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SALT LAKE CITY — The Boston Red Sox cancel David Ortiz bobblehead night due to the figure being deemed “racially insensitive;” University of Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers shows off some mighty strong hands, and Draymond Green, Horace Grant and the third member of Destiny’s Child strive to stand out in a funny commercial. More stories from the world of sports in today’s From Left Field.
1. Boston Red Sox cancel David Ortiz bobblehead night, bobbleheads deemed “racially insensitive”
Many sports fans love bobbleheads. Whether they're for collectors or random fans arriving earlier at a game to grab one, bobbleheads are a fun item to show love and support for a player.
On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox were going to distribute David Ortiz bobbleheads to the first 15,000 fans to enter Fenway Park for Boston’s game against the New York Yankees. According to the Red Sox, the team decided not to distribute the bobbleheads after “doing a quality check.”
"I felt they were an inaccurate portrayal of David (Ortiz) and I personally felt there were offensive facial features that were racially insensitive,” said Red Sox president Sam Kennedy to masslive.com.
Red Sox prez Sam Kennedy tells me he thought Ortiz bobblehead came out as "offensive" and "racially insensitive." pic.twitter.com/cXKcoum5iU — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 9, 2016
> A statement from the [\#RedSox](https://twitter.com/hashtag/RedSox?src=hash) regarding tonight's David Ortiz bobblehead giveaway: [pic.twitter.com/btKRFyvDIE](https://t.co/btKRFyvDIE) > > — Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) [August 9, 2016](https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/763076286327689217)
To state the obvious: The face and, in particular, the lips, give the bobblehead a blackface appearance.
Kennedy later said the team will have a revised and appropriate version made and was sorry for the inconvenience to the fans. The company that made the bobbleheads, BDA Inc., issued a statement saying it’ll work closely with the Red Sox to “ensure the team and its fans receive a quality product” in the future.
David Ortiz bobblehead maker, BDA Inc., makes statement on canceled Red Sox promotion pic.twitter.com/gjqN30mmVq — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 9, 2016
Locally, the Salt Lake Bees [plan](http://www.milb.com/promotions/index.jsp?sid=t561) on having a David Ortiz bobblehead night of their own on Aug. 19 to commemorate Big Papi’s Salt Lake Buzz days. Hopefully, the Bees will look (or already have looked) at a sample bobblehead before mass production.
2. University of Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers shows off some mighty strong hands
A football passing machine, known sometimes by the brand name of a Jugs machine, can throw a football as fast as 80 mph and beyond. Obviously, if you catch a ball from a shorter distance from the machine, the harder the football is going to come at you.
But University of Michigan football linebacker/defensive back Jabrill Peppers can’t be close enough to the passing machine to catch the ball.
On Tuesday, Peppers, who was recently featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, displayed his hands of steel by catching footballs from a passing machine at point-blank range.
Seen this on IG.. Had to try it lol harder than I thought pic.twitter.com/ZvLZRjfLhM — JP5 (@JabrillPeppers) August 6, 2016
Wow! Peppers doesn’t even show one sign of discomfort.
Jabrill Peppers is considered by many as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Whether he wins it or not, one thing he’s won, in my book, is an award for college football’s best and strongest hands.
3. Draymond Green, Horace Grant and the third member of Destiny’s Child team up for hilarious Foot Locker ad
So far, 2016 has not the best year for Golden State Warriors small forward Draymond Green. The former Michigan State basketball star has had to deal with everything from avoiding suspension for kicking a player in the groin and being suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals for another groin shot, to losing said Finals and recently accidentally posting a NSFW photo of himself on Snapchat (link is SFW).
There are better ways to go about standing out, Draymond. Just ask former NBA player Horace Grant.
In a newly released commercial for Foot Locker, Grant, best known for his years alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on the Chicago Bulls, gives Green some advice on how to stand out when your team is full of stars.
As Grant mentors Green, Michelle Williams, aka “the third member of Destiny’s Child,” chimes in to agree with Grant. But neither Grant nor Green recognize her and Green’s last question — a question Williams has certainly been asked several times — is the cherry on top of this funny ad.
