Watching Plaxico Burress's ESPN interview was pretty tough, you know, I mean, you know what I'm sayin, you know? Sorry. He ended by saying (minus the you know's) "I'm human, I'm not an animal." True, and some are feeling the heart-string-tug, but when it comes to compassion Plax, I'm all out. Put it this way:
I'm not a bad person. I always put my cart back at the grocery store to make it easier on the workers. I don't park in handicap spots or fire lanes. If I find $20 on the ground, I look around for it's owner for a reasonable amount of time before pocketing it. And, if someone is coming toward my elevator, I hold it for them regardless of age, race, scent or gerth. You see, I'm not a bad person.
But, the other day I got a parking ticket. It was stupid of me, really. The meter clearly read "one hour parking" yet I tried to get away with two. Nailed! And because I broke the law, the fine was promptly paid and my debt to society erased. So, if I - a generally good guy - have to pay for breaking rules which maintain order, then why are so many people crying about Plaxico Burress getting two years in prison for carrying an illegal weapon?
My car blocked the parking space. Plax shot himself. Feeling bad about blocking the space isn't enough punishment and neither is Plex's flesh wound. I might have inconvienced someone, Plax might have killed someone. Sure the punishment seems harsh (that's why Tony Soprano lives in New Jersey) heck, I thought the $75 fine for the extra hour was like being hit with an anvil for tapping the glass at the pet store.
However, if there's a law that says I should get my brains bashed in for disturbing the fish, then maybe I won't bother them. Just like if New York City has notoriously tough gun laws, maybe I don't stuff one in my jeans before heading to da' club. Though I suppose that's touching on Burress stupidity, which stands out like a pair of zuba pants. How does anyone believe being a friendly-faced rock brain is a reason to receive a pardon?
Nobody pardoned Dante Stallworth and I'm sure he's swell. Stallworth's crime was without malice, too. All Dante wanted to do was get hammered, not hammer an innocent man with his vehicle. Drunk driving isn't that much different from bringing a loaded gun in public yet outcry for Stallworth's release is non-existant. Stallworth didn't get an exclusive ESPN interview.
If one of Vick's dogs bit him in the leg ending his season, would we say that was punishment enough? How about if Tonya Harding swung, missed and took out her own knee? Really, who else were Straw and Howe hurting other than themselves by blowing coke? I guess every pro-athlete should be pardoned as long as they are "good people" and only hurt themselves.
I'm per-Plaxed. Houston Chronicle columnist Jerome Solomon said he felt sorry for Plax. "I hear those of you that say, 'What if he had accidentally shot somebody else?' Well, we can't go on the what-ifs, only on what happened." Really? Aren't all laws based on what-ifs? If I drive 95 in a 30, there's a fair chance I don't kill anyone, but the law says driving that fast severely increases the chance I will. The law assumes the question: "what if someone is backing out or a child is chasing after a ball?" Just like carrying a loaded gun increases the chance of killing someone and presumably asks "what if it went off in the direction of a crowd?"
Solomon also said if Plax shot himself in Texas, we'd all be laughing not locking him up. No doubt, and if I hit golf balls on the moon, I'd outdrive Tiger Woods every time. Or better put, if I dropped my gum on the street in Japan, I'd be in the slammer for longer than Plax. Knowing this, I'd eat Mentos.
Plax is not an animal. He's a felon. You may think the law is stupid, you may think he's a good guy (though I've noticed no one has questioned Plax leaving his pregnant wife and son at home while he's clubbing) bottom line is he broke the law and there is no reason to demand his release or even feel sorry for anyone but his wife and son. Come see us again in two years, Plax.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Say It Ain't So Papi
The endless obsession with roids is back. A list of players testing positive for PED dropped David Ortiz’s name along with Manny Ramirez’s. Ramirez is coming back from a 50 game suspension so this call didn’t prompt the same outcry as Ortiz.
Looking at twitter feeds and facebook status updates, a lot of people, particularly in the Rochester area are in a joyous cheer for the announcement. The calls were filled with Pro-Yankee attitude:
“Manny and Papi, looks like someone has two tainted rings!!!”
