A disturbing report from The Athletic sheds light on Mickey Callaway’s “lewd behavior”

A new disturbing report just dropped at The Athletic regarding Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway.

According to a bombshell of a report from Brittany Ghiroli, Katie Strang, and Ken Rosenthal, allegations of lewd behavior towards women in the sport have surfaced against Callaway. According to the article:

“Mickey Callaway, the former New York Mets manager and current pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels, aggressively pursued at least five women who work in sports media, sending three of them inappropriate photographs and asking one of them to send nude photos in return.”

Via The Athletic

There are plenty of details from women off the record, citing numerous incidents of Callaway performing inappropriate acts both at the stadium and away from the field. At the stadium, Callaway had one incident where “he thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter as she interviewed him”. Another incident included telling one of the women that one of the women that “if she got drunk with him he’d share information about the Mets”. Separate encounters off the field, generally incessant and inappropriate text messages, include Callaway “sending shirtless selfies”, asking for nude photos from women, and various other sexual comments. One specific text message was shared in the article.

Via The Athletic

It goes without saying that these are some serious problems brought forward and that the Angels organization needs to act swiftly. There’s no justifiable reason to continue to employ Callaway given the seriousness of the allegations and the vast amount of reporting and evidence brought forward against him. This type of behavior has no place in the sport and is, unfortunately, the second sexual misconduct story to surface in Major League Baseball in the past two weeks.

Less than two weeks after reports about now-former Mets GM Jared Porter surfaced, another heavy-hitting story shed light on Callaway’s behavior. Sexual misconduct has no business in the sport of baseball and is an antithesis to a league that should be looking to become more inclusive. Unfortunately, the Porter and Callaway incidents are surely not isolated incidents. MLB has a long way to go in ensuring not only that these incidents are brought to life but also simply preventing them from happening in the first place.

In the meantime, the Angels need to do the right thing by firing Callaway and finding their new pitching coach for the 2021 season.

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clover_black
Super Member
3 years ago

for the record, I am the *most* disgusted and disturbed by mickey’s transgressions and anyone claiming to express more disgust is clearly a liar.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  clover_black

Nah uh. I just burned my niece’s stuffed Mickey Mouse, broke a whole bag of golf clubs, went out and punched four random white guys for being white guys, found Toni Basil and demanded an apology from her, and removed all recipes I have that involve Caraway seeds because they remind me of this monster in human skin that coaches the Angels pitching for the next foreseeable couple days. I also put my hand on my copy of The Handmaid’s Tale and swore to pee sitting down for the rest of my life if Callaway isn’t fired by last year.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

One good thing to come out of all this…. the term LEWD will get used a lot.

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
3 years ago

20 hourd later…what kind of word is “lewd”? Welsh? Germanic? It doesn’t look like it comes from Latin.

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
3 years ago

From middle English where it meant non-clerical or unlearned and now it’s evolved into vulgar. Because, as we all know, clerics are never vulgar.

Cowboy26
Legend
3 years ago

I do know about that. The Accountants I knew were pretty wild.

2pints
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Kind of funny how you all don’t see this as the obvious setup that it is. Ponder the following:

  • what is our pitching coach’s first name?
  • what city does the team play in?
  • what large company controls the city?
  • who is that company’s main mascot?

You see, The Mouse simply couldn’t have another Mickey in the city of Anaheim. Especially after they saw Bundy’s improvements last season.

For those who doubt me, prove me wrong…

Last edited 3 years ago by 2pints
Brent
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  2pints

What is wrong with you?

2pints
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Brent

you can’t prove me wrong so you attack me? typical

Last edited 3 years ago by 2pints
gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  2pints

How dare you?

2pints
Trusted Member
3 years ago

2pints is back baby!

not really

WallyChuckChili
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  2pints

Let me know when you’re at least a six pack

2pints
Trusted Member
3 years ago

sorry to break your heart but I have a girlfriend

red floyd
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  2pints

Yeah, but do you have as many recs as Designatedforassignment?

2pints
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  red floyd

Hahaha! You’re one of the few that will always remember that tool from AN that bragged about his rec’s

WallyChuckChili
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  2pints

She must be a light drinker

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
3 years ago

I remember the good old days when our big concern was the Alex Cobb signing.

