NEWSLETTER
At last check, Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway was still employed by the team, albeit suspended pending an investigation into serious allegations of sexual harassment while with the Mets and Indians.
If the latest from The Athletic is accurate, that suspension is going to become a firing, and it’s going to make the black eye much bigger for the organizations that had employed him before the Angels (and for the Angels after hiring him):
‘Worst-kept secret’: More women come forward, additional details emerge about how Mickey Callaway’s lewd behavior permeated the workplace.
W/ @Britt_Ghiroli and @Ken_Rosenthal https://t.co/PqRp3r7FT4
— Katie Strang (@KatieJStrang) March 2, 2021
I remain of the belief that Callaway, while particularly awful, is not necessarily a lone wolf in the sport, especially after what we saw with Jared Porter. The way some men have treated women in baseball – and the way some organizations have permitted or protected these behaviors – is a serious problem.
Consider how Cleveland’s reaction to the initial Callaway report was essentially, oh, wow, we had no idea!
And yet, here’s just ONE new anecdote about Callaway’s behavior, per The Athletic:
[I]n 2017, an angry husband repeatedly called the team’s fan services department to complain that Callaway had sent “pornographic material” to his wife. Those calls were brought to the attention of [President Chris] Antonetti, manager Terry Francona and general manager Mike Chernoff; the Indians spoke with Callaway about the matter. A Cleveland attorney spoke with the wife and said – in a phone call that was recorded – that Callaway had expressed remorse to him. The attorney added that “the Indians are frickin’ pissed as hell” at Callaway and offered to have Francona call the husband. Additionally, an MLB security official contacted the husband and told him: “Mickey wants this all to go away,” and the husband later emailed MLB directly about Callaway.
Are the Indians really going to say they were unaware? And apparently the Mets WERE aware of this incident when they hired him to be their manager. Also? A nickname emerged during his time with the Mets. From the report:
According to one former Mets employee, Callaway earned a nickname among several people within the organization:
“Dick Pic Mick.”
Read the whole report for more context, and consider how a guy with this many stories could have had the career trajectory he did. And also consider how many women’s lives – personal and professional – his behavior could have impacted in a seriously negative way.
