A smashing success at making a point
It seems unlikely that Cleveland Indians players will be playing “Fortnite” in the clubhouse this season — not after hearing the story that broke Monday morning about an incident involving new first baseman Carlos Santana last season.
Santana, a former Dodgers prospect, played last season for the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that led the National League East in mid-August but fell apart down the stretch and missed the playoffs. He wasn’t happy that some of his teammates were playing video games in the Citizens Bank Park clubhouse during games, and after the Phillies’ ninth straight loss in late September, Santana decided he’d had enough.
So the nine-year veteran took a bat and smashed the TV. No more “Fortnite” during baseball games, or any time for that matter.
“I see a couple players — I don’t want to say names — they play video games during the game,” Santana told ESPN, which confirmed the story with the Phillies.
“We come and lose too many games, and I feel like they weren’t worried about it. Weren’t respecting their teammates or coaches or the staff or the [front] office. It’s not my personality. But I’m angry because I want to make it good.”
Veteran pitcher Jake Arrieta told ESPN he wished Santana had come to him with his concerns about their Phillies teammates before taking such drastic measures. But, he added, “If I’d have known people were playing video games during the game, I’d have broken some ... too.”
Going into this season, second-year Phillies manager Gabe Kapler has called on Arrieta and 12 other team leaders to establish a new team policy over such matters. Of course, Santana won’t be part of any of it — he was traded to the Seattle Mariners, who then dealt him to the Indians, during the offseason.
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak told ESPN that the Santana trade had nothing to do with the “Fortnite” incident. “It was tough to include him in the trade with Seattle, but sometimes you have to trade good players to acquire other good players.”
Hair raising
Cristiano Ronaldo does not need a hair transplant at this time, but he’s here to help anyone who does.
The international soccer superstar launched the Insparya hair transplant clinic Monday in Madrid. His girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, was also in attendance and will be one of the managers of the clinic.
“We come to revolutionize the hair transplant sector,” Ronaldo wrote in Spanish on an Instagram post about the venture.
Ronaldo said in a video attached to the post: “This new project is unique and innovative, with a strong focus on research and technology, in which I intend to contribute and invest to improve the self-esteem of many men and women who suffer from hair loss.”
According to the Daily Mirror, the clinic will employ 150 people and be able to perform 18 transplants a day. Those transplants will also include beards and eyebrows.
The 34-year-old Juventus player, who was with Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, said in a previous interview that he wouldn’t hesitate to use the clinic’s services if and when he ever needed it.
“When I think it’s necessary [to have a transplant], of course I’ll do it,” Ronaldo said. “One’s image is an essential tool for being successful. For me, it’s fundamental.”