Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Bickering With BoSox
Joe started off by quoting a New York Times article about this whole Sox-ARod thing:
"In this new version of "Get the good guy," the Red Sox are blameless. One player, Trot Nixon, ignited the game with negative comments about Rodriguez last week and a torrent of teammates have followed. But the teammates' comments have not been unsolicited. They were at the urging of reporters eager to inflame the game to incendiary levels. They were all but handed a script."
Great point. However, I feel that regardless of whether an athlete's comments are "solicited" or if they are practically "handed a script," the athlete still has a choice whether to say something or not. These guys are smart enough to not be baited by reporters trying to create stories, especially since they have been a part of this rivalry for a few years now. I think this article actually furthers my point in that Rodriguez, who is relatively new to this rivalry was surely "solicited" and handed a similar "script" to that of Nixon and Co. yet he did not walk into the trap. Just because reporters were goading the Red Sox, it doesn't mean they are "blameless" by any means. They still said what they said, right? I don't hear anybody saying they were misquoted.
"...Athletes have long accused reporters of creating stories, and, sadly, this is one of those instances. It has become one of the most distasteful instances I have witnessed in 45 years of covering baseball."
Again, I agree, but this story was "created" on the foundation of an actual quote by a Red Sox player. Nixon has taken full responsibility for his words so why can't this member of Red Sox Nation do the same instead of blaming reporters?
Joe then submitted his own analysis:
Your "My two favorite teams are the Angels and whoever's playing the Red Sox" stance is getting old.
To a Red Sox fan, I'm sure it is, but that's no reason to stop fighting the good fight everytime the Red Sox give me new material.
Just admit your a Red Sox hater that way your readers and I, as a Red Sox fanatic, can understand.
I thought that's exactly what I was doing. But really, it's not so much that I hate the Red Sox as much as I hate certain aspects of the team and their fans that I hold the team responsible for. I haven't a single bad thing to say about Curt Schilling. That guy is a warrior and I'd love to have him on my side in any battle. What's not to like about guys like Johnny Damon, Bill Mueller, and Tim Wakefield? I've stated my issues very specifically as being a) the fans that I have encountered and b) the sophomoric behavior by certain guys in recent weeks.
...where you are coming from. Does a "classy" organization take the word "steroid" out of a player's contract to cover their butts? Does a "classy" organization sign players who attack a defenseless field-crew member in the bullpen?
No, of course not. If you'll recall, I said in my closing paragraph that neither organization is clearly the good guy or the bad guy, that for lack of greater interest in the rivalry, I was picking a side based solely on the two issues I just listed above. That's not sticking my head in the sand, that's just saying I don't care enough about this to sit back and ponder the historical pros and cons. If you'll also recall, I was critical of the Yankees organization in my recent post about the steroid controversy so I am in no way a Yankee apologist. Oh, and I think it's misleading to say the Yankees signed players who attacked field-crew members; they were already under contract when that happened and, I believe, both guys have since been let go. I'm sure Joe will correct me if I am wrong and I would welcome it.
You bring up how Millar said ARod was "not a real Yankee". Why didn't you also bring up the fact that ARod's teammate Mike Stanton said "When you talk about the Yankee organization, it's Derek Jeter, Posada, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams. The rest of us are just the supporting cast."I will gladly forward my feelings on this angle at Mike Stanton as well then. Kevin (and Mike), he's been on the team for one season. What do you expect and what is the f'in point anyway? That's like criticizing Roger Clemens for not being a true Astro like Bagwell and Biggio. No sh_t, Shirlock. The point here was that a) it was a stupid point to make and b) it's another example of poor sportsmanship by Red Sox players in the media.
...or how Jorge Posada ("It's not my problem, so don't make it my problem") and Derek Jeter ("That's between Trot and Alex, so you'd have to ask them") didn't come to the defense of ARod.
This foolish interpretation was exactly why I described this whole situation as "espn-perpetuated." I see the Yankees' unwillingness to dive into this cesspool of controversy as a sign of class and having the wisdom to choose their battles, yet ESPN takes the same quote and turns the story into an unwillingness to stick up for ARod. In this case, the press actually is to blame because they are reporting their interpretation of a quote to be fact where as with the Nixon quote they simply allowed "I'm not a deadbeat dad, you clown" to speak for itself.
Probably because it'd ruin your angle that all that is Red Sox is evil.
