MLB Player Alex Dickerson Up in Arms over Row on ‘Double Standards’

San Francisco Giants player Alex Dickerson cut a very annoyed figure in the past few days. His ire was aimed at the Major League Baseball officials, for a bizarre reason, as he called them out for ‘double standards’.

Apparently, Baltimore Orioles player Richard Bleier was given the right to have the nickname “Dick” emblazoned across the back of his jersey. It was also worth noting that Dickerson was denied the name and was stuck with “Grandpa.”

“It’s a blatant double-standard that they’re doing right now. It is what it is, I guess. Apparently I’m not allowed to use ‘Dick’ on the back of my jersey. Someone else is and I’m not,” an angry Dickerson ranted at KNBR.

“They said they couldn’t come to a conclusion on time. Some BS like that. … It’s a pretty common nickname worldwide. I’m a little at a loss for words about what they were finding so offensive.”

The Giants rallied around “Dick” since he joined the team June 21, his bat energizing the lineup and his name becoming a running joke — that he very much appreciates — around the clubhouse and the fanbase.

Dickerson said it has been his nickname as long as he can remember. “When somebody calls me ‘Alex,’ it throws me off.”

The “Grandpa” moniker arose in the aftermath of a high school surgery. In fact, it was a name only a few of his “Poway brethren” knew him by.

Dickerson admitted that if Major League Baseball denied the nickname wholesale, he would understand. What ticked him off though, was the fact that Bleier was given approval while MLB found Dickerson’s request ‘too juvenile”.

According to Dickerson, he appealed to MLB and only heard “in the last day or so” that no decision could be reached, and thus he would be “Grandpa.”

“I guess the main thing is that now — the way that they’re wording this to me — it makes me think that anybody that is nicknamed ‘Dick’ out there — any Richard that goes by Dick — they’re saying that they should be offended by their own name, which blows my mind,” Dickerson said.

“It’s silly, it’s stupid in my mind, and I gotta follow the rules,” he said. “It sucks. Giants fans wanted to see it. It is what it is.”

Alex Dickerson did not feature in the San Francisco squad when they took on the Oakland Athletics. Turns out though, the Giants had it covered even in his absence, as they beat Oakland 5-4. Instead, lefty Brett Anderson took to the mound for the Giants. Meanwhile, Mike Yastrzemski will slide over to left field while Austin Slater starts in right

His absence was justified, as he has only just returned from injury, and the Giants did not want to gamble with him just yet. Alex Dickerson picked up a right oblique strain after playing a major role in the Giants turning around what looked like a lost season.