A Little Sensitive, Don't Ya Think?

First it was Jeff Franceour and Jason Bay reportedly being annoyed at criticisms by Daryl Strawberry. Then last week, it came out that Clint Dempsey was upset with comments made by John Harkes during last years Confed Cup. And now today, Samuel Eto'o is threatening to skip the World Cup because of comments made by Cameroon legend Roger Milla.

What is going on here? Seriously, why so sensitive guys? As professional athletes you should expect to be criticized. It comes with the territory so calm down and prove your critics wrong - on the field. A quick couple thoughts on each...

Bay and Franceour, as I already mentioned, need to be aware of the history of the Mets. The 1986 team means everything to us and we will ask for Strawberry's opinion every second we get. They need to get over it and realize that the '86 players are not going anywhere.

Now, Dempsey's situation is silly because his displeasure with Harkes came out a year after Harkes' criticisms. A year. You know you're my boy, Clint, but get over it. Guess what? John Harkes never had the opportunity that you have. You have the chance to lead this team to the quarterfinals. You have led your club team to the Europa League Finals. You're better than he ever was. His job is to comment on what he sees on the field. So if you think his comments are off base, show him that they are. And if he still thinks you're performing below standards, then he will show how little he knows.

Eto'o's (correct punctuation I am assuming) situation is the craziest of all because he is threatening to skip the World Cup because of what a former player said. Think about that. He is willing to skip the biggest soccer event of his life. All because of some comments from a former striker. If I'm Cameroon, I need to seriously question his heart on this one. It's one thing to be annoyed and lash out to the media, but to skip the World Cup and hurt your teammates? That is downright crazy. Samuel, you're not bigger than your country. You need to decide right now if you're with them or against them...