Dallas Braden: Take Off My Shirt!

Mark Feinsand:

OAKLAND - Robinson Cano broke out a "Get Off My Mound" T-shirt in the visiting trainer's room before Monday night's game, causing an eruption of laughter inside the Yankees' clubhouse. Even Alex Rodriguez laughed at the shirt, which is being sold in the A's team store, a nod to Dallas Braden's famous words for A-Rod after he crossed over the mound on his way back to first base during the Yankees' visit to Oakland on April 22. "I hope I get a cut," Rodriguez told reporters. Braden echoed the same sentiment when questioned by reporters, but the mouthy pitcher quickly added that if it were up to him, the shirts wouldn't be at souvenir stands, calling the idea a "suicide request" by the A's. According to Braden, the A's marketing department went to the MLBPA to get the shirt approved, but was not given the go-ahead to license it. As a result, the shirt doesn't have Braden's name, face or uniform number on it, though it does include a silhouette of him delivering a pitch. -- "It's just not cool," said Braden, who pitched a perfect game against the Rays on May 9. "It's just a serious, gross lack of tact. At the end of the day, I hope I do not become associated with that kind of approach."

I wonder what approach would be good for Braden? The A's, who are drawing terribly at the box office, are looking to make a buck wherever they can. If Braden looks at this as a negative reflection on him, he should consider where the quote came from in the first place. I guess his contention is that this type of attitude is okay on the baseball field but not on a t-shirt? I think Dallas Braden is trying to grow up a bit. The problem is, part of growing up is learning when to keep your mouth shut. He opened it on the field that day and created this mini-phenomenon which has probably done his reputation more harm than good. Now he's openly complaining about his teams attempts to make money on the incident and, by association, his perfect game. Laugh it off, Dallas. If you're lucky, your fifteen minutes of fame will extend to an hour or so.