- Brennan Weiss
Golf has been widely recognized as a gentleman’s game throughout the world of sports, but baseball has to be right up there as many fans have concluded that it, as well, is a gentleman’s game.The All-Star game is just a few days away and with pennant races heating up as the season calendar turns to the second half, there is much to talk about.
But, I decided to change gears this time. I could write about how the Reds and Padres are baffling the National League with their surprising 2010 performances to date. Or, I could talk about Nick Swisher and Joey Votto’s admittance into the All-Star game thanks to final vote supporters. I could also switch sports and talk about the topic of the week: LeBron James and his decision to join the Miami Heat down in “south beach” with longtime friends Dewayne Wade and Chris Bosh. But no.
I want to talk about a side note that in the long run will not be remembered like James’ free agency process or the remarkable story of the Padres having the best record in the National League through the first half of the 2010 season. I want to talk about a simple act of kindness… and bitterness, and how the former can go a long way.
Fans were getting restless. Sure, it was an exciting game, but they had seen it before. Actually, they have seen it 41 times already this season. The Phillies have scored three runs or less in 41 games this season. Their record before tonight was 9-32 in those games, so the fans’ restlessness was understandable. They lingered on every pitch, hoping that they would not be witnessing another loss in which they score just three runs or less. Oh, and did I mention that struggling ‘closer’ Brad Lidge blew a save in the ninth giving up a double to former Phillie Miguel Cairo and that the Phils left two men on base in both the 10th and 11th innings?
The game was tied 3-3 in the top of the 12th when a foul ball was skied down the right field line. The ball was heading towards the seats, but still close enough to the field that Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth could attempt to make a play on the ball. A man in an Irish green tee with his approximately 10 year-old son beside him reached for the ball and snatched it away from the glove of Werth. Werth immediately yelled some inappropriate words to the father, (with his son still right there) gave the man an angry stare, and walked back to his position. The father sat back down in his seat and finished watching the game with a blank stare on his face and an embarrassed son sitting to the right of him.
The game was tied 0-0 in the early innings when a foul ball was skied off a Yankee bat down the right field line. The ball was heading towards the seats, but still close enough to the field that Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki could attempt to make a play on the ball. A young girl in a blue shirt with her seemingly best friend beside her watched the ball fly inches away from her. Ichiro reached over the short wall trying to get leather on the baseball, but the girl’s presence disabled Ichiro from snatching the ball for an out. Suzuki immediately apologized to the young girl, (with her friend still right there) patted her softly on the leg, and walked back to his position. The girl sat back down in her seat and finished watching the game with a joyous smile and a jealous friend sitting to the right of her.
The girl was not just overwhelmed that one of the greatest players in the game had just touched her AND apologized for doing what he’s supposed to, but in addition, a ballpark attendant happily gave her a bag of collectibles including an Ichiro t-shirt and a baseball signed by the man himself.
It is eerie how similar these situations were, but a shame how different they turned out. Ichiro shows that a simple act of kindness can make someone’s day, while a simple act of anger and bitterness can make an innocent person’s day miserable and full of underserved guilt.
You can say all you want about how Werth had the right to lash out at the fan for snatching a ‘could have been out’ during a crucial part of a tense extra-inning game, but he could have handled it differently. Sure, I get that your emotions may run a little high at a point in the game like that, but it would be best to keep those angry emotions in solitude, and to not even display those emotions towards an innocent fan and his son who just wanted to attend a baseball game and maybe catch a souvenir.
Baseball has the chance to be crowned a gentleman’s game, but in order for that to happen, players, coaches, and teams need to follow Ichiro’s lead and commit simple acts of kindness, especially when they are not expected.
- Brennan Weiss
