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Miguel Rojas' cocky Dodgers cleats just flew in the face of Jazz Chisholm Jr. bullying story

Oh, so different rules for me and not for thee, huh?
ByAdam Weinrib
Championship Series - Milwaukee Brewers v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game 3
Championship Series - Milwaukee Brewers v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game 3 | Katelyn Mulcahy/GettyImages

While Jazz Chisholm Jr. may not be everyone's favorite (soon-to-be-ex-) Yankee at the moment, we can still hold sympathy in our heart (hopefully) for someone who was hazed out of the good graces of his first MLB clubhouse. Chisholm Jr.'s confidence can get under the skin of those outside the locker room, so it's not hard to imagine MLB veterans bristling upon his arrival, especially as a rookie.

But, see ... the difference is what you do with that distaste. A leader might approach Chisholm Jr. and tell him to calm down a bit so everyone can get to know him better. A conflict-avoidant might sit in the corner and watch Chisholm Jr. dig his own grave. And an aggressive malcontent might cut up Chisholm Jr.'s sneakers and fill them with milk, which solves absolutely nothing.

We don't know what Miguel Rojas - formerly of the Marlins, now with the Dodgers - tried before attacking Chisholm Jr.'s custom footware, but the story of where his anger reached has never sat right with me. According to Chisholm Jr., Rojas took aim at his custom cleats and destroyed them to send a message during their time in Miami. Again, there's the adult way to handle conflict, and then there's the bully's way, which is essentially telling someone, "You are not allowed to be unique, and you have to earn it."

Rojas has responded to the allegations, but has never denied them, instead using mealy-mouthed language to deflect. "There's people who are going to air out what happened in a clubhouse," Rojas told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. "I have my own opinions on what transpired, but I'm going to be professional and keep it in-house."

In other words, once again, Jazz is the real villain for confessing that someone took things too far. No accountability. Just relying on Jazz's eccentricities to dig their own grave while he's allowed to exist scot-free as the wily veteran in the Dodgers' locker room. Of all the infuriating Dodgers in recent years - Kiké Hernández's "quirky" exuberance, Kyle Tucker taking the entire season off to sit on his money, Blake Snell refusing to take responsibility for his failures - Rojas has always rubbed me the wrong way most powerfully because of this incident and resulting reaction.

And that antipathy hit a new apex on Wednesday night, when Rojas took the field in obnoxious cleats that advertised the Dodgers' back-to-back titles and noted that a third one was "loading".

To which I say, in my heartiest voice, bellowing outside in the October crisp ... "OK, chief."

Miguel Rojas' custom World Series cleats clearly define absurd double standard with Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Again, I have no doubt that a young Chisholm Jr. deserves responsibility for clashing with the clubhouse. He took the field with a lollipop in his mouth this year. He likely needed to cut plenty of behaviors out of his repertoire as a kid.

But the way Rojas reportedly handled that beef - and, again, he's never denied it! - was beyond childish. And taking the field in these boorish monstrosities is the ultimate definition of, "Different rules for me, but not for thee". Rojas believed wearing flashy cleats as a rookie crossed a line, but clearly yearned to get old enough to cross that same line himself, with enough veteran pastiche that no one could say anything to him.

Well, guess what, friend? You're one loss away from that third trophy "loading" forever. So get out the milk and scissors.

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