Athletes and their attitudes toward reporters aren’t always friendly, but that’s nothing new. Kansas City Royals catcher Jason Kendall, however, took attitude to a new level on Feb. 21 when he jumped into another player’s interview.
Nick Wright of 610 Sports was questioning Royals prospect Mike Moustakas about the upcoming season and the possibility of starting in the minor leagues.
That’s when Kendall exploded.
Kendall, who wasn’t part of the interview, ripped Wright and asked him to “rewind” himself.
In the audio, Wright asks Moustakas a simple question before being ambushed.
“There’s a decent chance that no matter how well you do this spring training, you might still start the year off in the minors just because of baseball’s rules and wanting to hold on to eligibility, all that stuff. Do you think about that?” Wright said.
Kendall immediately responds, interrupting Moustakas.
“No, he wants to stay in the minor leagues all [expletive] year,” Kendall said. “Are you [expletive] me right now?”
Eventually, Wright apologizes for the misunderstanding, even though he’s clearly not in the wrong, and was able to finish the interview with Moustakas, who wasn’t offended by the question.
“It wouldn’t bother me one bit just because it’s what’s best for the Royals organization,” Moustakas said. “[Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore‘s] on board with the plan. The plan is to win a championship, and whatever he says goes, ya know.”
In March 2010, Kendall went through a messy divorce with his now ex-wife, Chantel. She alleged that Kendall abused Adderall and alcohol, which made him “more violent and his behavior less predictable.”
Listen to the audio here. Warning: This clip contains adult language.
