Sports Illustrated (From A Cultural Communist Perspective) finally deemed Paul Goldschmidt worthy of an article. And what an exercise in crude, simplistic propaganda it is.
The theme of the piece by Ben Reiter is stated immediately in the sub-headline: "Once a stiff, unheralded prospect, Paul Goldschmidt has turned himself into a perennial MVP and Triple Crown threat through sheer determination. . ."
In the first paragraph Reiter states that Goldschmict is "many things" but "one thing he is not is particularly fast." Goldschmidt has become one of the National League's top base stealers because he hones his technique and studies pitchers, enabling him to be successful on 19 of his first 23 attempts, thus overcoming being slow.
Tony LaRussa is quoted to the effect that Goldschmidt, because of his work ethic, "can't be better than he is."
In high school Goldschmidt "looked thick and stiff -- a graceless fielder, whose swing, though productive, didn't appear likely to work at higher levels." Despite hitting .352 with 18 homers and 88 RBIs in 57 games as a junior college, there was next to no interest in him among scouts.
Two years after being an 8th round pick by the Diamondbacks, Goldschmidt was getting MVP votes, and now he's a Triple Crown contender. Again, this is attributed entirely to his studious nature and "discliplined daily routine, which is detailed down to when he takes his coffee," writes Reiter, and "his humility, which teammates insist is authentic, has made him a notoriously predictable quote among those who cover him."
Goldschmidt finished the ten credits he needed to get his finance degree from Texas State after he was drafted by the Diamondbacks, another testament to his work ethic.
According to the article, Goldschmidt has never been recognized anywhere outside of Phoenix, and a "number of factors -- that he was a late bloomer, that he plays in Arizona, that he shuns attention -- have kept him from attaining genuine superstardom." Who knew that a baseball player becomes a superstar not by his accomplishments but only when the media declares him to be one?
Stiff, slow and unathletic, Goldschmidt has become a great baseball player solely through his intelligence and work ethic. Oh, and the additional twist is that Goldschmidt is the grandchild of Jews who fled Nazi Germany. So he uses his superior Jewish brain to outperform naturally gifted blacks and lazy, less motivated Whites.
It's three non-stop pages of Stereotyping 101. In the interests of full disclosure of its relentless agenda, Sports Illustrated should be printed as a comic book rather than a glossy magazine.