FungoAle
Super Member
3 years ago

LOL…Speaking of the good old days, you know, I am a little nervous Joe calls Butcher like some of the posts were suggesting.

steelgolf
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Moar Sliderz

HalosFanForLife
Trusted Member
3 years ago

We could get all melancholy and reminisce way back when we were debating the Schilling HOF vote.

Chase Kimura
Member
Member
3 years ago

He gone. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out. Embarrassing.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

This is likely all about trying to extort some $$ on the way out the door.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago

This is almost certainly about the Angels covering their asses before firing a guy.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

It’s most likely because they contractually have to let MLB investigate before they fire him if he denies the reason they are using to fire him for cause. Given what we have seen I doubt this takes long.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago

Yep. I’m anticipating an announcement at the end of the week, right when the sports world turns its attention to the Super Bowl. We get a quick, clean firing and come back from the Super Bowl haze like “scumbag, what scumbag? Oh, we got rid of him.”

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

I hope that’s how it goes. We don’t need any more negative attention from the MSM.

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

I regret that in my mock Calloway statement I left out the “it was consensual”. That’s a nice touch. Wait. I shouldn’t say “touch”.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

gold

Designerguy
Super Member
3 years ago

NY Mets — we’re an embarrassment to baseball.

Arte Moreno — Hold my beer…

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago

Callaway suspended while the Angels work with MLB’s investigation. Considering the text evidence the investigation shouldn’t take long.

This is either utterly humiliating for his wife or she already knew. Don’t know which is worse.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

It’s about time. His contract has to have a morals clause….

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago

Yep. Arte won’t be on the hook for the money if he jumps through MLB hoops.

MikeSalmon
Super Member
3 years ago

Groucho: Or a sanity clause.
Chico: Ha. You no fool me. There ain’t no sanity clause.

red floyd
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  MikeSalmon

[switching movies]
red floyd brings in 10,000 bags of mail addressed to the Sanity Clause

FungoAle
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

Porter confessed right up from with Cohen, hence the immediate firing. I believe Mickey is challenging the reports. Yep, should not take long. Just sad that this has taken us away from building our team.

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

Could this turn into a he said/she said.? Or is there hard evidence? Saved phone messages or text.?

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
3 years ago

If the one they pseudonymed “Samantha” saved any of those messages where he asked her for nudes, Callaway is toast. She was a New York sports writer while he was Manager of the Mets. He continued to bug her when he came to the Angels.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago

There were saved text messages and photos in The Athletic piece.

Brent shows one text exchange above and there was a very Putin like picture of Mickey with his shirt off that he sent to multiple women. So far no pics of his junk have been discussed.

I’m assuming if the women saved those they also have the dozens of unreturned texts and emails that Mickey had previously sent. That would establish a level of harassments and prove they were not, in fact, furthering the conversation or asking for any more interaction.

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

“Samantha” said he was relentless.

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago

I hope there is no “hard” evidence.

2002heaven
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

Yes Virginia Hill also knew who took out Bugsy Siegel as he was reading the newspaper in his living room!

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
3 years ago

Suspended! It’s a start.

DMAGZ13
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Hamilton. Skaggs. DiPoto vs Sosh. Kay. Calloway. Am I missing something?

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  DMAGZ13

There are a few other rather dodgy screw ups in the last few years. I think we have an article in the pipeline on this general topic.

FungoAle
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  DMAGZ13

Yes, the clubhouse attendant, Bubba. For me, the Skaggs situation was a tragedy vs reflection of team mishaps.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  DMAGZ13

You’re missing a lot and Rev has a piece up soon.

MH252525
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

I think for awhile I could just think Arte is really loyal. That has led him to put people in positions that are above their ability, such as promoting an intern to be GM (notice how everyone knew he’d never be offered another FO job so MLB scooped him up for the RBI program), he let Scioscia have way too much sway when it came to decisions that should have been made from the GM. That caused the Angels to fall so far behind when it came to coaching players with technology. I remember Skaggs saying the first day Scioscia was gone as manager they had left the stone age behind.

I used to work for Frys and the biggest part to their downfall was promoting a former sales clerk to like 3rd in command in the whole company. They were certainly very loyal there as they promoted almost exclusively from within but the problems were that a lot of their managers had no rights being managers but just got the position because they had been with the company a long time. The one guy they promoted super high up convinced them they could save money by basically not having his purchases for the whole store validated by a 3rd party. Of course once he knew he had no supervision he started demanding kickbacks and stealing from Frys.

