Indians Farmhand Cums Clean (On Tape)



ESPN reported last night that that Cleveland minor league P Kazuhito Tadano has owned up to his participation in a gay porn film.

Indians minor leaguer Kazuhito Tadano is asking for forgiveness for what he called a one-time mistake -- his appearance in a gay porn video in which he engaged in a homosexual act.

Tadano took part in the video three years ago when he was a college student. Sitting in the Cleveland clubhouse Tuesday, the pitcher said he hoped to put his actions in the past.

"All of us have made mistakes in our lives," Tadano said, reading a statement in English. "Hopefully, you learn from them and move on."

Shunned by Japanese baseball teams, the 23-year-old Tadano signed with the Indians last March. They think he can make their club this spring.

Tadano gave few details about the video, which he made after his sophomore year at Rikkyo University.

"I did participate in a video and I regret it very much," he said. "It was a one-time incident that showed bad judgment and will never be repeated. I was young, playing baseball, and going to college and my teammates and I needed money.

"Frankly, if I were more mature and had really thought about the implications of what I did, it never would have happened."

Through an interpreter, Tadano added: "I'm not gay. I'd like to clear that fact up right now."

Tadano was one of Japan's top college pitchers and expected to be a high first-round pick in 2002. But after a Japanese tabloid published photos of him in the video a month before the draft, pro teams in Japan did not select him.

"The commissioner of Japanese baseball came out and said, 'You will not draft Tadano,''' asserted the pitcher's agent, Alan Nero. "But this kid didn't assault anybody. He didn't commit murder. If anything, he is guilty of being naive."

Twice in the minor leagues last season, Tadano stood before his teammates and confessed to his participation in the video, which Nero said can only be obtained on the black market in Japan.

Tadano knows he may face fan abuse in major league parks such as Yankee Stadium, where heckling the visitors is part of the pageantry.

He joked that he's ready for it.

"I don't understand English, so it doesn't really matter," he said.




This strikes me as sloppy reporting. I mean, the natural question that comes to mind is, what exactly is Tadano doing in the video? "Engaged in a homosexual act" covers a lot of ground, as any purveyor of Japanese all-male porn can attest. Though at least he called his actions "a mistake", as opposed to "an accident", which would be much more difficult to explain. But other than the obvious laff-factor, what does he have to apologize for? He wasn't an Indians employee at the time --- certainly a team that kept Jose Mesa on the payroll has more to answer for than a young guy making his cinematic debut.

Later today, Mike Piazza will hold a press conference to announce he has never rented this video.

Wednesday afternoon update : Nothing I like more than seeing what other blogs have had to say. One otherwise smart commentator chimed in with "when I was in college and needed money, gay porn is not the first thing that came to mind." Yeah, well, maybe nobody would pay to see you suck cock? Let us know when you turn down a bona fide offer.

Another point to ponder was the notion that Tadano's admission and subsequent signs of tolerance from the Indians clubhouse might be the first step towards an openly gay player being accepted by in the major leagues. A nice thought, but getting paid to "engage in a homosexual act" (filmed or not) is no greater an indicator of someone being gay than playing a Limp Bizkit CD (though both actions might require an apology to your teammates).

Posted: Wed - January 28, 2004 at 05:19 AM      

©