Athletes make loads of money. Most of the rest of us do not. These are basic facts. It is natural to envy what we don’t have, and even to resent those who seem more fortunate than ourselves. Despite this, most sports fans are okay with the fact that many of the athletes for whom we root are millionaires many times over. We take so much enjoyment from sports, we have not only made peace with this inequity, but we often actually support it, advocating that the teams we love spend even more than they already spend. There is an assumed contract with the fans, though, that goes along with the gigantic contracts the players sign. That fan contract commits the player to try as hard as he can to be successful and help our team win. Anything short of full effort can cause our feelings about the monetary contracts to change dramatically. There is no excuse for lazy, uninspired play. Nothing makes me angrier than watching a player actively not try, if that makes any sense. A good example of this is a play made (or not made) this week by Chone Figgins, an infielder for the Seattle Mariners.

Figgins is a very talented player who signed a big free-agent contract with the Mariners in the offseason. On Friday night, Seattle was playing Boston, and Mike Cameron had just hit a double down the left field line for the Red Sox in the fifth inning. Left fielder Michael Saunders threw the ball in as Cameron approached second, overthrowing the cutoff man. At that point, it was Figgins’ job to grab the ball and keep it from rolling further into the infield. Instead, Figgins made no attempt to field the ball, allowing Cameron to take an extra base. At the end of the inning, he returned to the dugout to find he was being removed from the game by manager Don Wakamatsu. As if what Figgins had already done wasn’t bad enough, he then physically confronted Wakamatsu, setting off a scuffle between the manager, himself, and a number of other players.

What can this guy be thinking? I have not yet heard any kind of explanation from Figgins, and I was very disappointed when he was in the Mariners starting lineup on Saturday. The player should have been immediately suspended. I hope the fans of the Mariners let him hear how displeased they are (or should be). One of the big reasons we love our athletes so much is because we want to be them. Who wouldn’t love to be paid huge sums of money to play a game? The thought of someone being lucky enough to be in that position and caring so little about it, the way it appears Figgins does, is galling. He needs to be held accountable. He deserves the name Chone.

Bad sports, continued:

2) There are a couple of oopses this week that are worth pointing out. First, check out this pitch by Tim Lincecum. Next, this keeper might want to rethink his career choice.

3) It was a big week for freaky baseball injuries. San Francisco Giants infielder Eugenio Velez was hit in the head by a foul ball while standing in the Giants dugout, and Texas Rangers pitcher Dustin Nippert was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Austin Jackson of the Detroit Tigers. The worst one, though, at least to watch, involved Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Carl Crawford. Heading back to first base during a pickoff attempt, Crawford was hit by the ball, which first baseman Ty Wigginton had failed to catch. Why was this one the worst one, you ask? Watch the video.

Good sports:

1) Alberto Contador of Spain won his third Tour de France championship on Sunday. There was some controversy about how he took the lead in one of the final stages, although it all sounds pretty silly to me. Regardless, Contador proved that he is a great champion and one of the best cyclists in the world.

2) I despise the Dallas Cowboys, and am loathe to have a Good Sports story involving one of their players, but I like what first-round pick Dez Bryant did this week. He refused to accept the usual rookie hazing, which, in this case, involved carrying the pads of a veteran player. Underperforming wide receiver Roy Williams gave his pads to Bryant to carry after practice, and Bryant refused to take them. Good for him. I not only like the refusal to participate in the silly custom, but I also like the idea that there will be some dissension in the Cowboys training camp.

3) The only part of this story that actually happened this week was my becoming aware of it, but I will include it anyway. Chelsea Baker, a thirteen-year-old girl from Tampa, is quite a pitcher. She has dominated her baseball league for several years, and looks like that knuckleball of hers will take her to some uncharted territory for a girl in a male-dominated sport.

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

Latest posts by Alan Spoll (Posts)

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