Arte by now has to see his loyalty hasn’t gotten him anywhere. It’s gotten him bad teams even though they drafted possibly the best player of all time. They’ve had numerous scandals and Arte’s MO with Carpino at the helm is still the same as it has been. You’ve crossed the line in my mind Arte, from a nice guy who is too loyal, to an idiot who should see what his loyalty has gotten him, but instead has his head in the Newport Beach sand while flocks of morons in red polos take a shit on you.

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  DMAGZ13

Donnie Moore.

Cowboy26
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  JackFrost

Can’t really blame that one on Arte. But while were rolling down memory lane I will mention Tony Phillips at the Ivanhoe Inn.

FungoAle
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  DMAGZ13

Yes, the clubhouse attendant, Bubba.

MikeSalmon
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

How far back do we go?
Chad Curtis?
Luis Polonia? (No Bolognia!)

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  MikeSalmon

That’s right, Chad Curtis. How could we forget about him?

Of course, he played with the Yankees after us so we could always let the NYY claim him.

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
3 years ago

It doesn’t look like the Angels are going to fire him as fast as Porter got sacked, but I seriously doubt if they will let him off with “a stern talking to” and eight hours of sensitivity training. He was apparently physically touching the woman he sought the nude pics from.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Charles Sutton

He’ll be fired. They just can’t do it till it’s investigated because he contested the allegations.

MarineLayer
Super Member
3 years ago

The sad thing is that I think Callaway doesn’t think he did anything wrong. In this mind, he was simply using his position of authority to hook up. Artie probably thinks of this as a nuisance and probably wishes it would just go away, which it will not.

AnAngelsFan
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  MarineLayer

Probably worse than that. In his mind it was probably harmless flirting and the women must have enjoyed it because they never asked him to stop.

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  MarineLayer

Well, some of the stuff quoted is a joke. I mean, sending a picture of himself without a shirt on???

That’s REALLY bad, lol.

On the other hand, as some have mentioned there are likely other things we have not heard about yet…

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  JackFrost

The shirt off pic is odd. Like who takes that pic? And who actually took it?

However, the pic was sent unsolicited and with a request for a return topless photo. And generally after multiple other unreturned texts. Thankfully the pic isn’t nearly as bad as Porter’s but the pattern of behavior is exactly the same.

Actually, Porter at least asked his woman for her phone number. Mickey generally got these women from a list in the PR office. They really didn’t choose to interact with him.

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

That’s interesting; that means his defense that all the relationships were “consensual” is a lie. He used a professional contact number in an attempt to coerce these women into intimate contact.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  JackFrost

I’m sure in his mind he means his sexual encounters were consensual but doesn’t factor in this behavior.

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  JackFrost

That term “relationships” was kind of weird for me. If a woman uniformly ignores you while you send her scads of text messages, I doubt if that qualifies as a relationship.

AnAngelsFan
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Charles Sutton

They weren’t uniformly ignoring him:

“The woman said she never hung out with him or sent him anything suggestive in response.”

That doesn’t make it okay. The problem here is most of the women would have felt compelled to give him some response because they didn’t want to risk their jobs by angering him. It seems they were trying to keep a friendly, professional relationship, so they didn’t call him out and he interpreted that as them welcoming the messages.

When they did ignore him, he stopped:

“Eventually, Callaway stopped texting Hilary. When asked why she thought he stopped, she said: ‘I didn’t send him anything back.'”

Again, that doesn’t make it okay. He shouldn’t have been sending suggestive texts to female reporters in the first place, and he certainly shouldn’t have sent a second message if they didn’t respond to the first.

Last edited 3 years ago by AnAngelsFan
JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Charles Sutton

The word relationship can in fact be more than a little vague. There might be a co-worker you spoke to twice over five months and in the minds of some that might constitute a “relationship.”

2002heaven
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Yes admit it!
We’re turning into the Donald Sterling Clippers on the baseball diamond starting with the Tyler Skaggs tragedy and now this fiasco…….Yes AM is a bad owner since 2009. Just sell the team to California vagabond to TX Elon Musk so he can move the Angels to Austin TX overnight like the Baltimore Colts 40 years ago. Nothing but black eye scandals and this won’t stop either.

steelgolf
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  2002heaven

They can’t move the team according to the stadium land deal.

