The other "BIG STORY" was about the college basketball player that fell into the stands while making a play and then shoved, with both hands, a fan who said something he didn't like. Admittingly it was not a racial slure but, regardless, the player was wrong. Nobody should be putting hands on anybody for what they "said." Hasn't anybody ever heard of FREEDOM OF SPEECH. But the talk shows kept making a case for the ball player which, of course, created a bigger controversy. I've heard baseball fans say, "Kill the umpire" for years yet no umpire has ever struck back.
The worst, to my mind, was the constant repeating of the BIG STORY on A-Rod (Alex Rodrigues) deciding not to sue major league baseball and the players association. This opens up speculation as to WHY he changed his mind. Naturaly that gets tons of callers and higher ratings. But, WHO CARES!! It's got nothing to do with sports. Example, 65% of fans polled didn't know what position he played.
Those that didn't know said, "What difference does it make?".....Get my point?
My point is...social issues like: who's using drugs, cheating on (or beating) his wife, is holding out for more money, etc. is NOT sports. For several years now the MEDIA, in attempts to expand their caller base to include people who don't know Ted Williams, Johnny Most, Dom DiMaggio etc. but DO know how to talk about (argue) social issues, has made THESE issues into "BIG STORIES." All they've succeeded in doing is depriving an entire generation of young sportsfans of THEIR sports heritage. I actually had a young lady who was a big Celtics fan ask me, when I mentioned "Bobby," "Did he play on the same Celtic team as Larry Bird?" When BOBBY ORR is not recognized as just plain '"Bobby," or Larry Bird as just plain "LARRY, then there's something seriously wrong with our knowledge of Boston sports history. Our younger people, both boys and girls, are being cheated out of our sports' heritage. I don't know any oldster who would give up those incredible memories of the "heroes of our youth," like Ted Williams, Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, Gino Cappelletti, or world champion boxers Rocky Marciano and Tony DeMarco, "The Pride of the North End." Like Paul Simon said in his song, "Mrs. Robinson," when he bemoaned the absence of heroes in our USA: "Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio?" Where, indeed. Tell these sports talk shows where to get off. It's okay to report that a football player announced he was gay, that a basketball player shoved the fan in the stands...even A-Rod changing his mind about suing...whoever. Report it then move on to some REAL sports. Doesn't anybody realize that Red Sox spring training is about to start. I remember when the huge Sox van carrying all their equipment was getting ready to leave Boston for Florida was a big media (and sports fan) event. Callers would inundate the talk shows with stories of past spring training rituals as well as stories of Teddy, Dommy, Pesky and Bobby Doerr, etc. Where have all those stories gone? Now you know why we have this sports blog, Boston Sports Stories...stay tuned...
TRIVIA---We all know Teddy wore #9 but how about Dom DiMaggio, Johny Pesky and Bobby Doerr?
ALSO...Who was the Sox manager when they went to the world series in 1946? Also 1967?
TRIVIA ANSWER---The question was who had the highest, ever, career batting aerage? The answer is Ty Cobb at---.367. Now here's the Ty Cobb story I promised.
Cobb was being interviewed on his 75th birthday about todays pitchers. He was asked, considering that he had hit .367 for a career and had been over .400 three times, what he thought he could hit against these kids? Cobb thought for a second and said, "About .325 or .330." The reporters asked him, "how come?" Cobb replied, very seriously, "Well I'm now 75 years old." By the way let me note here---Cobb was serious. True story.
If you'd like to hear more stories about great players, heroes from bygone years drop us a line. You don't have to be from Boston. Someday let me tell you how us kids loved the New York Yankees back in the 40's and 50's. I'm talking about the players like Yogi Berra and Phil Rizzuto who got to know all of us by our first names and would help us get autographs from their teammates. They'd talk to us and tell us stories like we were real people and not pain-in-the-neck kids. They'd even buy a few of us ice creams if the vendor was around. Of course we always rooted against them on the field but that's what a friendly rivalry was all about. Not like todays "Yankees ****." etc.
How about some Casey Stengel or Bob Feller stories? OR Johnny Most, Bob Cousy or Larry Bird
stories? I've got a beauty about Red Auerbach too.....Stay tuned.....