On Monday night, in the moments after Atlanta doubled Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper off first base to win Game 2 of the National League Division Series, reporters entered the Atlanta clubhouse. Amid the post-win jubilation, shortstop Orlando Arcia loudly and repeatedly yelled, “Attaboy, Harper!” and cackled. Fox Sports’s Jake Mintz first reported the scene; Washington Post writer Chelsea Janes also reported the comment, but did not identify who made it.
Atlanta players, after being blown out in Game 3, contended that Arcia’s taunt had been off the record. Many fans—and even some members of the media—have exhibited a similar misunderstanding of how “the record” works, so it seems like a good time for an explainer of this concept as it relates to the coverage of Major League Baseball.
As a reporter, I am the record. When the clubhouse opens to media, as the collective bargaining agreement stipulates that it must before and after each regular-season game, and in the postseason only after games, every interaction I see, hear or take part in is on the record unless I have specifically come to an agreement otherwise with someone beforehand. Players and coaches are welcome to ask after the fact if they can take something they said or did off the record; at that point, the decision is mine. Most players understand this, which is why most players don’t whine when we print what they say and do.
