A Take on the Weekend

July 31, 2001

by Justin Waganer

Sports Columnist

In a report that begins today and will become weekly I would like to take you to a couple of things that caught my attention over the weekend in sports.  First, from the "get over it and become a man" files comes yet another "big" story about yet another "unwritten rule" of baseball.  It's becoming increasingly evident to me that the only "unwritten rule" of baseball is that the players and managers should do all they can to distance themselves from the fans of the sport.

The story is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and goes like this.  The San Diego Padres led the Milwaukee Brewers 12-5 in the seventh inning of their game on Sunday and Rickey Henderson was on first base.  Henderson, who is just 22 runs away from being baseball's all-time run leader, stole second and was promptly bombarded by threats from Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes.  No one is claiming that Rickey Henderson is an innocent good-guy that was unfairly, verbally abused, but grow up Davey.  Here's some of what the Brewer manager had to say:

"I didn't appreciate what he did," Lopes said. "I know he's trying to obtain the record for the most runs scored, but do it the right way. I just told him to stay in the game, because he was going (down). We were going to drill him."

While your at it Mr.  Lopes, don't forget to exclaim that you are also taking your ball and going home.  Oh yea, my dad can beat up your dad.  However, Lopes isn't the only guy in baseball who has taken this attitude at an "unwritten rule" this season.  Earlier this season, the Diamondbacks had a no-hitter broken up by a bunt and instantly cried out of the injustice that had just taken place.  Apparently, these guys signed up for kindergarten classes and were accidentally placed in Major League Baseball.  Come on, this is sports, you are grown men.

This is yet another example of why baseball has become just what it has called itself for sometime, America's past time.  It is past the time of ultimate success in the American sports arena and past the time where myself, and many like me, care to keep up with it.  All other sports play to the last play.  When a team is up by 40 points in the third quarter in football they don't begin taking a knee on every play or punting on first down, they continue to play and improve.  In basketball the winning team doesn't begin handing the ball over every play or passing it until the shot clock expires, they continue to shoot, run plays and improve.

The obvious fact is that baseball no longer cares to improve, they are happy holding on to traditional "rules" that bore everyone watching the game.  If a 7 run game is over in the seventh inning, then don't get upset when the fans go home in the seventh.  But don't worry about that, most of the fans that went home after the strike seven years ago still haven't returned.  The "unwritten rule" of being a fan is that when the game stops caring about you, you stop caring about the game.

And in closing, I would like to comment on another quote I overheard when tuning into national radio this past weekend.  From the "Beano Cook is a bumbling idiot and is the reason that stupid people shouldn't be given an audience" files, comes this chunk of intelligence. 

Beano stated on ESPN Radio when asked about the validity and fairness of conference championship games that Bob Stoops is being "foolish" when he states that everyone or no one should play these games.  Beano said that if Bob Stoops didn't want to play the game then he shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.

See, Beano has decided that it is much easier to toss out reason, logic, and fact when talking sports.  Mr.  Cook doesn't realize that Bob Stoops wasn't even a thought in the minds of the Oklahoma Athletic Department when the decision was made which also was one made by the athletic directors and administrators.  The coaches have been against it for the most part since its inception.

Don't give up on Beano just yet, his suggestions and predictions don't start until after Ron Powlus wins his second Heisman, Wisconsin and Texas play in the national championship game, and the ground can once again cause a fumble.

That's all for now, until next time, I leave you with this quote:

"Emotion is highly overrated in football.  My wife Corky is emotional as hell, she can't play football worth a damn."  --John McKay, former coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs and USC Trojans.