Jim Atkins
Super Member
3 years ago

As I write it is about quarter to 10 AM. Callaway should be gone by 10:30 at the latest. Yes, it’s way past time to get an actual baseball-centric management system in place at Anaheim.

HalosFanForLife
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Arte – time for some PR work. Time to do the fans right. Time for some FFF. “F”ire Mickey. “F”ire Carpino. And “F” the luxury tax. Make this right – go get Bauer.

Fansince1971
Legend
3 years ago

I’m sorry but I disagree. You don’t whitewash this kind of behavior by making a big free agent signing. I presume, though, that your statement was made tongue-in-cheek.

HalosFanForLife
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

Absolutely some tongue and cheek, but also to show how bad they are being perceived in their dealings. But yes, you can indeed whitewash sentiment with positive moves. A playoff contender could change the mood of the fan base fast. If Arte had already gone over the threshold and we were all pumped about the outlook and his investment, surely he wouldn’t be getting lit up in here so much.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

For the Skaggs/Callaway situations he would. Those are total crap, even on a 100 win team.

JackFrost
Super Member
3 years ago

Agree. The sad or happy truth( take your pick) is that “winning cures all ills.”

Fansince1971
Legend
3 years ago

Ugggh – this ‘Organization’ is a disorganized mess.

Yes – Callaway needs to go and now. But let’s look at the bigger picture over the last couple years which also includes an employee supplying drugs to Skaggs which apparently may have been known by people high up in the ‘Organization’. Had Skaggs not died, the supplier would still probably still be with the team – business as usual.

Many of us have been calling for a revamp of the Angels Baseball Operation because we felt that it would improve player selection and development. I am adding to that thought process that Baseball Ops would add supervision and additional transparency to the Organization as a whole.

These things are happening on Arte’s watch. Some degree of blame goes to the guy who insists on having his hands in everything.

I cannot emphasize strongly enough the need for Baseball Operations where Arte and his marketing and commercial real estate development team stay away from the daily running and oversight of a baseball team.

Last edited 3 years ago by Fansince1971
Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  Fansince1971

There is an institutional problem within MLB on matters such as this. It’s shocking to learn that a multi-Billion dollar business does not have something as basic as a hotline to report sexual harrassment.

I love the game of baseball, but I’m very discouraged with the current state of affairs.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

Given some of the totally sad moron ways these guys are getting into trouble you’d almost think the MLB would beg for a reporting system just to save themselves. It seems like a lot of these guys could benefit from a system where you get a pass for a first offense (to a degree) when it is reported so they can be told “Hey, this stuff we just got a call about, it isn’t OK, you can really screw yourself doing this and it’s getting reported now so cut it out.”. Some of these guys will be willfully assholes, but some of them will likely snap out of it and fly right.

steelgolf
Super Member
3 years ago

In CA I’m pretty sure you are required by law to attend Sexual Harassment training every few years depending on the amount of employees. I know it is required where I work and mandated by our Workmans Compensation carrier.

Designerguy
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

Harassment training is indeed required by CA law. My company completed it last year, and staff must complete training every two years.

red floyd
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Designerguy

I just had mine. But I already knew how to harass people…

Last edited 3 years ago by red floyd
gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  red floyd

That’s hair-ass. We hair-ass people you and I.

Designerguy
Super Member
3 years ago

Thanks to a pants-optional lifestyle, the hair-ass is always available for viewing. #humblebrag

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  steelgolf

Yeah, I just sat through it two weeks ago. In one movie David Schwimmer totally harasses Domino from Deadpool…. it was a laugh a minute waste of my time and I don’t know why I had to sit through it if I’ve never had any issues with this stuff. Don’t touch people. Don’t pester people if they ask you to stop doing something. Don’t stick your fork in the light socket. Don’t try to eat fire. It was directions for gimps, but we all get to sit through it.

Designerguy
Super Member
3 years ago

Yes, the training was godawful, especially the videos, which were laughably bad.

