The Return of the Boys of Summer

With the advent of the 2015 baseball season at hand, I would like to share a quote by the baseball philosopher George Will on the position of baseball as a true democracy's sport.

Baseball suits the character of this democratic nation. Democracy is government by persuasion. That means it requires patience. That means it involves a lot of compromise. Democracy is the slow politics of the half-loaf. Baseball is the game of the long season, where small, incremental differences decide who wins and who loses particular games, series, seasons. In baseball, you know going to the ballpark that the chances are you may win, but you also may lose; there's no certainty, no given. You know when a season starts that the best team is going to get beaten a third of the time, the worst team's gonna win a third of the time. The argument over 162 games: that middle third. So it's a game that you can't like if winning's everything. And democracy's that way too.

My friends may disagree but as a wise man once said, "Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas."

Two Deaths, Two Lessons

In the last couple of weeks, there have been two significant deaths in the world of sports.  First, 25-year-old Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes was killed when a ball struck him behind the ear where his helmet did not protect.  Second, famed Montreal Canadien hockey player Jean Beliveau died after a long and impactful life at the age of 83.  Mr. Hughes’ death and M. Beliveau’s life have raised questions about modern sports and the athletes that play them. 

Phillip Hughes was a rising star in the world of cricket, scoring 198 in his very first test match when Australia played Sri Lanka.  He was setting records and turning heads as a potential superstar in the field of cricket.  Mr. Hughes was batting in a match against a rival team in Australia when a bowler’s bouncer struck just below the ear.  He was placed in a medically induced coma before finally losing his life.  It has engendered a discussion on the safety of sports.  The sport most analogous to cricket in the U.S., baseball, is going through a similar soul-searching phase.  The question is whether such a campaign necessary? 

When you consider the benefit of sport, many will bring up the challenge it poses for its athletes, the spirit of competition, the development or revelation of character and teaching the importance of endurance.  The possibility of injury also teaches the importance of preparation and playing the game correctly.  So, to what extent should we make the game safe?  Certainly, there should be some efforts to prevent obvious possible injuries.  However, sports cannot be made safe-proof.  Whether talking about cricket, football, hockey or whatever, we can do many things but if the changes alter the nature of the sport, I’m not sure I’m in favor of it.  We cannot regulate against the rare, freak injuries.  While the world mourns the death of Phillip Hughes, cricket associations should not over-react to something that has happened twice in a hundred years.   

On another issue, there is a concern on the kind of athlete we are creating.  Jean Beliveau began his career with the Montreal Canadiens in 1950 and retired from the team and hockey in 1971.  Not only was he a prolific player, earning Hall of Fame honors in 1972 and having his name adorning the Stanley Cup 17 times, he is known equally and to many, more so, as a great human being.  At the end of his career, he set up a foundation that later morphed into the Society for Disabled Children, working his entire life for the betterment of such children.  He rejected two Canadian prime ministers who offered him prestigious government positions to be with his family and saying such positions should be elected, not appointed.  He was made a knight of the National Order of Quebec and has been awarded several honorary doctorates.  He spent his life in service to others. 

What type of athletes do we create today?  We are creating single-minded individuals who are taught that their way through this world is athletics – indeed, they are taught it is what makes them special.  So, there efforts go to that and nothing else – they are willing to do anything to strive and succeed to win.  However, in doing whatever it takes to win, some athletes not only misunderstand what it means to participate in sports but they misunderstand the value of winning.  One certainly would be hard-pressed to find the like of Jean Beliveau.  In short, most of today’s athletes are not impressive partly because we don’t expect them to be anything else. 

Over the last few weeks, two deaths have taught two lessons.  One is how fleeting life is and the importance of embracing what we have and the experiences we seek.  Mr. Hughes’ death does not speak to sports and its dangers, it speaks to the frailty of life.  Mr. Beliveau’s passing speaks to the potential of a man committed and compassionate.  Sports can teach what it means to live a full life and to live a purposeful life.  Both of these men were widely followed and adored by their respective countries.  Let’s hope their deaths prove as meaningful and impactful as their lives.

