Bad sports, good sports: maybe lead the cheers some other way?

Posted on May 18th, 2009 by Alan Spoll

Baseball is a hard game. They say that hitting a pitched ball may be the hardest thing to do in sports. Fielding a hit ball can’t be a piece of cake either. Major League Baseball players have reached the pinnacle of this difficult sport, and they often make it look easy. On occasion, though, outside influences conspire to make it even more difficult for them. Consider the Marlins game against the Dodgers in Miami yesterday. The geniuses who run the Florida franchise decided to give away thousands of silver pompoms to the fans who came to the game. The pompoms promptly came apart, and most of the silvery strands found their way into the playing field.

Sure, there have been worse ideas. Teams have given bats away. I imagine the idea of fans waving pompoms, cheering on the home team with a shimmery visual addition to the activity, would be a big boon to the Marlins. Getting pompoms that didn’t quickly come apart might have been a good idea. Granted, it wasn’t all natural deterioration that caused the problem. Many of the kids in attendance quickly discovered that it was fun to pull the pompoms apart and send the strands flying toward the players.

I know the Marlins have struggled for attendance for years. I can’t blame them for trying to jazz things up. Maybe next time they will think it through a little more, that’s all.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Hey, Lance, maybe it would have been better to stay retired. Not sure this is what you had in mind.

3) What is it about winning championships that makes fans get violent? Not sure soccer fans need all that much of a nudge.

Good sports:

1) Listen to professional athletes speak, and you’ll hear a lot of bravado. Sometimes, a player can back up his big talk. Dwight Howard demanded the ball last week, as his Orlando Magic were struggling in the playoffs. They changed their gameplan, and Howard came through with a huge game.

2) The Tampa Bay Rays messed up on Sunday, and submitted an invalid lineup card. Their error caused their best player to have to remain on the bench, while forcing their pitcher to take a regular spot in the lineup. He came through.

3) Being the son of a legend can’t be easy, especially when you play the same sport and the same position. Walking away from the sport, because living up to that legend proves too difficult, could be viewed in several ways. But one way or the other, it can’t be easy.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02