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Tripping along Bull Durham flap latest example of baseball's clumsinessPosted: Monday April 14, 2003 12:53 PM
Every big-time sport in America has its public relations problems. You want to get rich quick? Figure out a way to save these major leagues from themselves. Of course, no one in American sports can top Major League Baseball's uncanny ability to look as if it's run by a pack of clueless doofuses. Doofusi, whatever. Baseball's the champ at that. Granted, the National Football League has come close, with that little Ray Lewis thing and that murder and all. And the National Basketball Association has the Portland Trail Blazers. There's a public relations challenge. And, yes, the National Hockey League has guys whacking other guys over the head with sticks as a matter of course. There are some deep-seated PR issues there not even worth getting into. But baseball can trip over itself in ways that are almost laughingly predictable. If it's not Bud Selig, the king of trip, or George Steinbrenner or David Wells or Peter Angelos or the Devil Rays ... well, if it's not those things, you can be sure it's something.
With real football months away, college basketball done for the season and the NBA and NHL just starting their months-long postseason, this should be the time of year for baseball to reassert itself into the sporting public's mind. But baseball, mighty baseball, has struck out once again. Last week -- here comes the latest example -- baseball's Hall of Fame put a quash on plans for a celebration of the 15th anniversary of the baseball flick Bull Durham. Without getting too much into the he said/he wrote of this whole mess, the intent of the Hall and its president, Dale Petroskey, was pretty clear. They didn't want Durham star Tim Robbins, an outspoken anti-war voice, spewing his politics all over the hallowed halls of the Hall. That's all. The beauty of the whole things is, that by denying Robbins and his longtime squeeze, Durham siren Susan Sarandon, a chance to even open their mouths in Cooperstown -- no "Hi," no "Thanks," no nothing -- the Hall instantly politicized the whole issue. Just like that. See how that works? They didn't want to politicize it. So they politicized it. Amazing how they can do that, isn't it? Now, there's no telling what Robbins would have said had the show gone on as planned later this month. He might have just stuck to baseball, a favorite of his, or movies, another favorite. That's what he said he was going to do. But, sure, he might have gone political with an anti-war message (gasp!), taken a potshot at George Bush and ripped all Republicans a new one. Petroskey, I guess, could have asked Robbins his intentions ahead of time. That might have solved the whole mess. If Robbins had told him he'd keep it politics-free and did, everyone would have been happy. If Robbins would have said he would not go there but did anyway, he would have looked like the bad guy. Petroskey didn't ask, though. Instead, he just pulled the plug while claiming that Robbins' anti-war messages and "very public criticism of President Bush at this important -- and sensitive -- time in our nation's history helps undermine the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in more danger." You listen to that, you figure somebody better send a UN inspection team to check Robbins' garage. So, in the end, baseball looks doofish, which is nothing new for baseball. Contraction, labor strife, steroids, quarter-billion dollar contracts, the Yankees, $7 hot dogs, 22 "home" games for the Montreal Expos in Puerto Rico, U.S. Cellular Field, the All-Star Game tie, Barry Bonds' moodiness ... The league-pushed concept of competitive imbalance, expansion, relocation, taxpayer-funded stadiums, skinflint owners, possible collusion, the players' union, cheap home runs, too many strikeouts, the Rangers' pitching ... sometimes, you wonder if the folks in baseball can get anything right. Just one thing. Once. Back in the day, they used to sell this game. Remember? "Baseball Fever -- Catch It!" There were great teams with players that you knew. Or at least you thought you did. You could watch them every weekend on TV. It was America's pastime. Now, to way too many people, baseball consists of spoiled rich athletes, filthy rich owners and astronomical ticket prices. Baseball is a bunch of guys who can't get out of their own way. Baseball, to too many, is a big, homely mess. Anyone around here know a decent PR firm?
This week, more talk about Ken Griffey Jr. (with check-ins from some still-disgruntled fans in the Pacific Northwest), the Giants' hot start and assorted ramblings ...
