Somehow, Pitch keeps finding ways to surprise me. I was dreading the day Ginny’s nudes would resurface ever since the episode when we found out about them. I figured it would be a painful storyline, a PR nightmare, resulting in lots of angst and depression. Especially considering Ginny’s current emotional state.
What I got instead was an absolutely ridiculous solution to a problem that sparked a really important discussion within the show. Last week was intense, emotional and dark. This week was lighthearted and uplifting.
I don’t know whether or not that was intentional given the events of this week, but it was exactly what I and I’m sure plenty more people needed.
Humanity’s in a pretty rough state right now, but let’s not lose hope just yet. There are still good things in the world. Like pictures of naked Padres players.
Let’s talk about those photos
I would like to take a second to appreciate my favourite exchange of this episode:
“A whole generation of young women look up to Ginny”
“A whole generation of boys look up to male athletes with far worse on their phones”
Amelia was killing it in this episode, but this quote was especially mic-drop worthy. It is nobody’s business what kind of pictures Ginny takes on the road. It is not her fault that they were leaked. And yeah, male athletes’ phones are probably full of dick pics anyway. And it is ridiculous that this is being pinned on Ginny.
But let’s take this a step farther, shall we? A generation of boys is also looking up to athletes who have been accused of sexual assault, rape and domestic violence, and yet very few people talk about that. So it’s somehow worse than taking nude pictures? Come on.
I love how everyone eventually came around to Ginny and Amelia’s line of thinking on this matter. Oscar and Blip both blamed Ginny at first, but soon understood that the real problem is a sexist double standard that says that nudes are acceptable for men but not women.
Jealousy and resentment
Look, I’m not going to pretend the issue is black and white, because it’s not, but Mike sure was a massive jerk in this episode.
Yeah, the new guy has a head approximately the size of Jupiter. He could really benefit from a few lessons in modesty. But I cannot believe how rude Mike was. He talked about his own teammate behind his back, gave a ridiculously condescending interview on his behalf (in which he might as well have told the press straight up that there were issues in the Padres locker room), and asked Oscar to send him back down. Not to mention that this kid actually has a lot in common with Mike himself.
And then the line about how a lot of players have rough childhoods… what the fuck, Mike? I know you had a tough time of it, and I’m truly sorry for it, but did you miss the part where the guy’s parents are in prison? Or where he had to use a doll’s head as a ball because he couldn’t afford a real one?
On the other hand, Oscar is absolutely right that this guy needs to learn some humility before he makes it full time. Talent is great, but young players need to sit back and learn from the pros if they want to help their team win games.
Still, make no mistake: Mike’s problems with this guy were absolutely motivated by jealousy. Mike knows the game is passing him by, but as we saw in the flashbacks, he doesn’t react well to change. He’s scared, and he hopes he still has a few more years left in him before he’s forced to leave. Seeing a new kid come in and not only threaten to replace him on the team, but also prove to be charming, attractive and totally full of himself, essentially eclipsing Mike Lawson in every aspect of his life, must be really tough for him. Still, calm down, Mike.
The Body Issue
I… I don’t even know what to say.
I don’t know if this would ever happen in real life. I want to believe it would, because that would be amazing, but I’m not sure. What I do know is that this photoshoot was absolutely hilarious and made me love this team even more.
This was more than just a distraction so that the media would stop focusing on Ginny. This was also a show of solidarity. The players understood that it wasn’t Ginny’s fault her photos got leaked, because I’m sure a lot of them have similarly embarrassing pictures on their phones.
It was also an acknowledgement that there is a double standard in our society working here, and they can do something to draw attention to it. Stripping down will do the trick. ESPN’s annual Body Issue is always the source of much hilarity, and that photoshoot was no exception. Damn that was amazing.
Especially this picture of Mike. Oh my goodness.
How did I ever hate Al?
Al has really started to become a sort of mentor for Ginny, in life as well as baseball. In this episode, we saw Ginny refuse to take a day off, working like crazy as a way of dealing with the reality of her photos leaking. And then Al came along, and essentially told her that she couldn’t let baseball take over her whole life.
She needs something else. A hobby. Friends. We know that Ginny doesn’t have much of a life outside of baseball, and that’s a problem.
I absolutely love this relationship, and I can’t believe I used to hate Al. He’s a fantastic coach who genuinely cares about his players, not just his baseball team. Hopefully, Ginny will take his advice to heart.
Random Thoughts:
- That bobblehead is absolutely horrific. And I’ve seen a lot of bad bobbleheads over the years.
- I have a very hard time believing that Amelia has never used the word “mansplaining” before. Come on, girl. I use that word all the time and I’m not nearly as outspoken as you.
- The only thing missing from this episode was Evelyn. Where was she?
- Amelia and Ginny are friends again, and it’s amazing.
- “What about the catcher you replaced?” perfectly sums up Mike’s situation.
- I love how protective Blip is of Ginny. He would even trade places with her!
- “Padres don’t discriminate”
- “There’s this thing between your ears” is a very funny way of telling a player he needs to smarten up.
Pitch airs Thursdays at 9pm on FOX.