Today, the International League suspended Delmon Young for an incident in which he threw a bat at an umpire after being called out on strikes. They suspended him for 50 games.
This is a fine example of why baseball will never go the way of basketball or even football. No one in baseball is bigger than baseball. (Not even Bonds.)
Hockey values how tough and talented you are. Football values how tough, talented and talkative you are. Basketball values how much of a thug you are. Baseball values your talent, sure. Baseball values if you are tough, kind of. Baseball appreciates a good personality, of course.
But baseball values something that no other sport seems to value - character. Baseball places high value on character, work ethic, consistency, eloquence, ability, etc. Baseball wants to know if you take care of your wife and kids. Baseball wants to see if you handle kids' never-ending-requests for autographs with class and style. Look at baseball's greats - Derek Jeter, Mark Grace, Ozzie Smith, Andruw Jones, Greg Maddux, Curt Schilling, Kirby Puckett, on and on - you find men who were men. They showed up, enjoyed the game, played hard and handled themselves with class. All of them.
Baseball does not stand for corruption. Look at the Bonds situation. This man hasn't been convicted of anything at this point, however, every ballpark he arrives in and everytime he steps to the plate, he receives a shower merciless boos. Baseball will not stand for a lack of character.
This is one of the reasons that baseball is and will continue to be America's pastime. Baseball will not allow one person to stand up and wreck the image of the great game. Sure there will be struggles and even scandles, however baseball will always weather those storms. Baseball is America's sport.
3 comments:
I know that you're still a young man and therefore not experienced in all matters pertaining to life and happiness, but your blog comments about "No lone is bigger than baseball" remind me about another fairy tale called the Wizard of Oz.
The two stories must be similar but I don't know how. I just mentioned it because my mind was temporarily deranged when I wrote that comment which is how your's must have been when you wrote your blog. It reminds me of a four letter word starting in S.
I agree with one thing you said about it being America's pastime. It truly is PAST IT'S TIME.
Baseball is the greatest sedative in the world—it's been putting people to sleep for years!!!!
Now if you were a man of the 21st century and not a throwback to the dark ages you would understand that FOOTBALL is the sport of champions and the only one that keeps America's completive juices flowing!!!!!
The BEST baseball team couldn't even get ONE FIRST DOWN against the WORST football team—yet the WORST football team could beat the BEST baseball team on any diamond in the world.
In conclusion, a football is bigger than a baseball, go measure it.
Sent in Love,
Pastor Herb
Thank you for reading my blog and I appreciate the comment.
However, I will have to offer a rebuttal.
I completely respect that fact that you are more experienced in life than I am, in fact anyone who was around when the Cubs last won the Series, deserves a hansome amount of respect when it comes to his opinion about baseball. However, it is necessary for us to disagree.
First of all the only people who are bored by baseball are the people that do not understand baseball. Period.
"the WORST football team could beat the BEST baseball team on any diamond in the world."
I strongly disagree with this statement. I highly doubt that Jake Plummer, Brett Farve or Jevon Kearse could stand in the batter's box and do anything productive with a Curt Schilling fastball, Greg Maddux curveball or Tim Wakefield knuckleball. Let alone anyone of them standing on the mound and getting any kind of pitch through the strike zone of Derek Jeter, Todd Helton or Albert Pujols.
Baseball isn't about brute strength, that is what makes it great. Baseball has nothing to do with how big you are or rough you are. Baseball demands that you use your talent, ability and MIND to win. That is the difference. That is the distinction.
Baseball is great, because baseball is a culture. It is American culture. Baseball is great because of the Sunday afternoon ballgame, where you take your kids, get some autographs and enjoy a hot, salty stadium dog. Go ahead take your kids to an NFL game and try to enjoy the game while doing everything you can to keep those kids from becoming drenched in beer and distracting them from the endless string of profanities being hurled at the field. Then take them home and do what you can to explain to them why the player that you just cheered your head off for complains about his coachs, plays only for himself, beats his wife, is caught with drugs and rapes a hooker. While you are trying to explain that, you will find yourself praying that God will allow summer to come quickly so that you can once again immerse your children in the things that make America great - patriotism, integrity and character.
Don't get me wrong, I love football. Anyone who knows me, knows the celebratory dance that I will do when the Huskers kill the USC Trojans in Los Angeles this coming September. But football is not America's sport.
With Respect, Hosh
PS. At least we can both celebrate that soccer isn't America's sport!
any sport that uses pink bats on Mothers' Day or any other day is a game for wimps!
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