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Padres CEO apologizes for comparing Zack Greinke to ‘Rain Man’

Padres CEO apologizes for comparing Zack Greinke to ‘Rain Man’


Tom Garfunkel called Glink the “Rain Man”. (Getty Images)

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Thursday was the start of the week for the Padres-Dodgers spat when Zack Greinke hit Carlos Quentin with a 3-2 pitch that may or may not have been wrong — depending on who you ask.

After that, Greink underwent surgery to repair a broken collarbone, and the war of words between the two teams continued as the Padres swept the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

A story surfaced Thursday in which Padres president and CEO Tom Garfinkel downplayed Grinker’s history of mental problems. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports obtained a four-and-a-half-minute audio clip of Garfunkel talking to a group of Padres fans at Peco Park on Friday, in which Garfunkel said:

“He threw it at him on purpose, okay? That’s the way it is. They can say 3-2 counts, 2-1 games, and no one’s going to do that. Zach Glink is a different person. Anyone see you Pass rain Man? He is a very smart man. “

Garfunkel went on to specifically mention Glink’s battle with social anxiety disorder.

On Thursday, Garfunkel apologized.

Likewise, via Yahoo Sports:

“I was emotional the day after the game and unfortunately, in defending our players, I said something I shouldn’t have said, especially with regards to Zach Glink. I was out of line and I apologise.

“Obviously, I don’t condone fights and I hope it doesn’t happen. You never want to see any player get hurt.”

OK, so it’s hardly any confusion at the “47%” level in the audio, but clearly Garfunkel shouldn’t have said that. Readers’ reactions will vary, from someone complaining about “PC Police” to someone who is extremely offended.I think we can — or at least should – All agree that making fun of someone’s mental problems is pretty stupid, especially in public. This attracts the lowest common denominator, and we should all be better than that.

From a personal perspective, I have a daughter with autism rain Man The comments stood out to me – because Dustin Hoffman’s character in that movie had a relatively severe case of autism. I don’t know Garfunkel, but I’d benefit from the skepticism here and guess that he’s not specifically attacking autistics (if he is, well, he’ll have problems with me in this area in the future). I guess He was pandering to clergy fans and made an obvious, stupid mistake. He has apologized for his lapse in judgment.

Just maybe think better in the future, you know?Aim for something better than low rent rain Man refer to.

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Padres CEO Garfinkel apologises for Greinke’s remarks

Zach Grinker’s story is an absolute treasure