 

A Road to Perdition

This weekend, an independent arbitrator ruled that New York Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez was suspended for an entire year, including post season for involvement in performance enhancement drugs (PEDs).  This has been a protracted process beginning with Mr. Rodriguez’s initial rejection of a 200+ game suspension mid-way through last season.  The Yankee third baseman demanded, as is his right under the collective bargain agreement (CBA), for an independent inspection of the evidence and the sentence.  The arbitrator did reduce the sentence but to Mr. Rodriguez’s outrage, a year will be taken away and likely, his career.  Alex Rodriguez has promised not to go quietly but he does need to go away.

In 2009, Alex Rodriguez revealed, after a litany of proclamations to the opposite, that he had taken substances to enhance his performance while he was a member of the Texas Rangers.  However, he was quick to say that he no longer took such drugs and asked that people judge him from that moment forward.  However, when Major League Baseball (MLB) convinced PED clinic owner Tony Bosch to turn over evidence of those players he had sold and administered drugs to, a string of players were revealed.  These players ranged from those to make the big leagues to superstars.  Mr. Rodriguez was at the top of this list.  Based on the evidence provided by Mr. Bosch as well as from other sources, MLB lowered the boom on every person on that list.   

It was at this point that Mr. Rodriguez’s indignation came to the fore.  Too vested in the statistics and glory he had accumulated to back off, he doubled down by lashing out at those who charged him with doping.  He criticized MLB, Commissioner Bud Selig and the entire process, declaring the charges and the suspension as contrived and the product of a smear campaign directed only at him.  All other players suspended accepted their punishment.  There were no cries of persecution, a rigged system or faulty evidence.  To their credit, these players realized their errors and instead of putting their teammates through a continued soap opera by battling the suspension, they took their medicine.  Not Mr. Rodriguez.  He demanded instead an independent arbitrator, all the while declaring that MLB was acting outside the guidelines of the CBA and making much of the fact that Mr. Selig would not attend the hearings (something the commissioner had never done during his tenure).    

When the arbitrator released his findings, he kept the bulk of the original suspension.  The ruling suggests that MLB had a great deal more evidence than has been revealed and that it was air tight.  Once more, Mr. Rodriguez declared the system corrupt though the arbitrator was impartial and by all accounts, carried out his duties thoroughly.  In a lengthy and rambling statement, Alex Rodriguez declared his innocence and his intention to take the matter to a federal court.  Meanwhile, he attempted to rally the players’ union and his former colleagues to come to his support and aid.  The immediate response has been a deafening silence.  It would appear that, for the most part, players are tired of Mr. Rodriguez’s antics and its effect on baseball.   

It is clear to see Alex Rodriguez’s actions as the epitome of selfishness.  To make matters worse, he has declared his intention to attend spring training as allowed for by the CBA, further creating a blunderbuss that will no doubt negatively impact the Yankees’ preparations for the 2014 season (as an Oriole fan, not necessarily a bad thing).  In some ways, it is a sad day for baseball but on the whole, historians and fans will look back on this suspension as the moment baseball began getting its house in order.  As a fan, I would tell the embattled Yankee – Don’t go away mad.  Just go away.

The Rites of Spring

Baseball is like church.  Many attend, few understand.

Leo Durocher

When I was a kid, I was very much aware of the coming of baseball.  I knew that baseball would soon fill the park again and my hope, journalist Mike Barnicle called it a child’s hope, comforted me with the idea that the Baltimore Orioles would be great again.  My father took it easy on me and allowed me my dreams and allowed me to experience the rite of spring – irrational optimism in the face of dubious evidence.  Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin once wrote on the topic of following the Brooklyn Dodgers and constantly opining for “next year.”  You know what is great about the here and now?  It is next year. 

Now, if you’ve read my profile, you might speculate that I’m a Baltimore Orioles’ fan.  If you know baseball, you know the Orioles have been struggling for over a decade now.  This is particularly painful because of the great tradition the city and its baseball team has enjoyed.  If one is not a baseball fan, it might seem a little silly the way baseball adherents speak of the sport in reverent and hushed tones, filled with ethereal imagery (I feel the same way about how enthusiasts speak of golf).  However, baseball does not just represent second chances but represents our history and traditions.