“Ha, I knew it, how could Ortiz go from a nobody in Minn and then become a power hitter in Boston”
Home bias aside, this is just a sad sight for baseball. This game is at its peak as each season this century we have been treated to a wide open game, free of dynasties and boring games. Many young big names are entering The Show and new heroes are developing. The mere mention of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game showcases that. Two teams (Boston and Chicago) breaking painful championship droughts have reenergized the greatest game. But we see this world where people are excited to see new big names be dropped as “dopers”.
It’s sad because children watch baseball games, collect baseball cards and ask parents for jerseys of their heroes. Then to have these heroes torn down, ironically as many youngsters grew up admiring players such as Pete Rose and Mickey Mantle, two men who were far from perfect humans.
One of the greatest things about covering a college summer baseball team is the ability to get inside the game and ask current players, some with the possibility to be drafted their thoughts.
Yesterday as the Geneva Red Wings were looking for win to clinch a playoff spot, I asked players about the steroid issue and Ortiz’s dilemma.
One player, an infielder, said that the need to drop big names in the game is horrible. “It’s so hard to understand the situation a player is in,” said the infielder. “Some of these guys come from Puerto Rico with nothing and the ability to make a million dollars here and send it home. A million in these countries is double its worth here.”
Even the use of steroids is not out of the question if you think of it hypothetically. If you were a minor leaguer and you just needed a little push and one of it was steroids, would you take it? The responses are amazing.
A relief pitcher said, “If I was losing something on my fastball or I needed something for my change, I would take it if I didn’t get caught.”
“You can take the stuff but you still have to hit the ball!” Barked one outfielder, who has hit some homers this season.
That’s one thing overlooked by most people. Baseball is an extremely hard game to be great at. The game has not seen a .400 hitter in over sixty years. The best hitters hover around a .300 average lifetime. It’s great to have a 20 game hitting streak, it’s amazing at 30 games and anything beyond that is unreal. Home run hitters have only hit the dinger in 8 straight games and that’s a very lucky few.
A first baseman for the Red Wings takes cuts off a tee, and then takes batting practice after games and every day at 10:00 in the morning. He’s only had thirty at bats and no home runs. Not to sell this player short but even if he took steroids, would he still be able to hit bombs without the extra cuts he takes everyday?
When you talk to some journalists, especially sports writers, one thing to ask them is, “did you play baseball growing up?” After they answer that question yes or no, and if they say yes, ask them, “how far did you get?” Chances are most of them never played past little league.
See some sports writers become amazing at writing and with words because they were awful athletes growing up. They either had no skill, no ambition to practice for hours on end or were not well liked. As soon as they were done with the game, they develop this, “if I can’t play then I’ll write and write MY WAY! If you have a problem with that tough!” I knew guys like this in college. These guys are always biting and short on players’ reasons for failure in their articles and columns.
That’s when there is a new confession from Jose Canseco or the Mitchell Report (the biggest waste of time and tax payer money) comes out these writers are dying to get their two cents. These guys take their failure as a child and poor relations with someone and make it personal like sharks in the water. They smell blood so they know its dinnertime.
As a fan of baseball, that’s the only bias I will give, it pains me to see this desire to find out who is on steroids. The public wants to know so badly. They feel they “need” to know, like it’s a fourth estate issue. Professional baseball players are in the business of the game. The more home runs they hit or the more wins they tally the more money they are paid. It’s simple as that.
I wanted to be a sports journalist for one reason, I love the game. I love them all, no matter what the sport. One of man’s greatest achievements was the four minute mile. The human body is an amazing thing and its ability to throw 100 MPH or leap up a ten foot wall or steal 100 bases is a thing of beauty. We need to move past the steroids. It’s something the league has dealt with. These players were using it before it was banned. Let bygones be bygones and let Ortiz, Manny, Barry, Roger and A-Rod go.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
Looking at twitter feeds and facebook status updates, a lot of people, particularly in the Rochester area are in a joyous cheer for the announcement. The calls were filled with Pro-Yankee attitude:
“Manny and Papi, looks like someone has two tainted rings!!!”
