It’s Sad, Alright
Just to further expound on Jim’s earlier post about the Yankees...
I understand that the whole purpose of professional sports is to win. It’s not like the NCAA and Olympics where the purpose is to become a well-rounded person or get an education or foster international good will or...
Sorry about that. I couldn’t type any more without bursting into laughter. The NCAA and the Olympics is all about winning, too. Bad examples.
But back to the Yankees. Yes, they want to win the World Series. So do the other 29 MLB teams, despite what some fans and hyperventilating pundits will tell you (well, maybe not Loria the Destroyer). But, as Jim eloquently points out, there’s a difference between wanting to win and demanding a win as your due, just because you’re the Yankees.
I’m sure Steinbrenner and everyone involved with the Yankees is sorely disappointed by how their season ended. But to dismiss the year as a “sad failure?” Seems a bit harsh (and melodramatic), doesn’t it?
After the 2003 NLCS, I was sorely disappointed, too. But I got over it. I reckoned I could either wallow in anger and frustration, or tip my hat to the Marlins, remember how great the ride was, and get on with my life. Batgirl stole my idea, is basically what I’m saying.
Steinbrenner, with his “sad failure” crack, seems to want to wallow in anger and frustration, like some kind of uber-Little League Dad. Didn’t he learn in the 1980’s that standing behind the backstop screaming at his kid to throw a strike doesn’t work?
This is the point where I should include the obligatory sermon on how baseball is supposed to be fun. You all know the drill by now, so I won’t rehash it again.
But if there’s a purpose to sports outside of winning, it’s to have fun. And anyone who has reached the point where a 97-win season is dismissed as a “sad failure” just might have lost sight of something more important than winning. And that’s very sad, indeed.
[Upon further review, this entry sounds like something that might have come straight from a very special episode of Webster. Never fear – we’ll soon get back to our regularly scheduled cynicism and sarcasm...]
I understand that the whole purpose of professional sports is to win. It’s not like the NCAA and Olympics where the purpose is to become a well-rounded person or get an education or foster international good will or...
Sorry about that. I couldn’t type any more without bursting into laughter. The NCAA and the Olympics is all about winning, too. Bad examples.
But back to the Yankees. Yes, they want to win the World Series. So do the other 29 MLB teams, despite what some fans and hyperventilating pundits will tell you (well, maybe not Loria the Destroyer). But, as Jim eloquently points out, there’s a difference between wanting to win and demanding a win as your due, just because you’re the Yankees.
I’m sure Steinbrenner and everyone involved with the Yankees is sorely disappointed by how their season ended. But to dismiss the year as a “sad failure?” Seems a bit harsh (and melodramatic), doesn’t it?
After the 2003 NLCS, I was sorely disappointed, too. But I got over it. I reckoned I could either wallow in anger and frustration, or tip my hat to the Marlins, remember how great the ride was, and get on with my life. Batgirl stole my idea, is basically what I’m saying.
Steinbrenner, with his “sad failure” crack, seems to want to wallow in anger and frustration, like some kind of uber-Little League Dad. Didn’t he learn in the 1980’s that standing behind the backstop screaming at his kid to throw a strike doesn’t work?
This is the point where I should include the obligatory sermon on how baseball is supposed to be fun. You all know the drill by now, so I won’t rehash it again.
But if there’s a purpose to sports outside of winning, it’s to have fun. And anyone who has reached the point where a 97-win season is dismissed as a “sad failure” just might have lost sight of something more important than winning. And that’s very sad, indeed.
[Upon further review, this entry sounds like something that might have come straight from a very special episode of Webster. Never fear – we’ll soon get back to our regularly scheduled cynicism and sarcasm...]
posted by Bob at
9:27 PM
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