And I remember my first baseball game and my parents bringing me up through the tunnel to see the greenest, most manicured grass I’d ever seen.  My mother pointed out things (she used to work for a minor league team) and everywhere I looked, something new grabbed my attention.  The men on the field seemed larger than life and in conjunction with the sounds of fans filling in, I smelled hot dogs and peanuts.  I remember the wooden coldness of the seats and the squeak of the chair moving up and down.  The adults around me were vested and donned a hat denoting their favorite team.  This was before the large scale merchandising of t-shirts, jerseys and other paraphernalia.

As the first games of the season were played a couple of weeks ago, I felt refreshed and renewed.  An old friend had returned and I was once more enjoying their company.  Those familiar names are emblazoned upon that great uniform – a splash of orange on white with the old-style cursive script across the chest.  These men, who seem hidden or sequestered over the chill of winter, suddenly re-appear and send my hope towards the heavens with dreams of playoff glory.  In the fall, I will feel a bit despondent and will feel a bit lost.  Yet, for now, I can smell the grass and hear the shouts, the slap of the leather and the crack of the bat.  Life is good, the circle is renewed and it is time to “play ball.” 

What Baseball Means to Me

There is a legion of people out there who think baseball is boring. I know because every time I run into them and they find out of my obsession with baseball, they never hesitate to tell me and tell me often. This must be what soccer fans feel like. However, like soccer fans, I don’t consider the sport boring. Like most young boys of my generation, my experience with baseball began with time spent with my father. The most beautiful green grass was offset by the brown base path. The warm summer evening was accented with the smell of hot dogs and other baseball culinary accoutrements. My father taught me to score the games, likely to keep me engaged than anything else but it is a tradition I do to this day. Above all, the game allowed for conversation.

As an adult, I appreciate the sport for different reasons, while fondly recalling my times as a young boy. As an historian, there is something about an annual event that, for the most part, has not changed in the near century and a half baseball has been around. Technology has changed the sport and the environs have grown fancier but the product on the field as not changed. My score card and that of one from the 1940s will look roughly the same. To know that I’m connected to generations dating back to the late 1800s holds a continuity over me that, as an historian, gives me a chill. If I could somehow speak with someone from 1910 about baseball and our favorite teams and players, the conversation would flow because the subject is the same. How many things in the modern world can one say that about?

Second, it allows for an escape from modern society. While technology has seeped in and taken over the game production value, one can simply focus on the game and escape the hectic and artificial world that technology can create. The game moves at its own pace and not at the frenetic and bizarre one that inhabits much of our world today. There is no clock and no set time it must end. The game unfolds organically. In a world where we are rushing to get nowhere, here is a slice of what our country and our culture used to value. From this, I began to develop my values accordingly. When one attends a place like Wrigley Field in Chicago or Fenway Park in Boston, it heightens the experience but these ballparks come to us from an earlier age. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit these parks and it is a magical feel. Many who are not as enamored with baseball as I am find the romanticizing of the sport a bit too much. However, I would submit the reason for this approach is a call for, not so much an earlier time but an earlier approach to life.

Third, it is a combination of two sports mindsets – the importance and value of team but also the drama of a one-on-one face off. In baseball, each individual achievement is the product, not so much of the player but of the team. Every baseball player who ever pitched a no-hitter or reached a hitting record, did so because of the efforts of their teammates. A pitcher benefits from the defensive work of his teammates. The hitter benefits from the strategy forced upon the pitcher by the batter before or after in the lineup. Yet, when one pitcher squares off against one batter, it can be a marvelous thing. It is not always dramatic but the finality of the encounter is wonderful. At the end of an at-bat, one will walk off his spot either victorious or a little ashamed. In particular, I love the deadly pitcher refusing to walk or pitch around the great hitter. The pitcher is saying, “Yes, you are good but I’m better and I’m going to show you and the world.” And with the action on the field, come the statistician-fan who, through their scorebook and their knowledge of the game, rise and fall with the ebb and flow and continue to make that connection with an earlier time.

Finally, more so than any sport, baseball represents renewal. No other sport has fans that deal with defeat and loss with the level of optimism for the next year like in baseball. Spring is a rebirth and no matter the product on the field the year before, spring training represents another chance to prosper. Across the spectrum, baseball gives us what we lack in life. Perhaps, baseball does not mean that much to you, if at all. However, I’m often asked to describe why this sport wraps me up and draws me in. This is the best I can do.