(Editor’s Note: The following are the opinions of ThinkBlueLA staff writer Harold Uhlman. They are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ThinkBlueLA.com).

Second baseman Howie Kendrick was acquired by the Dodgers in mid-December in a trade that sent left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney to the Anaheim Angels. Heaney, a Marlins 2012 first round draft selection, was a Dodger for a very few hours after having been considered the centerpiece in a trade that sent Dodger second baseman Dee Gordon to the Marlins.

At the time of the trade it was my considered opinion that although Heaney was a heavy price to pay it was worth it to add Kendrick to the Dodgers opening day lineup. I viewed Howie Kendrick as one of those professional players who was a solid contributor to the Angels for nine years doing the big things and especially the little things that are needed to help a team win games. I could picture him being a Marco Scutero type player in a Dodgers run at a World Series Championship.

His play during the current campaign solidified my opinion that he is definitely a “blue collar type” worker with his nose to the grindstone who is not afraid to get his uniform dirty. At the bat, on the bases and in the field he does what needs to be done at every opportunity. In hockey he would be known as a ‘grinder” but also as a very productive one.

On Wednesday, July 21st Kendrick went on a bit if a rant on Instagram. I am not sure what triggered it but most of those who commented on his post got involved in the gun aspect of it. I had no problem with it as his hobbies include guns. I don’t know if that means hunting or collecting but in any event that is strictly his personal and private business and in my opinion none of ours.

Howie Kendrick’s personal hobbies are of his own choice, but his attack on fans for expressing their opinions on baseball crosses the line.
(Image courtesy of Instagram)

My concern with his post centers around his comments made publicly regarding baseball and those he calls “coaches and critics” along with his suggestion that only those who have played the game at a high level can or should have an opinion re: baseball. Unlike his guns, baseball is a passion for literally millions of fans across North America and by Kendrick going on social media he may well have hit a sour note with at least some of those who have read his rant. He certainly did with me.

I usually don’t pay too much attention to what MLB players say as often it is merely the old cliché responses. I really wasn’t concerned with Bryce Harper’s comments that Zack Greinke was “not very tough”. I attributed it to a youngster who had just had his rear end handed to him in a basket by Greinke and he was not used to being manhandled in that fashion. He obviously was not mature enough to acknowledge what had just happened to him.

Kendrick’s comment did not come across as one made by a seasoned professional major league player. and it definitely stuck in my craw. I am one of those coaches and/or critics of which Kendrick speaks. As such I question why only experience on the field, in his opinion, is the sole condition for having an opinion regarding the game of baseball. I began my career as a baseball fan – a Dodger fan – in 1952, 63 years ago. They broke my heart when they left Brooklyn after the 1957 season but my loyalty has never wavered. I have listened to countless games, watched even more via television or computer, followed minor league baseball almost religiously and read as much as I can. Although I am far from being an expert on the game, I believe that off-field experience can absolutely contribute to opinions regarding baseball that are not baseless but well thought out.

I would remind Howie Kendrick that fans are the life blood of major league baseball. They attend games in droves, pay high prices to watch the best players in the world fail 70% of the time at the plate, and collectively have a vast baseball knowledge based on years of observation and participation while attending games. I would also remind him that without the fans there is no game. To go one step further, the fans are the boss, the players the workers. The fans at the games and at home that pay to watch MLB pay the player’s salary. Since when it is not appropriate for the boss to express an opinion about the workers?

Baseball is not a service industry such as education, policing or health care. It is strictly in the entertainment business and it is the best entertainment that can be bought, at least in my opinion. It is important on a number of levels but is not life serving. I’m wondering if Howie Kendrick expresses an opinion about a movie he has seen or about the performance of an actor or actress. Should he do so without having produced, directed or acted in a movie?

I also wonder as his two boys – Owen and Tyson – progress through the school system if he will express opinions about their education without having stood in the front of a classroom. Does he have an opinion about climate change although he is not a scientist or an opinion about going to war not actually having gone into battle.

Just because Howie Kendrick doesn’t have a teaching credential, does that mean he can’t express his opinion about those who teach his sons Tyson and Owen? (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

In my opinion Howie Kendrick is way off base in suggesting those of us who have not played the game at the high school level or higher are not entitled to an opinion about baseball. Certainly any of us would look like a “complete fool” in the batter’s box. Heck, many major league players accomplish that at times – just ask Bryce Harper. That does not mean we do not know what has to be done to perform well and win games and when management, managers and players make mistakes.

In the final analysis being entitled to an opinion and expressing it is not only guaranteed by the First Amendment, it is earned by watching, listening, reading, and learning about the game at the ball field or in front of the television. The true fans are not only the ones who do not question or express opinions as he suggests, but also the ones who love the game and have made themselves knowledgeable enough to express sound opinions without having played the game at the level of which Howie Kendrick demands.