Spoiler alert, you can answer Yes to every question and pass the training with flying colors.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Designerguy

DUUUUDE! That’s what totally annoyed me. It was so obviously a “Kiss our pious ring every two years plebes or you are a backslider!” type thing because the answer to all but 1 or 2 questions was YES. They cared more about forcing me to do something than they did about actually training workers to avoid harassment.

Biggiswrth
Trusted Member
3 years ago

#WeWantWeaver Who’s with me?

Thunderbolt
Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Biggiswrth

I’d prefer #WeWantGubicza

WallyChuckChili
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Thunderbolt

#WeWantClydeWright

Last edited 3 years ago by WallyChuckChili
Guest
3 years ago
Reply to  Biggiswrth

How about offering Bauer the position of player/coach, and he can be the pitching coach if he signs with the Halos? The Angels get an ace and the rest of the Angel pitchers finally get a coach who understands how to use all of the latest technology to to help them maximize their potential.

WallyChuckChili
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to 

Pine tar?

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Biggiswrth

How strong is his grit pump?

H.T. Ennis
Admin
Super Member
3 years ago

Something like this being described as “the worst-kept secret in sports” doesn’t do much goodwill for the Angels organization…

Echoing all the other statements and hoping that Callaway is gone ASAP.

Last edited 3 years ago by H.T. Ennis
Gorbachav5
Trusted Member
3 years ago

This stuff is so disgusting. Men using their position of power and influence in the male-dominated baseball fraternity to impose their sexual desires on women who are trying to do their job. Callaway should be fired tomorrow.

When teams hire someone for a position like this, they “do their due diligence.” I assume that means they call their buddies who work for the previous teams the candidate was employed by. Given the dearth of women in MLB front offices and coaching staffs, my guess is that they rarely speak to one woman about these candidates. Wouldn’t it be prudent to reach out to media members (men and women) who interacted with this guy? But maybe it’s more convenient to remain ignorant and hope this stuff stays under the rug.

I’m glad these women came forward with their story and I hope Callaway is no longer employed by the Angels by the end of the day tomorrow. It’s probably too much to hope that Carpino is let go as well.

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Gorbachav5

I’m working on Calloway’s statement.

“First I want to apologize to anyone who might have been offended by anything I might have done or said. As everyone who knows me knows, this isn’t who I am….”

It needs a little work but not much, just needs to be fleshed out a bit. Wait. That doesn’t sound right.

matthiasstephan
Super Member
3 years ago

The ‘might have been offended’ in the passive voice there shifts blame away from Callaway. He should own it, use the first person ‘apologize to anyone I offended’.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago

Exactly. “I’m sorry to anyone I offended, that wasn’t my intention” is a lot better. Maybe we’re being over analytical here but the way people say things matters.

Just like his remark on every relationship he’s had being consensual. Probably true. But his dogged pursuit of relationships is in question here.

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
3 years ago

To be clear, I was being sarcastic. Its what creeps usually say.

DowningDude
Legend
3 years ago

“Everyone wanted a piece of this (points down) … what’s the problem” (actual thought process inside his pea brain).

But yeah lawyer speak will bleach this bullshit

tommyshalo
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Yep, that was exactly the houston assistant GM.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend

I don’t want to hear anything from Callaway. He’s only stopping because he got caught – it’s not like he grew a sense of morality and concluded his actions were sick. 5 women having the courage to speak up and speak out put a stop to his attacks. His feeble attempt to deflect the matter when the Athletic has screen shots of pictures and texts is sick. Callaway is married and has a family. He’s hurting so many people the longer this plays out.

Callaway should have been put on administrative leave immediately. The investigation should not take long since the electronic evidence has been retained by the victims.

15 hours since the story broke and still nothing but a canned PR response from Arte.

Last edited 3 years ago by Senator_John_Blutarsky
gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

He’ll be fired. You have to follow some procedures when you are gonna get out of a contract with a guy. As soon as the business day is old enough for them to have their files filled and in order he’s toast.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Gorbachav5

Exactly. Call a few reporters back in NY and say “you guys covered him. Ever hear of anything that maybe wasn’t printable but that I should know about?”

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
3 years ago

I found something good about East Coast bias! From CBS Sports, this headline:

Report: Former Mets skipper accused of lewd behavior”

DowningDude
Legend
3 years ago

“We don’t get no respect” (Rodney and all of us Angel fans)