October 20, 2011

MLB Player Denies Child's Request For Autograph, Sends Him Home in Tears

By - Kris Fletcher

Once upon a time, professional athletes were ranked very high on the list of approved role models for children.

Those days are definitely over.

According to a report from Radar Online, last month Anaheim Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick refused a simple request from a child who worshiped the player to sign his baseball card.

Photo by: Getty Images
The story is that Kendrick had moved into a quiet residential neighborhood for the duration of the baseball season. In September, an eight-year-old fan who had been living next door to his idol asked Kendrick to sign his baseball card, and was very cruelly denied, being sent home heartbroken and in tears.

The child's mother, Shelly Meagher, told Radar: "Howie and his family had been living next door all season. We had been respectful and had not bothered them at all until the morning they were packing to move. My son, who is a huge Angels fan, walked down and asked if he would sign his baseball card before he left. Howie refused saying, 'It's not going to happen' and that we were rude for asking."

Meagher went on to say that Kendrick's wife also came outside and was very rude to the boy, saying: "I can't believe you're standing here. This is really rude and it's not going to happen. Go home."

The outraged mother and crying child returned home to tell the boy's father about what had went down. He then drove past Kendrick's house yelling out the car window, "I hope that makes you feel good, making my eight-year-old son cry. You have kids too, I would think you would never want someone to do that to them!"

Kendrick's was reported to have yelled back to the angry father: "You have a nice day," as he turned and walked back inside.

Statements made to Radar Online by other neighbors revealed that Kendrick's was a "very unfriendly neighbor" who never made an effort to befriend anyone in the neighborhood, and choose to "ignore all who made an attempt to be sociable."

Now, I wasn't there when this altercation went down, and I'm fully aware there are two sides to every story. I've heard multiple talk show radio hosts say that the parents are to blame and that basically Kendrick's did nothing wrong.

I beg to differ.

If the events all transpired as reported, and I'm going on the assumption that they did, I say this to Howie Kendrick: GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE JERK!

News Flash: Outside of California, you aren't exactly a household name. I would guess 7 out of 10 avid baseball fans wouldn't have a clue who you are if your name was mentioned to them. You may have made an All-Star team, but that doesn't make you a superstar. At least then you would have an excuse for having an ego the size of Rhode Island. You should actually be flattered that someone would even want autograph. Although, I'm sure you won't have to worry about that any longer.

Hope you take a 95-MPH fastball to the dome next season.

Oh, and you should probably keep your wife on a tighter leash. Obviously she's as "classy" as you are.

14 comments:

  1. What an ass. I follow baseball but I don't think I've ever heard of Kendrick's prior to reading this. No excuse to act that way. Angels should reprimand him. Reflects poorly on them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You guys shouldn't be so quick to judge. You don't know how the whole ordeal went down. Of course Kendrick's painted as the bad guy, because all the info released was done so by the parents of the child. Kendrick, along with every other athlete, is entitled to his privacy. And talking about his wife is just as lowdown as what he allegedly did. You wouldn't say anything like that to his face I'm sure.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree 100% with Matt.

    Although it would've been much easier for Kendrick to just sign the card and move on, we have no idea what the back story is here AND we're only getting one side. Kendrick may have been having the worst day of his life, but because he's an athlete or someone in the public eye, he's forced to be "on" all the time.

    Just another reason for me to be glad I'm not famous!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with Matt and Todd. If you don't know BOTH SIDES of the story, you really shouldn't judge the guy. That's my two pennies.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You guys are nuts for taking Kendrick's side. Regardless of what kind of day he may have been having or anything else, he didn't have to be so rude about it, especially with there being a kid involved. And of course the info thats come out came from the parents. You don't think Kendrick would release it to make himself look like such an ass do you?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well said, Robert. In fact, tonight I'm going to drop everything I was planning to do and invite ALL of my neighbors over and force myself to talk to all of them, even if they are trying to use me and I've been avoiding them because they annoy the crap out of me.

    Is there an unwritten rule for famous people that states, "you must be friends and cordial to everyone you ever encounter"? Of course it's nice to have guys who sign autographs and talk to kids, but it's also a great opportunity to teach your children how NOT to act if they become famous.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow Todd. How can you, Matt, or anyone else for that matter try to defend this clown's actions? Sure people have bad days, but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on a kid. And for his wife to get involved on top of it, give me a break. She wipe his ass after he goes to the bathroom too? They deserve each other. They're both low lifes. You're right. There's no rule that you have to be friendly and cordial to everyone you encounter. There's also no rule that says you have to be a complete dick all the time. Todd, you stated in the previous post that you were a Cardinals fan. Well put yourself in this families shoe. Say Albert Pujols or Matt Holliday or Chris Carpenter, or any St. Louis player moved into your neighborhood and your child went over to get an autograph and they were treated like this child was. Bet you'd be singing a different tune then. And don't try pulling the whole I wouldn't let my child go over there for starters b.s. either, because if you're as big of a fan as you make out, yeah you would.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Going to have to side with the parents and kid on this one. Pretty bush league move by Kendrick.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Scotty - I'm a massive Cardinals fan but I'm also a realist. Athletes shouldn't be held to such a high standard that they have to be nice to everyone. Kids ask for autographs all the time and get denied - this isn't news. Kendrick was at his house and declined an autograph - of course the kid's mother is going to be insulted. While I'm not sure whether or not the child's mother wipes his butt, I do have the ability to balance a one-sided story pretty well.

    Secondly, I would be a little bummed for my child to be denied an autograph by my neighbor, Albert Pujols (or insert any other Cardinals player here) but the reality is, if I live in the same neighborhood as an MLB star, I send my assistant to the local sports shop and buy my child an autograph.

    Lastly, just because I'm a fan of the team doesn't mean I would nerd out over having a player down the street. I've met several players without freaking out, like you seem to think I would do. And, like a man, I can honestly say that some of them were jackasses and some of them weren't.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Who the hell is Howie Kendrick? Lol

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm with Doug. Who's Howie Kendrick? Not anywhere near big enough of a star player to have such a massive ego.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I totally agree that everyone is entitled to a bad day. But, according to the report, NUMEROUS neighbors said he's ignored anyone who tried to be sociable. So obviously, this wasn't just an isolated incident. He's an ass 24/7.

    Also, I've looked long and hard and have yet to find anything where he's denied the allegation. In this particular instance, not saying anything is pretty much the same as saying it's all true.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would most definitely say Mr. Kendrick could have handled the situation differently.

    ReplyDelete