“Ha, I knew it, how could Ortiz go from a nobody in Minn and then become a power hitter in Boston”
Home bias aside, this is just a sad sight for baseball. This game is at its peak as each season this century we have been treated to a wide open game, free of dynasties and boring games. Many young big names are entering The Show and new heroes are developing. The mere mention of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game showcases that. Two teams (Boston and Chicago) breaking painful championship droughts have reenergized the greatest game. But we see this world where people are excited to see new big names be dropped as “dopers”.
It’s sad because children watch baseball games, collect baseball cards and ask parents for jerseys of their heroes. Then to have these heroes torn down, ironically as many youngsters grew up admiring players such as Pete Rose and Mickey Mantle, two men who were far from perfect humans.
One of the greatest things about covering a college summer baseball team is the ability to get inside the game and ask current players, some with the possibility to be drafted their thoughts.
Yesterday as the Geneva Red Wings were looking for win to clinch a playoff spot, I asked players about the steroid issue and Ortiz’s dilemma.
One player, an infielder, said that the need to drop big names in the game is horrible. “It’s so hard to understand the situation a player is in,” said the infielder. “Some of these guys come from Puerto Rico with nothing and the ability to make a million dollars here and send it home. A million in these countries is double its worth here.”
Even the use of steroids is not out of the question if you think of it hypothetically. If you were a minor leaguer and you just needed a little push and one of it was steroids, would you take it? The responses are amazing.
A relief pitcher said, “If I was losing something on my fastball or I needed something for my change, I would take it if I didn’t get caught.”
“You can take the stuff but you still have to hit the ball!” Barked one outfielder, who has hit some homers this season.
That’s one thing overlooked by most people. Baseball is an extremely hard game to be great at. The game has not seen a .400 hitter in over sixty years. The best hitters hover around a .300 average lifetime. It’s great to have a 20 game hitting streak, it’s amazing at 30 games and anything beyond that is unreal. Home run hitters have only hit the dinger in 8 straight games and that’s a very lucky few.
A first baseman for the Red Wings takes cuts off a tee, and then takes batting practice after games and every day at 10:00 in the morning. He’s only had thirty at bats and no home runs. Not to sell this player short but even if he took steroids, would he still be able to hit bombs without the extra cuts he takes everyday?
When you talk to some journalists, especially sports writers, one thing to ask them is, “did you play baseball growing up?” After they answer that question yes or no, and if they say yes, ask them, “how far did you get?” Chances are most of them never played past little league.
See some sports writers become amazing at writing and with words because they were awful athletes growing up. They either had no skill, no ambition to practice for hours on end or were not well liked. As soon as they were done with the game, they develop this, “if I can’t play then I’ll write and write MY WAY! If you have a problem with that tough!” I knew guys like this in college. These guys are always biting and short on players’ reasons for failure in their articles and columns.
That’s when there is a new confession from Jose Canseco or the Mitchell Report (the biggest waste of time and tax payer money) comes out these writers are dying to get their two cents. These guys take their failure as a child and poor relations with someone and make it personal like sharks in the water. They smell blood so they know its dinnertime.
As a fan of baseball, that’s the only bias I will give, it pains me to see this desire to find out who is on steroids. The public wants to know so badly. They feel they “need” to know, like it’s a fourth estate issue. Professional baseball players are in the business of the game. The more home runs they hit or the more wins they tally the more money they are paid. It’s simple as that.
I wanted to be a sports journalist for one reason, I love the game. I love them all, no matter what the sport. One of man’s greatest achievements was the four minute mile. The human body is an amazing thing and its ability to throw 100 MPH or leap up a ten foot wall or steal 100 bases is a thing of beauty. We need to move past the steroids. It’s something the league has dealt with. These players were using it before it was banned. Let bygones be bygones and let Ortiz, Manny, Barry, Roger and A-Rod go.
ROC SPORTS NET 2009
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