"He told me I wasn't going to pitch if I didn't take them off" - When Arthur Rhodes said that he was forced to remove his diamond earrings
Former star reliever Arthur Rhodes was never one to shy away from being both stylish and effective on the mound. When it comes to Rhodes, aside from his clutch pitching, he may be best remembered for his diamond-studded earrings.
While this fashion accessory may be an odd reason to remember a player, when it comes to Arthur Rhodes, the jewelry led to a few dust-ups throughout his career. During one such incident on Aug. 26, 2001, the pitcher had to remove his earrings before being allowed to pitch in an important game for the Seattle Mariners.
After his earrings led to him being removed from a game earlier that year, Arthur Rhodes opted to reluctantly remove them to avoid another potential ejection instead of making a big deal about it. When asked about the situation, Rhodes said that the umpire made his decision clear:
"He told me I wasn't going to pitch if I didn't take them off. Once the umpire stopped me, I knew what I had to do. Stay calm. Stay cool. Stay in the game."
Although Rhodes took off his earrings to remain in the game, he ended up giving up a two-run hit to Kenny Lofton, helping Cleveland walk away with the victory. Even though Arthur Rhodes was charged with the blown save, he shrugged off the notion that the earring removal had anything to do with it.
"I made a good pitch; he's a good hitter and he got me," Rhodes said of Lofton's hit.
Arthur Rhodes' earrings led to a bench-clearing incident against the Cleveland Indians
Another such incident occured when Arthur Rhodes had to remove his earrings following a dispute. During a stretch of the 2001 season, Rhodes' diamond earrings not only led to a few disputes with his opponents and various umpires but it even led to his ejection.
The most incident occured when Cleveland Indians infielder Omar Vizquel complained that Rhodes' diamond earrings were a distraction on the mound. As a result of the argument, the benches cleared, and Rhodes was ejected from the game.
This is something that Rhodes made sure did not repeat when the issue of his distracting earrings came up again. He took his trademark earrings across the MLB as the reliever became the true essence of a journeyman, spending time with nine different teams in his career.