Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Gabe Kapler was firm but not fiery, which certainly sets him apart from his sudden antagonist.
In the wake of President Trump again tweeting anger at athletes kneeling for the national anthem, the Giants manager was thoughtful in response.
“I don’t see [kneeling during the anthem] as disrespect at all,” Kapler said over Zoom on Tuesday, after Trump made it clear he disagreed. “I see nothing more American than standing up for what you believe in. I see nothing more patriotic than peaceful protests when things are frustrating and upsetting. And finally, there is nobody that should make us stop doing the right thing.
“It doesn’t matter what leader says that they’re not going to be following a game. What matters the most is that we’re unwavering in trying to do what’s right, and that what guides our decision is standing up for people who need us to stand up for them.”
For Kapler, the people who need supporting are the disenfranchised, the “Black community and marginalized communities,” the minorities who are subject to police brutality far too often.
To Trump, these grievances are mostly myth. He has repeatedly spoken out against peacefully protesting and taken aim at sports in particular, continuing to conflate the anthem movement with some sort of disrespect to the American flag.
“Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!” Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning.
Alyssa Nakken will debut at Oracle Park on Tuesday.
The Giants assistant coach will open as the first-base coach for the second and final exhibition game, at home against the A’s.
Nakken has coached first for much of summer training and replaced Antoan Richardson in the late innings of Monday’s exhibition.
“I got to give a lot of credit here to Antoan Richardson,” Kapler said. “The two of them have worked very closely together with our outfielders, have supported one another, have developed one another. And in this particular case, I think, Antoan was way out in front in identifying that this was going to be a great time to put Alyssa’s skills to use in these exhibition games.”
Third baseman Zach Green has been dealing with back soreness, Kapler said, which explains why he has not been an option to replace Evan Longoria.