from Amazon
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Players having greater respect for other
When I was a kid, there was mutual respect on the field. Tussles were actually fun.
When I got older, there was a shift. In a friendly game, guys would spike slide into 2B, keep their hockey sticks high, drape themselves over the guy with the basketball. One of my closest friends even instinctually stuck out his knee as I ran past him. I was shocked. He quickly apologized, obviously embarrassed that he would take his killer instinct out on me in such a friendly game. It was a kill-or-be-killed attitude. It works fine when you are being paid, but if you are playing on the weekend, that weekend warrior bullsh!t is just bullsh!t. I like a good scrap when it’s all in fun, but not when the other guy is serious about it. Hence, guys like me gravitated toward golf.
Brendan Shanahan, one of those warrior-type players in the NHL, who is now part of management and in a position to do something about sportsmanship:
While the play develops quickly, Colborne makes no sudden movements just prior to, or simultaneous with, the hit; placing the onus on Boyes not to hit him in the head. While I believe Boyes’ assertion that he did not intentionally target the head, this is a reckless hit and is now illegal.
I just love this. There’s no better way to send a message than a only-Nixon-can-go-to-China approach (or Kirk-makes-peace-with-the-Klingons for some of you). Players respect former players.
You don’t get that attitude shift in MLB (yet). You still don’t get that separation between intentional and reckless. Basically, as long as it’s not intentional, then being somewhat reckless is ok, just part of the game. That’s bullsh!t.
It’s a great outlet for my aggressiveness and competitiveness - much better than channeling that type of energy into your relationships with your co-workers or your wife (where hyper-aggressiveness and competitiveness is destructive).
I get neither the Nixon nor the Kirk reference… dang.
As sports get more and more high octane through better training and nutrition, etc, (we’re likely close to that plateau, thankfully) we see real violence surface more and more. Frankly I’m surprised it took this long to precipitate into rule changes in hockey, but I’m glad the revolution has begun. You have to protect players, and the only way to truly do that is to instill attitude of “it is up to you to protect your opponent from serious injury”.
As for the vulnerability of catchers/middle infielders in baseball… the instances of real recklessness are just far more rare, and unfortunately the old guard will just never budge on something like this unless they are facing a mountain of resistance. Unless 3 more Posey’s go down next year, or 5 in the next two years, or something to that effect, nothing will change. Sad but true.