Show your elders some respect!
That was the message that Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire tried to get across to Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig on Monday night. Prior to a game against the Diamondbacks, Puig was approached by former Arizona star Luis Gonzalez, who introduced himself to Puig and talked to him a bit about his Cuban roots and his time in Major League Baseball. However, according to a USA Today report, Puig didn't even look up and acknowledge Gonzalez and refused to talk to him.
McGwire reportedly witnessed the entire incident go down and got on Puig almost immediately after Gonzalez walked away. He told him that Gonzalez won a World Series once by getting a hit off Mariano Rivera and pointed out how Gonzalez' number is now hanging inside of Arizona's Chase Field. And he told Puig to show Gonzalez—and other former MLB players—respect in the future.
Did McGwire's message sink in? There's really no way of knowing. But we hope that there was just some kind of misunderstanding here. Puig has been great on the diamond for the Dodgers so far. So we would hate to see his reputation take a hit because of something that he did off it.
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[via USA Today]