Cry me a river, guys, seriously. All that is Red Sox is not evil, not even to me. Curt Schilling is a man among men. Historically, they are one of the best franchises in baseball, better than my Mets, better than my Angels. But, unlike you guys, I don't love the team so I have no problem calling them out when I feel they are acting inappropriately. Wasn't it you, Joe, that was calling me a homer recently? Take a look in the mirror sometime.
Instead of reporting on quotes taken out of context, you should read around instead of jumping over soundbites or stop and think if this is really newsworthy to report on.
I'd love to hear an explanation as to how "Because I'm not a deadbeat dad, you clown" was taken out of context. If Joe can make me see how he meant that as a compliment to ARod, I'll be happy to apologize for my criticism. Is this really newsworthy to report on? Of course it isn't which is precisely why I referred to the whole thing as "ridiculous." I'm not the one reporting on it, just commenting.
Even my good buddy Mike was so outraged that he was moved to make his SoapBox Sports debut.
What an insane argument, but I don't put it past you. If it was the yankees sweeping the angles out of the playoffs last year this article would have a completely different feel. never has it been more apparent then in theis article that you are incapable of rational thoughts when it comes to sports.Did I miss the part where he explained how I am wrong? If I had written this column one or two weeks after the Angels' season was abruptly ended, he might be right. But unfortunately for his argument, I am well over that by now. The Red Sox were the better team last year and deserved to win. They're probably the better team this year too.
He even brought up some of my old material which is awesome because I didn't know anybody actually read it.
"This is why, from this day forth, my two favorite teams will be the Angels and whoever is playing the Red Sox. Not because I hold any ill will towards the organization or its players, but because their fans don't deserve to win. I hope every living member of Red Sox Nation relinquishes their last breath without ever seeing the Red Sox win a World Series."
John Kumpart Oct 8th 2004, Unbiased Sports Enthusiast"
I don't now, nor have I ever claimed to be unbiased. Anybody who thinks they are is kidding themselves. Since this is a commentary blog and not a source for news reporting, I don't think an effort to be unbiased would serve any purpose here.
Some freaking fans upset you at a game that the angels lost and it has inspired all these articles about how terrible the red sox and everyone who likes them are?
It's difficult to explain something I've written to someone when they show little effort to understand it in the first place. I've already made this very clear to Mike in person so I'm not going to waste too much energy on it again now. I will simply say that my bad experiences with Red Sox fans have been going on for years, before last year's playoffs, before the Angels were even a mild threat. Mike would like to think I'm just being a sore loser, but it just ain't true. And those experiences did not inspire this most recent column, Trot Nixon's comments did. They probably had something to do with it, but they did not inspire it.
Like there are no obnoxious angel fans out there?
As obnoxious, disrespectful, and utterly foul as the hundreds of Red Sox fans I've encountered over several years have been? Actually, no, there aren't. Mike should ask his buddy Joe about Angel fans because he recently said this about Angel fans:
"It's unfair to compare Cub, Red Sox and Yankee fans to Angel fans. It's a whole different culture.You have grandma's going to the Angel game because they offer senior citizen discounts and they loved Gene Autrey movies...Anaheim crowds are largely family crowds."
Am I dreaming about the fight i got into with 5 yankee fans against me, by myself, were these guys just respectful fans who put in a weeks worth of work by the time i get up in the morning?
My most recent column was about specific players, not fans. Mike seems to be confusing the two in an attempt to cloud the issue. As I have said before, Yankee fans aren't exactly saints themselves, but, I'll say it again, my experiences with Red Sox fans have been far worse which is why I feel the way that I do. All I have ever tried to comment on in regards to fans are my own personal experiences. Being a Red Sox fan, your experiences with them are obviously going to be a lot different than mine.
Mike closes with quite a punchline.
I see your articles, and it looks like there are a bunch of words, but man all i keep seeing is the same thing... a little boy sitting in the sandbox crying because his tea-- (I presume he means "because his team lost.")
Well, I guess that would explain why I am constantly reiterating the same points to him over and over again.
Joe and Mike are die-hard Red Sox fans and very intelligent, savvy ones at that. I have no doubt that the comments string will erupt with counterarguments from them within hours of me posting this. My phone will probably start ringing off the hook as well. No matter what any of us says to each other though, I'm going to defend my distaste for the Red Sox and they are going to defend their love for them, simple as that. They are true sportsfans so I would expect nothing less. Unless some fresh new life is given to these arguments, however, this is the last time (for a while at least) that I will subject my four loyal readers to an actual column about it.
