The Other Fifteen

Apparently, in this post-Michael Vick era, we not only have a steroids scandal in baseball, but a cockfighting scandal. It all started when a video of Pedro Martinez and Juan Marichal engaging in cockfighting surfaced on the Internet. Well, apparently now it's the Cubs' problem, too:

Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramírez is prominently featured in a recent issue of a Dominican cockfighting magazine, En La Traba, in which he is pictured with several roosters that he raises for fighting. Of roosters, he said in the magazine, “When I’m in the Dominican Republic, I’m dedicated entirely to them.”

...

Jason Carr, a Cubs spokesman, said the team did not know that Ramírez was associated with cockfighter in the Dominican Republic. He said Ramírez could not be reached until he reports for spring training in Arizona on Feb. 18.

(Hat tip: Wrigleyville23.)

Well, it wasn't exactly like Ramirez was subtle about it. En La Traba has a website, with Ramirez prominently featured on the front page:

My best attempt at a translation, with some help from Google:

ARAMIS RAMIREZ: In the major leagues of roosters
"I do not think there is a balance between baseball and roosters. The two sports are good. I do not think that one has more fans than the other - the Dominican Republic has as many cockfighters as baseball players."

I can picture this being a distraction going into spring training. Unlike with Michael Vick, cockfighting in the Dominican Republic is not illegal, so there's little reason to think anything more than a public apology will come of it.

Labels: Aramis Ramirez, Baseball, Chicago Cubs, Cockfighting