The only thank you that I have to throw out there after last nights' batting practice, I mean Sox game, is to Nick Green. This Jack-of-all-Trades goes out to the mound and fires aspirin up there touching 90 on 2 occasions in a 2 inning stint that left the wiseasses like myself wondering if Papelbon now has two competitors for the Closer role. Papelbon has put himself in much more white knuckled situations than those this year. The one comedic thing from Nick Green out on the mound was the ball that he snared to end the ninth and threw the ball at some speed hovering around Mach 5 to Casey Kotchman at first base.
I'm not sure about you all but I love watching the Little League World Series. Something about kids playing for the love of the game and pride of their state/country really makes me get the warm and fuzzies. But I have to admit, watching what Orel and Musburger refer to as sportsmanship makes me want to rip my testicles off and beat someone over the head with them.
When you are in the throes of an intense, possible season ending baseball game, you don't walk over and give the opposition "high-fives" after you knock out their ace, or the other team starts mounting a comeback and ties the game with one inning left. That is not "sportsmanship". That is precisely what's wrong with the youth athletic systems in America. There is no fire left, no cut throat attitude that people need to survive in this world. Right now, Ty Cobb is rolling over in his grave, and probably still sharpening his cleats to puncture the next 2nd baseman that gets in the way of the bag. I'm not saying this is why they lost, but jesus it sure didn't help the cause.
The kids that are forced to listen to this drivel, are the ones that get F*CKED when it comes time for things that they want. They want to go to a top flight school to play baseball? Nope, there's someone out there that decided breaking up the double play was more advantageous than just getting out of the way for fear of injuring the other player. Want to go to the Majors'? Nope, someone decided that they didn't want to NOT keep score in Little League and therefore works that much harder to beat EVERYONE at EVERYTHING. Want a promotion at work? Nope, someone knows that it's not about making friends at some point it's about quality of work and if it means that you have to bypass everyone else to make yourself stand out then so be it.
This is so infuriating to someone such as myself. I am someone that busted my ass off to make Varsity as a Freshman in High School. I am someone that with a fever over 102o I went out and caught 12 bullpens and took an extended batting practice in order to try and get onto a farm team for the Boston Red Sox. I didn't have time to shake someone's hand or congratulate them on doing something good out there. The second I did that was the second someone was going to put my d*ck in the dirt for showing any sign of mental weakness. If you want to make it in baseball you have to be hardnosed at some point. If you want to be successful in life you are going to need to ruffle some feathers.
I'm all for players having fun, and playing the game of baseball for love of the game, but when you're on the big stage (and let's face it, it doesn't get bigger than Howard J Lamade, in Little League) You need to have that fire in your belly and that cut throat attitude. Did you see Tim Wakefield walk up to Aaron F*cking Boone in 2003 after that crushing homerun and say, "Gee Golly your really hit the piss out of that one." No you didn't. I'm pretty sure that when Mitch Williams gave up that gopher ball to end the 1993 World Series he didn't run along side Joe Carter and congratulate him on his upcoming ring ceremony.
I realize that we are supposed to teach our kids to play fair, but there comes a point where if we don't teach them to have the competitive juices flowing that they will never learn how to deal with adversity or thrive under pressure. After all, Nice Guys Finish Last.
Stay Tuned
Ryan
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