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 Posted: Wed 1:41, 14 Aug 2013 Post subject: The Overemphasis of Unimportance |
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The Overemphasis of Unimportance
They say, we think, that baseball is ninety-nine percent mental and the rest of it is physical. Something like that anyway. In a way,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Derek Jeter proved the rule as he admittedly faked being hit by a pitch in Wednesday night's game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays. It was no doubt a smart move on his part. It took some Jim Carey-esque girations to sell it, which utilized all of his left over percentage. The ball actually hit the butt of Jeter's bat, which would have resulted, if called correctly, in a weakly hit ground ball out at worst,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a foul ball at best (an aside, I just googled "Derek Jeter" and a suggested search was "Derek Jeter herpes". Bizarre).
A number of fans and others in the realm of sports punditry have cried out that Jeter is a cheater; or, if a particular sports pundit defended Jeter's action, they thereby received cries of hypocrisy. If it were another player like Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez, they would effectively rip them to shreds. What these fans are suggesting is that Jeter has a reputation--one that he does not attribute to himself (and almost certainly he does not deserve) and it is largely given to him by sports punditry--such that whatever modicum of badness Jeter possesses is ultimately excused based on this perceived perception. Skip Bayless admitted as much,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], saying that "Jeter is on a pedestal". The perception of Jeter's character is based on whatever evidence one can gather to justify such praise and adornment,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], which, in our humble opinion,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], no athlete truly deserves.
Jeter's Lawrence Olivier impression was the lede on mainstream sports outlet, ESPN, (on exactly three different shows) further perpetuating the perceived perception of his character. It was so out of character, they think,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], for him to act his heart out for a single base. In the way that these pundits "boo ya" and catchphrase their way through the highlight,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], one would think that the Yankees won the game on such a "controversial" play. What is lost in the shuffle, however, is that the Rays beat the Yankees with the help of Dan Johnson's two home runs,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], nullifying the importance of the Shakespearian tragedy of a once great baseball hero losing his dignity for a free base. What else is lost is that the Rays, in virtue of their win,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], overtook first place in the AL East by a half game, temporarily changing the outlook of the AL playoff picture.
We understand that what the people are interested in the modern era of Sport is less about the teams they so dearly cheer for and more about the individuals that play the sport. And sports punditry must cater to what the people want. Our society, we understand, is more mobile and sport is too; what with the role of free agency in any sport,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], our stars are more prone to leave teams they started with for the allure of more money or a world championship, which may partly explain why we want what we want.
Moreover, it is a business. We get it. But if one is looking for an individual to lede a show with or for something to admire,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], we suggest emphasizing what Troy Tulowitzski is doing this September: eleven homeruns in thirteen games, which is one of the best Septembers in the history of baseball Septembers. More importantly, the Colorado Rockies are just 2.5 games out of first in the NL West. The game itself loses its perceived integrity once we are old enough to know better,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], when we come to found out that the game we loved receives all too much credit. As our country progresses, we now know better, and we ought to act like it particularly when it comes to well-measured discussions about Sport.
This is without a doubt the stupidest sports controversy in memory and the stupidest occasion for some of you to moralize that I can imagine. Jeter did not say the ball hit him. He acted as if he got hit. Catchers regularly "frame" pitches, pulling them back into the zone as if they were strikes. Outfielders act as if they came up with shoestring catches when the ball actually short-hopped. Infielders act as if they touched second on a double play when they were only in the neighborhood. Players act as if they got a tag on a baserunner when they didn't. And none of this, none of it, is cheating. Because none of it breaks any rule whatsoever. We are talking about making a presentation for the umpire's judgement. This is not using a foreign substance, taking PEDs, corking bats, scuffing baseballs. It is representing,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and it is up the the ump to judge the representation. That's more of a question about the psychology of the sports fan. In my humble opinion, I think men that do that are suffering from some form of arrested development,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], partly because they look like overgrown 8 year olds. Quite unbecoming for a grown man. It's just an extreme form of escapism.
But, again, not all people that wear Pujols jerseys are morons, idiots or Republicans. They're just REALLY bad dressers. The same goes for people that wear bright white K-Swiss sneakers and like it. Not stupid,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], just bad at dressing.
Given the popularity of sports, it's inevitable that some players will get heroized (?Paging Mr. Webster!). Jeter is one of them though I'm not sure why. Regardless, this seemed to cheapen his image. Contrast that with Reggie Jackson's infamous "sacrifice hip". Since Reggie was viewed as something of a character, everyone chortled along with it. And it was a pretty funny spectacle.
Obviously one's heroes should those whose work is imbued with a greater moral grandeur than a professional athlete, actor of pop music star. Best of wishes on pursuing that noble cause.
Good post! There is something about the media event that is much more significant than the event itself. Players in games feign all sorts of things to referees and umpires to gain competitive advantage all the time. They always have. The very interesting thing about this event is the effect caused by being able to witness and analyze it with the tell tale video. Seeing a fact has such an impact that knowing of it rarely does. It is similar to the civil rights era when the images of people being blasted by fire hoses and attacked by police dogs inspired the nation to support civil rights legislation, where newspaper accounts of similar atrocities, and worse could not in decades prior. Yes, the Jeter case is not nearly as significant, but the human response to what we can see clearly is fascinating.
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