Oops: Player's 'Gay' Joke Goes Public

Gordon Beckham of the Chicago White Sox is on the apology circuit this week: In a game against Kansas City, the second-baseman scratched out a message in the infield with his spikes for his buddy on the other team: "GETZ IS GAY! GB." He made it so big and legible that fans in the upper stands could read it, reports ESPN. "Obviously I apologize and kind of want to move on," Beckham said. "Obviously it was meant as a joke but obviously it was in the wrong place and I didn't mean it that way. I will just try to move on."

Rick Telander at the Chicago Sun-Times writes that Beckham seems genuinely remorseful. "You can almost see the gears in Beckham’s mind turning, pondering the odd, frightening implications of doing something thoughtlessly, impishly in public." He's a smart, well-liked player, writes Telander. "But maybe, at 24, it’s time to put on the big-boy cap and grow up." (Read more Gordon Beckham stories.)