One more politically incorrect post, as long as I've gone there.... and I heard some radio talk show guys address this earlier, so I feel my path has been cleared as well....
Cole Hammels pitched poorly for the Phils yesterday and then left to see his wife have their baby, as she was apparently in labor. Was he distracted by this? Perhaps, but the fact that the game announcers made such a big deal about excusing him if he was seemed a bit outrageous. Chris Berman and Rick Sutcliffe actually said there was no comparison between your wife's having a baby and pitching in a major league playoff game...Really? My wife and I have had three babies and while they were all amazing experiences, I don't know that I wouldn't have been willing to miss one of the births in order to pitch in a major league playoff game. I think that might be quite an amazing experience as well. (Sutcliffe has actually pitched in the playoffs and I'd like to question him further onthis over a beer.) And, it's not like you're not going to see the kid a million, kajillion times for the rest of his or her life. Yeah, the birth is great, but so are first steps, first words, every birthday party, every kiss, every dance recital, every little league game, even helping them with their homework.
The radio talk show guys suggested that Hammels should have maybe just done the '50s thing - sucked it up and handed out cigars after the game. I don't know, I thought that was an interesting perspective....
2 comments:
Everyone feels compelled to toe the line.
In contrast, if they step out of line, they catch hell.
Look what happened to Jimmy the Greek. He lost his job for basically saying that blacks were physiologically superior to whites and that there were, indeed, breeding practices that capitalized on such attributes.
Truth? Yes. Unpopular? Yes.
The lesson: It is better to say the popular thing rather than speak the truth. That's the mantra that Berman and Sutclilffe were following.
Besides, people don't want to hear the truth; they want to hear what they want to hear.
R that is a good question. I think that either route you take is your personal preference and as long as accept your subsequent fatherly duties, then you are ok with me. I think that in this pitcher's case, if he really was too distracted to perform, then he should not have been playing.
Post a Comment