Former Major Leaguer Jonathan Papelbon Says ESPN's Stephen A Smith Is 'Racist' For Mike Trout Injury Take

Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to controversial opinions on subjects he knows little about, and his latest really set off former Major League Baseball reliever Jonathan Papelbon.

Smith on First Take went on a rant about Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout, who's set to miss a significant amount of time with a major knee surgery.

READ: Mike Trout Health Woes Continue, Now Needs Major Knee Surgery

In doing so, Smith implied that baseball isn't that difficult to play, or doesn't require a lot of physical exertion compared to football, boxing or UFC. 

"I've grown disgusted with his lack of availability," Smith said. "What the hell are you doing to take care of yourself? Always injured. I mean, damn, it's baseball. What are we talking about here? It's not football. It's not boxing. It's not the UFC..." You're not running up and down the court 94 feet back and forth for 82 nights a year. It's baseball, half the time, y'all standing out in the outfield chewing on pumpkin seeds or something."

"It drives me nuts when I see baseball players getting hurt. What is it that you’re doing with yourself physically that you can’t stay healthy playing baseball? Now, you get hit by a pitch or something, that’s different, I get all of that. With these oblique injuries, you’re running around bases, catching one, then you’re running out for a fly ball, and all of a sudden, something gets tweaked. What the hell is going on?"

BALTIMORE - Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout rounds the bases after connecting on a solo home run in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards earlier this season. Photo: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Jonathan Papelbon Not A Fan Of Smith's Take On Trout

Papelbon appeared on Foul Territory Thursday afternoon, and responded to Smith's rant on Trout, alleging that Smith had been banned from coming into the Phillies clubhouse in the late 2000's. He also described him as "racist," "xenophobic" and a "fake person."

"That’s not what the game needs," Papeblon said in the interview. "Everybody wants to tune into the media, I get it. But at the end of the day, you have to be responsible for the s–t that you say. And unless ESPN holds him accountable for the stupid s–t that he says, guess what? He’s going to keep doing it."

Papelbon also said he thinks Smith is "really shady," and was banned after looking through the manager's office and trainer's room.

"I’ve always looked at this guy like a complete joke, and really shady," Papelbon explained. "When you get kicked out of a major league clubhouse, you should never be able to be a journalist ever again." He also said Smith's "more narcissistic than Donald Trump" and one of "the most narcissistic people you could come across."

He even went after his employer, saying ESPN should step in with Smith.

"I challenge ESPN to do something about it," he continued. "I challenge ESPN to either fire him or cut his pay or do something about it, because honestly nobody wants to listen to his s–t. Because everybody knows that it’s just for likes, it’s just for followers, he really doesn’t actually know what he’s saying … this is just another idiot who doesn’t know what he’s talking about."

Who's Right Here?

It might be a stretch to say that Smith's comments were racist or xenophobic, but they are patently absurd. Baseball is an incredibly physically demanding sport to play, one that requires using much of your body for 162+ nights per year, not 82 like in the NBA.

The reason there are so many oblique injuries is because swinging, running, diving and reaching to catch fly balls puts stress on the obliques. Just like throwing puts stress on your arm. Ask any former baseball player if the sport is "easy" physically, and you'll get a litany of injuries.

It's an outdated, ridiculous take from someone whose calling card is ridiculous takes. Which is something Papeblon gets right.

Another thing Smith forgets is how few players in the NBA actually play 82 nights per year any more thanks to "load management." Not to mention how many rest breaks NBA players get in each game. LeBron, for example, played 35 minutes per game this year, out of an available 48. Not counting breaks between quarters, timeouts, and halftime.

And of course, the bases in MLB are 90 feet apart, eerily similar to the 94-foot NBA court. Whoops.

Trout does get hurt a lot. Because baseball is hard, and even one of the best athletes in the country picks up injuries playing it. That's all there is to it.