I always have to thank baseball for giving me things to talk about. Earlier in the year it was Philly using binoculars to steal signs from the bullpen. Then it was Armando Galarraga losing his perfect game. A few weeks ago it was Nyjer Morgan and his recklessness. Today, I get to talk about Mr Perfect, Derek Jeter.
If you are reading this blog you probably know about the situation already. If not, here's the skinny: the Rays pitcher hit Jeter on the hand and Jeter was awarded first base. Joe Maddon game out to argue saying that the ball hit the bat and not Jeter. Sure enough, on replay you can clearly see that the ball did not hit Jeter and that Jeter was acting like he got hit. After the game when asked about it, Jeter said something along the lines of "what was I supposed to do? Not go to first when the umpire told me to?"
Obviously this has set off a lot of debate as people are wondering if, of all people, Mr Perfect cheated.
I have given much thought and the words of one Mr Tony Kornheiser still ring true. On his daily radio show, Kornheiser noted that the only reason referees and umpires exist is because every single player would cheat if given the opportunity. He feels that it is up to referees to say what is against the rules and to police the game. I can only speak for myself, but I can tell you that even in my Sunday morning men's league, if I can get away with a bad tackle or handling the ball without the referee calling it, I will. If I can keep the ball in bounds when it is clearly out, I will. This is a Sunday men's league where I get paid nothing and where the result does not matter. In professional sports, results matter. It is a billion dollar business - you can damn well be certain all players would cheat (golf not withstanding).
Ok, so we all would cheat, but that doesn't answer the question about whether Jeter technically cheated. I'm not sure I have an answer. Of all the major sports, baseball has the most gray areas. I have talked about unwritten rules in the past. For instance, if my teammate on second base is able to steal signs and relay them to me, then that is allowed. I however am not allowed to look at the catcher and steal signs directly. That is a break of etiquette and will get me thrown at. Neither rule is written in the official rule book, but players and coaches are allowed to decide whether it goes against the spirit of the rules.
This situation isn't the same as corking a bat or scuffing a ball. It's all about not telling the truth about a judgement call made by the umpires. Baseball is full of judgement calls. How many times do we see an umpire get a call wrong at first base? Or how many times does a second baseman not touch second base when in the middle of a double play? In both situations the players won't admit to the right call because that's what we have umpires for. The only difference with this play is that Jeter went outside of the norm by actually play acting and furthering the deception. Now it starts to get into the realm of the hidden ball trick in which the team specifically tries to trick the other team. You all know what I'm talking about. With a runner on first, the pitcher calls a meeting on the mound. He slyly grabs the rahsen bag (sp???) and gives the ball to the first baseman. They go back to their positions and the first baseman tags out the runner when he steps off the bag. It's classic playground stuff and totally legal, but probably not appreciated.
Does deception have a place in sports? Probably not, but with so much money riding on results, I can't blame the players for doing whatever they have to to win. People want sports to be centers of morality. They want athletes to be role models and to be loyal. Unfortunately neither are true at the professional sports level.
As for those who are putting Jeter on a pedestal and disappointed that he, of all people, would bend the rules, I remind you that he is a baseball player. Not a religious official. Not a judge. Not a doctor. Not educators. He is a baseball player.
No comments:
Post a Comment