Chris… You’re one of my oldest friends and normally your thought process is on point, but with all due respect you couldn’t be more off base here.
I too enjoy a good celebration in all sports. Being the cynic I am it’s refreshing to see overpaid meatheads reverting back and showing it’s not utterly about money (even though I know it is but it gives me some hope), but they do love playing a game they’ve embraced since childhood. Personally I enjoy football celebrations the most because I laugh watching a giant douche making a complete ass out of himself. I’m also a fan of good natured taunting if the parties involved know each other and have a history (such as the years of Reggie Miller taunting Spike Lee courtside at Madison Square Garden).
In saying that, there’s a fine line between celebrating a big play be it a home run, game winning goal, touchdown, clutch three-pointer, and showing up the other team. Although these athlete’s are just playing a “game” (as Chris so eloquently drove into our heads), you still need to have respect for that game.
When I watch sports I want to see good competition between two teams playing their hearts out. If I wanted to watch an athlete do shtick, I’d watch 1980’s footage of “Piper’s Pit” (I would say the short lived XFL, but that wasn’t funny, it was an abortion).
The Ortiz play that Chris mentioned I think was blown out of proportion. Ortiz did flip the bat and did some admiration, but unfortunately that’s the state of the Major League Baseball (thank you Barry Bonds, you dick). He didn’t do anything different than a majority of players would do if they hit a walk-off, but I’d prefer it the celebration was at home plate with the rest of the team. When it comes to this type of behavior it’s really a manager’s job to talk to his players about not showing up a pitcher or the other team. A couple years ago, here in Philadelphia, Shane Victorino hit a game winning home run and pointed to his dugout as he rounded the bases. The next day in the paper the main story was manager Charlie Manuel, as well as some veteran players got on him for his antics (he hasn’t don’t it since).
What eats out my goad is when I see guys like Jose Reyes doing the cha-cha around the base paths after a home run, or that stupid hop Sammy Sosa would do after putting a steroid assisted baseball into the bleachers at Wrigley Field (I would also say Camden Yards but it didn’t end well for him in Baltimore). While I’m sure the players who are pulling these types of stunts are just excessively celebrating, they aren’t respecting their opponent or the game itself. It’s low brow and it lacks class. Again, I’ve accepted it since its how the game it’s played these days but I miss the older days where that shit wasn’t stood for.
Now what that bitch Bryce Harper did earlier in the week was completely unacceptable. I don’t care how young or talented he is, it was a dick move and if his manager had his own set of balls and would quit jocking his star-players taint, he would have sat his ass on the bench. Bryce, I enjoyed the movie Bull Durham too, but just because they blew kisses at the pitcher in a baseball comedy doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to do it in real life. Bryce needs to save his kisses for his boyfriend after the game.
I know Mike Schmidt had to pipe his two cents in referring to if the manager doesn’t police him, the game will, but I think Mike is confused. In his playing days without a doubt but in today’s game, no shot. Prior to late 80’s if it was deemed you showed up the pitcher, you were going to catch a fastball in the ribs, if not your dome in your next at-bat. That’s why you didn’t see much bullshit on the base paths back then and that’s how I prefer the game to be played.
In the current way the game is played this will not happen. Since Pedro Martinez retired, most pitchers are scared to pitch inside no less “teach a hitter a lesson for not respecting his opponent”. And unless you’re headhunter like Vicente Padilla (who is the only pitcher I can think of with the mentality to do this), you’re not going to get intentionally hit, and the players know this, so there’s no repercussions for showboating on the base paths (unless you’re showing up Padilla). Sorry Mike, you’re policing itself is a line of shit.
The only way to fix it is for the managers and coaches to instill in young players to respect the game, so when they become millionaire douchebags, they still know respect. I know Chris mentioned Derek Jeter, and as much as I don’t like Jeter, he plays the game the right way and should be an example for other players in the league.
Chris, you know I love to laugh probably more then the next guy, but if finding it disrespectful for overpaid primadona’s going to the idiot extreme and acting like an asshole after making a big play, then I guess I have a “stick in my ass”.
Well Played, and that’s how we do it at The Riot! Anybody else have any thoughts? thesportsriot@yahoo.com or shatemeself@yahoo.com or check out The Sports Riot! page on facebook and finally you can find us on Twitter @thesportsriot.
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