 AM on February 26, 2020 [2 favorites]
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