Over this past weekend I was out having some drinks with some friends - shocker - and we were visiting one of the local spots in Palo Alto. The Patio. Now, I don't wear v-necks, I don't have a six pack, and I don't tend to chase girls who are falling down drunk so there isn't usually too high an interest for a guy like me to be in a place like that. However, I had recently been there on New Year's Day to watch the Rose Bowl, had a fucking blasty blast, and decided to pay a visit to this steriod-looking, guido-filled establishment. I've recently given up hard alcohol and quit smoking around the same time (New Year's...for good reason, trust me) so I was actually able to take in the scene of the bar without stepping outside or forgetting I was there. In about an hour's time the spit-shine had worn off, my buzz faded, and my urge to backhand the DJ rose so my friends and I decided to pack it in and head home.
On the way out of the bar, my good friend Barry looked around me and all I heard was, "Holy shit, that's Jonathan Martin." I obviously looked at Barry like he was from The Hills Have Eyes and he had three fucking heads, but sure as shit, God as my witness, I turned around and there he was. I'll be damned, Jonathan Martin. Okay, for those who find sports to be a facist aspect of our society or for the ones who literally woke up yesterday, Jonathan Martin was an offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins (formerly of Stanford Cardinal fame; hence being in Palo Alto) and abruply left his team earlier this season due to mental (and arguably physical) harassment from his teammates. The leader of the accused, Richie Incognito, was suspended from the team indefintely and reports have yet to surface as to he will return to his team at some point or not. The story gained National attention for about a month and was not only aired on ESPN, but reached coverage from CNN, MSNBC, FOX, NPR, and almost evey other major and minor news source on planet Earth. Bullying was as hot a topic as it has ever been on the TV and the secret society that once was the "NFL Lockeroom" had now been exposed. However, after one public statement from Jonathan Martin the story seemed to just jump off the airwaves. The Dolphins missed the playoffs, people moved on to bigger and more important stories, and the sports world at large chose to look onward until another piece of the story came forward.
Hoepfully that recap was suitable. Martin looked very much like a victim, Incognito like a villian, and aside from a few teammates actually defending Incognito I felt Incognito was the one who deserved blame. However, I'm not here to talk good guy, bad guy thankfully; I'm herer to talk about a Saturday night in Palo Alto when I met Jonathan Martin.
So, where was I? Oh yes. Barry notices Martin, I turn and notice the dude as well. Let me start by saying this, NFL offensive linemen are fucking barbaric looking creatures. I don't think I have been that close to a professional lineman like that before. I've seen NLF players - receivers, backs, corners - but that was a first for me. I was literally taken aback. Martin walks by me, Barry, my friend Dan, a few girls (yes!), and heads to the bar. He orders something I couldn't make out, turns back toward us, and as we all look on, he walks our way and announces, "Yeah, it's me."
***Trigger sound of screeching tires, traffic halting, and horns blaring***
Yeah, it's me. Yeah, it's me? I didn't know if I had heard him correctly. Yeah, it's me. No smile, no smirk, no "yeah, it's me, but I don't mean that the way I just said it" look. Yeah, it's me. Oh, thanks for confirmation. I wanted to double check since I have my fucking sharpie and #66 Martin Miami Dolphin's jersey tucked in my jock here, bro. I think I initially laughed, but it was a laugh out pure suprise. I know it's you. I just saw your face on the cover of USA Today and on ESPN every day for about month, man. What are you doing here?
Let me be extremely clear... I don't ask "what are you doing here?" because I expect the guy to know his role and stay out of the public eye for fear of ridicule; on the contrary. I ask the question because a sports bar is the last place I would go...personally. 90% of The Patio knew who he was, asked him about his situation, tried to take a picture, and were generally stunned to see this guy out. Like I said, we all knew it was him. Why does he drop the "Yeah, it's me" line? Does he actually think that story and scene they put on in Miami is going to propel him into some sort of lime-light? Let's just say this, I hope those 15 minutes have been used up already. And, as I said, the bullying seemed a bit excessive and I felt for the guy. But, good Lord, don't use that story as a stepping-stool and feel free to drop "Yeah, it's me" at The Patio in Palo Alto.
I'm a nobody and I can confirm that is not okay. Use the experience to motivate you, to stand up for something that's wrong; don't use it as a fuckin' Lotto scratcher of cheap fame. That's far worse than being on ESPN everyday. I can deal with this story potentially dragging out over the course of months to come on cable television, but don't remind me it's you while I'm asking a girl "How much does a polar bear weigh?"
I hope you all had a happy New Year and look forward to working out for the first two months of 2014.
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