Everything the Giants did this offseason was an upgrade, so it should surprise no one that they have started so fast, especially a veteran sports writer such as yourself. Sooner or later people will finally give Brian Sabean the credit that he deserves as the architect of one of the most consistent teams of the late nineties. We are blessed in the Bay area to have two of baseball's best minds, Sabean and [Billy] Beane, running our baseball teams. I would not be surprised to see another battle of the Bay this October. OK, I buy that Fred. But what ever happened to taking some time to gel? Griffey had fans here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest slobbering over him, adoring his every catch, his every Kingdome-aided home run. It was never enough for His Majesty. Every year, it was a different whine. The fans don't love me enough, the team doesn't respect me, the fans expect too much of me. Then he relieved the city of his egocentrism and has failed miserably in his "true home." Griff was a lock for the Hall of Fame. Then he angered the baseball gods. The people of Seattle are forever in debt to the people of Cincinnati.--Tom Pacher, Seattle Rough crowd up there in Seattle. Let's see, birth years of 1961, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1967 and 1968 for star players plus 10 other players over 30 years old. On any other team in the league with 16 of 25 over 30 years old, we would be talking about a senior citizen-led team about to collapse under the weight of age. Before you anoint [the Giants] World Series champs, let's see what happens against top of the line competition.--Patty Burns You need to talk to Fred up above. Over 750,000 bottles sold in 2002! If you are looking for a natural way to increase your bustline, XXXXX is for you. Increase your cup size by up to 2 sizes. Improve firmness and fullness of your breasts. Increase your sexual desire. 100 percent safe, with no side effects! Oh, brother. How do you work these filters? Consider: Griffey tore his hamstring and tore a tendon in his knee. Bad break, but it happens all the time. Problem is, he can't run now like he used to. Other problem is, he now dives (headfirst) after balls he used to catch on a dead run. Anyone who dives headfirst risks injury (see Danny Bautista or Derek Jeter or Pete Reiser for that matter for confirmation). Luck had nothing to do with it, nor does it ever. When you put yourself in risky positions you get injured. --George Adams I hate to pile it on, but sometimes we make our own luck. Maybe baseball karma is catching up with this petulant former superstar who so blatantly placed himself ahead of the game and clearly took his talent for granted. Another Canseco in the making ... leaving us all shaking our heads wondering what might have been if only a more mature, appreciative head would have prevailed atop a now broken down body of misused talent. --Steve Kinstler, San Francisco You should really wake up from your dream world. Griffey is a spoiled rich kid who has been coddled his whole life. He is still a long ways from being "unlucky." He is relatively healthy, has more money than he can spend, a family, and gets to go to watch baseball everyday (even when he's hurt). I can think of billions of people worse off than him. --Ryan Brown, Denver I'll take his untold millions, blessed DNA/God-given talent, and future of unlimited tee times and exotic vacations any day. He may have had poor BASEBALL luck the past three years, but his life overall is about as lucky as can be, if you ask me.--G. Smith Griffey was injured going flat out for a miracle catch. When the owners start trying that hard to win, maybe we'll stop booing.--Alan Bratton, Cincinnati [Griffey] took notoriously bad care of his own body, so maybe [the earlier injuries] were just his punishment for tempting the same fate that had been so kind as to give him such great gifts in the first place. As for his current injury, it seems that bad luck isn't a tragic enough term; just as he finally begins to show some real respect for his vulnerability he sustains a freak injury, and on a true hustle play, no less. That's more than just bad luck, that's a cruel and ironic twist of fate. --Adam Bonneau, Duke University Thanks, everybody. John Donovan is a senior writer for SI.com.
Comments? To e-mail Donovan, click here.
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For some people, this could be an E of a month. Instead, this is one inning of work for Cincinnati's Ryan Dempster on Sunday against the Phillies: 11 hitters faced, five walks, four hits and seven runs scored. It was part of a 13-run inning for Philly. "It was one really, really, really bad inning," he said.
"I don't have a doghouse, but Guzzy was in my garage."
