Dodgers: Kenley Jansen’s voting anger is understandable, but misplaced
By Evan Lovett
The Los Angeles Dodgers have great representation at the All-Star Game, sending four players. Yet, it could have been so much more.
Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen will each be packing their bags for the All-Star game in Miami on July 11th, but Jansen may have a bit more baggage than normal based on his comments after the Dodgers loss on Sunday.
Lashing out at Dodgers fans for once again failing to vote in a representative to start, Jansen minced no words in his assessment of the fan base, “I’ll say it loud and clear again: It’s the Dodger fans’ fault.” The Dodgers’ most recent starting offensive player was Yasiel Puig in 2014, and their most recently elected infielder was Jeff Kent in 2005.
This, from a club that is en route to winning five consecutive National League Division crowns, and on a team with a legitimate MVP candidate in Justin Turner, who was inexplicably left off the roster completely.
Though Jansen’s words may seem out of character for the gentle giant, they cut like one of his unhittable fastballs when coming from the mouth of the great closer.
Appearing on front pages and push alerts from ESPN, MLB.com, Yahoo Sports and the L.A. Times, it is one of the first instances in Jansen’s career that he has received negative attention. Ultimately, however, though his displeasure may be misplaced – he is definitely not wrong.
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How can fans be expected to stuff the ballot box when 90% of the greater metro area can not even see games on TV? With the Time Warner/Spectrum fiasco still ongoing with no end in sight, the Dodgers are withering away in the consciousness of the younger generation. With an average of only 79,000 households tuning into the average Spectrum telecast, the number of nightly fans is roughly 20% of what it was on free television.
In comparison, the number ranks 15th of the 29 United States based teams. It is tough for the ballclub to rally the votes with severely limited exposure.
So Jansen perhaps could have used more measured words to express his frustration – or directed the anger at Spectrum and/or the Dodgers – but the organization signs his paycheck for his $80 million contract. The nuances of the cable dealings with Guggenheim management are tough to grasp, so the easiest target is the people who actually do the voting – the fans.
With the fans unable to see the team, including Turner’s MVP-esque run (.382 batting average, 1.029 OPS), it is easy to excuse a fan base that is being shut out by the team they love.
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So while fans still love Kenley Jansen – and the Dodgers, who are leading the league in attendance yet again – this is perhaps a shot across the bow at both Spectrum and the Dodgers, who are seriously at risk of losing a long-term, loyal fan base. And that is why Kenley Jansen’s anger is understandable, but misplaced.