Malik Beasley gets rewarded, Eddie Rosario gets rerouted, and logic gets rejected - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Malik Beasley came to the Timberwolves in a trade with Denver on Feb. 4. In a mere 14 games and 10 months, Malik has pulled off the amazing feat of becoming the franchise’s goofiest Beasley.

The original “Beasy,” Michael, was here for two seasons from fall 2010 to spring 2012 and played in 120 games. He averaged 19.2 points and started 73 games in 2010-11.

There were enough very strange moments on the court and in Michael’s postgame quotes to make you wonder what went on in that noggin.

Thanks to a pair of news-gathering websites, TMZ Sports and BSO (previously off my radar), we have a much better idea on what’s driving Malik.

TMZ Sports on Tuesday had an underlined MALIK BEASLEY and then the headline: “Wife ‘Blindsided’ by Pic with Larsa Pippen.”

Beasy II was pictured walking through a shopping area, holding the hand of Scottie Pippen’s well-known ex-wife, and he was wearing a black workout suit with orange and yellow squares, and orange sneakers.

Not to be outdone, BSO claimed to have been first with the Malik/Larsa information, while offering this scoop: “3rd Woman Comes Forward Saying Malik Beasley Was Cheating on His Wife and Larsa Pippen With Her.” This woman was named Jewel (not the famous one) and provided to BSO texts and hotel receipts on the dalliances.

Beasley’s response on this information seemed to come in the form of a tweet at 6:23 a.m. on Wednesday: “Control what you can control …”

Sometimes “control” requires effort, but what the hey?

A few hours later, Beasley was on a Zoom news conference to officially announce his signing of a four-year, $60 million contract with the Wolves. To no reporter’s surprise, Beasley said that he only wanted to take questions about basketball.

TMZ Sports indicated that same strategy might have failed with Montana Yao, the mother of his child, when she learned of his shopping excursion in Miami.

Malik and Montana both face charges from the “incident” this fall, which started with Beasley pointing a gun toward a family who drove up to his house while looking at homes in Plymouth. This later led to the discovery in their house of a marijuana stash not deemed to be for medicinal purposes.

The yet-to-be-settled legal case did not detour the Wolves from giving the hefty contract as a restricted free agent to Beasley. In 14 games, Malik averaged 20.7 points, and jacked up threes with a shooting percentage of 42.6.

And since jacking threes is the way Gersson Rosas wants to play, take a chance with $60 million that Beasley, now 24, might eventually demonstrate the “growth and development” Gersson seeks with his youngish squad.

How did Rosas evaluate the TMZ headlines as a sign of Beasley’s maturity? “The reality is life is life,” he said.

There was more, but I missed the rest while still contemplating Gersson’s opening deep thought.

Overall, Wednesday was a day that reinforced this for Minnesotans: Life isn’t fair, even in the lucrative world of professional sports.

First, Beasley’s four-year, $60 million contract — based on 14 games — was officially announced. Three hours later, the Twins confirmed that Eddie Rosario, after 703 games (including playoffs) with the team, had cleared waivers. He was put there because the Twins feared he would receive $10 million if they allowed him to go to final-year arbitration, and the rest of MLB agreed with that view.

Rosario became a free agent Wednesday night. He might get a three-year deal at $7 million per, tops. He was supposed to make his first large financial strike in 2020, with a $7.75 million contract, earned partly with those club-leading 109 RBI for the Bomba Squad in 2019.

Then, the pandemic reduced the schedule to 60 games and Eddie got a piddling 37%.

Major league baseball has become an activity dominated by asinine statistical decisions to a large degree. Miguel Sano can strike out an incredible 90 times in 186 at-bats, and we can hear every excuse imaginable for him. Rosario can play more than any Twin in the truncated season, strike out 34 times, hit 13 home runs and drive in 42, and get run off because he doesn’t walk enough for an Ivy League-approved on-base percentage.

Wacky on the bases, wild swinging at times, and still the No. 2 guy behind Nelson Cruz that I’d want up for the Twins in a clutch situation in the eighth inning.

Eddie missed some curfews, got popped for toking marijuana in the minors, but he showed up to play, and never stepped into the lefthanded batter’s box not believing he was going to get a hit.

Infectious personality within the club, too. How much so?

The Twins had a series in Eddie’s native Puerto Rico early in 2018. Rosario had a friend who owned a bar, rented it out, and threw a party for the entire Twins delegation.

That became the first night when Twins CEO Jim Pohlad was spotted sampling homemade liquor brought in from the mountains and dancing to salsa music. With Rosario gone, it’s also presumed to have been the last.

 

Write to Patrick Reusse by e-mailing sports@startribune.com and including his name in the subject line.

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