The 2007 World Series ended last Sunday night. The Boston Red Sox won. Their two championships in four years have cost them their we-are-lovable-despite-our-large-payroll luster. This Kansas City Royals' fan will root for them once they get to their next World Series (afterall they are American League) but prior to that, it is them against the field.
One ex-Red Sox player, Roger Clemens, appears on item 2,789 in The World's Largest Sunflower Collection. The item is an uncut sheet of baseball cards copyrighted from 1990. The cards were produced by Jumbo California Sunflower Seeds. The cards have the Major League Baseball Players logo on them. Tellingly there are no MLB TEAM logos on the cards. So Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr., Bo Jackson, Kirby Puckett, Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, Don Mattingly, Howard Johnson, Will Clark, Ryne Sandberg, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripkin, Jr., et al, appear in logoless head gear.
Since Baltimore's Ripkin (he of the 2,632 consecutive games played streak) is on the Sunflower baseball card sheet, I wish he would have publicly stuck his nose in the Oriole second baseman Roberto Alomar's spit-in-the-face of umpire John Hirschbeck incident.
On September 27, 1996 Hirschbeck did what umpires have done for over 100 years. He called Alomar out on strikes.
From that, an arguement resulted.
From that, an ejection resulted.
From that, the spit in the face of an umpire resulted.
From that, a 5 game suspension resulted.
From that, an appeal resulted.
And that is where I wish Cal would have stepped in. Because the suspension was under appeal, Alomar was allowed to play the next game. (Boy if nothing else, baseball is due process. Everyone gets their turn. Everyone gets their fair-ups. Even Alomar.) But to negate that misguided appeal, Baltimore shortstop and Alomar teammate Ripkin could have said,
"Roberto, you don't spit on umpires."
"Roberto, you don't spit on authority."
"Roberto, you don't spit on baseball."
"Roberto, if you insist on playing, I sit. If I sit, the streak ends. If it ends, I will let everyone know the reason why."
Cal Ripkin played in every game from May 30, 1982 to September 20, 1998. September 1996 would have been a great time to offer up the streak. I suspect Alamar would have sat, and Ripkin would have been immediately inducted into every parent's Hall of Fame for the message he sent to America, especially the children.
By-the-by, that extremely light Alomar 5 game suspension was imposed by American League President Gene Budig. Budig had previously been the president of Kansas University. As a Kansan I say, "Ouch!" Ad Astra Per Aspera, indeed.
One ex-Red Sox player, Roger Clemens, appears on item 2,789 in The World's Largest Sunflower Collection. The item is an uncut sheet of baseball cards copyrighted from 1990. The cards were produced by Jumbo California Sunflower Seeds. The cards have the Major League Baseball Players logo on them. Tellingly there are no MLB TEAM logos on the cards. So Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr., Bo Jackson, Kirby Puckett, Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, Don Mattingly, Howard Johnson, Will Clark, Ryne Sandberg, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripkin, Jr., et al, appear in logoless head gear.
Since Baltimore's Ripkin (he of the 2,632 consecutive games played streak) is on the Sunflower baseball card sheet, I wish he would have publicly stuck his nose in the Oriole second baseman Roberto Alomar's spit-in-the-face of umpire John Hirschbeck incident.
On September 27, 1996 Hirschbeck did what umpires have done for over 100 years. He called Alomar out on strikes.
From that, an arguement resulted.
From that, an ejection resulted.
From that, the spit in the face of an umpire resulted.
From that, a 5 game suspension resulted.
From that, an appeal resulted.
And that is where I wish Cal would have stepped in. Because the suspension was under appeal, Alomar was allowed to play the next game. (Boy if nothing else, baseball is due process. Everyone gets their turn. Everyone gets their fair-ups. Even Alomar.) But to negate that misguided appeal, Baltimore shortstop and Alomar teammate Ripkin could have said,
"Roberto, you don't spit on umpires."
"Roberto, you don't spit on authority."
"Roberto, you don't spit on baseball."
"Roberto, if you insist on playing, I sit. If I sit, the streak ends. If it ends, I will let everyone know the reason why."
Cal Ripkin played in every game from May 30, 1982 to September 20, 1998. September 1996 would have been a great time to offer up the streak. I suspect Alamar would have sat, and Ripkin would have been immediately inducted into every parent's Hall of Fame for the message he sent to America, especially the children.
By-the-by, that extremely light Alomar 5 game suspension was imposed by American League President Gene Budig. Budig had previously been the president of Kansas University. As a Kansan I say, "Ouch!" Ad Astra Per Aspera, indeed.
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