No one from this year's slate of candidates for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown made it this time around and I must admit I'm pleased. Actually, I would have been happy if pitcher Jack Morris got in, because he made a key contribution to the Blue Jays in the glory years, andseveral others will have their day. I was just relieved that the steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa were denied entry. By the number all three deserve to be there after long and stellar careers. But all three were "juiced" and all have lied about it.
I love excellence in sport. A nifty passing play leading to a goal in a hockey or soccer game, a stretched-out circus catch in football, robbing a home run with a climb-the-ladder jump at the wall in baseball -- feats of athletic beauty. But the cheating and the lying sicken me.
Lance Armstrong lied for years about his cheating as a cyclist and actually won defamation law suits. Now he is disgraced. And yes, the greed bugs me as well. The incessant blathering about the hockey lock-out poisoned me, I must say, and I wondered how these owners and players lost sight of the game which is meant to entertain.
Basketball player Charles Barkley once famously intoned that he was not a role model, as if saying so made it true. Well, anyone in the public eye is called to accountability, whether he or she wants to be or not. Often we promote these sports figures to a god-like status that leads them to believe that they are above the law, or even the estimation of their own importance.
I have said before that I have increasing misgivings about watching pro sports. Why do I keep tuning in when there is so much about the lifestyle and sense of entitlement which bothers me? I am not a crazy fan(atic) but I do wonder whether I am participating in a form of idolatry, which the bible strongly discourages. Ah well -- no says that the minister will be consistent!
What do you think folks?
2 comments:
Wow! I feel the very same way! I love my Pittsburgh Steelers - and the NFL(and even CFL) - but then I read about the latest exploits of a football player(yes, Big Ben, our QB comes to mind) who has committed some crime, and it knocks me back a peg.
I have been a diehard Steeler fan for over 35 years, and I don't think that will ever change. However, I am often having this internal debate about whether or not I should be so dedicated.
Then again, I do get pleasure from watching games. I have learned not to take the games so seriously, and not be so upset after a Steeler loss. It really used to bother me.
Now come on, boys, and take the Super Bowl next year.....OR ELSE!!
We were all cheering this decision at hockey this week. The Hall made a great call and the statement about those guys and what they did rings loud and clear.
Now here's the real question (which also came up at hockey): is there any real reason for Pete Rose to not be in the baseball H.O.F.? Doesn't the steroid situation really illustrate how stupid his lifetime ban is, by comparison?
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