Winning with class: Priceless!

                                                           The Associated Press/Haraz N. Ghanbari 
                                                        
10/10/10 Update: BP going into the biggest Reds Series in 10 years, you spout off with a petty insult and name calling. Calling them "Whinny Little Bitches" may have been the kick they needed. It was unnecessary, unprofessional and you know what OK to say in the Clubhouse! So you hate them, good thats a competitor, but your mouth is now the focus not our first place team! You dont spout off through the media, how small time and "whinny" you sound. You call me a  "Little Whinny Bitches" be it true or not and thats all the fuel I need to come out and demolish you: as the Cardinals have done the first two games of this series! Was Molina right in gettng in your face, of course not, but if you would have come in, focused on hitting and not yapping where may we be now? You took the focus of the game and on your mouth: classless and not the way Champions win! Your the leadoff hitter, you set the tone, the only tone you've set in this series so far is instigating and motivating the Cardinal team while you have hit a putrid .111 ( 1 for 9) you didnt even back up your trash talk: My vote Play Baseball not trash mouth! My vote is to win and with Class!

Well said by Mr Daugherty: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/daugherty/2010/08/11/little-lets-just-say-babies/



From June:

Brandon Phillips comes home, bowls over the Nats' Sean Burnett and in a Tarzan Like way, pounds his chest in celebration while stomping on home plate. (Mr Daugherty evidently was reading my tweets calling it a "Tarzan" move as he used the same analogy: http://tiny.cc/zk4t9) Great play? Yes! Personal Elation authorized: Absolutely! Showing up your opponents: Not cool! Professional reaction: Not So Much.

I have since focused on Brandon, as he spearheads a newly aggressive Reds Squad: hustling first to third, giving incredible effort while ending up on ESPN's Top Plays every other night, and generally playing his butt off. But how much classier could his game be without the smack-talk like exuberance? Yes it was only one play, but in this year of a Red's rebirth would you prefer us to win with class or step on peoples throats, stomping on home, while chest thumping after you've already put the catchers face in the dirt? If you have no problem with that, and call it, as one 20+ yr old did: "part of the game" then you may be younger, part of a different generation or IYO (for you non-tweet/texters "In your Opinion") an acceptable gesture.  IMO(got that one mom? ;) I prefer the "act like you've been there" move, borrowing one from the NFL maybe. So did Dusty: "Everything was great, clean baseball until he pounded his chest," Dusty Baker.


Another example: One Johnny "Mohawk" Gomes, posing as he watched his shots fly out of GASP (S=small another topic for another day!). Will he continue to watch his shots all year, as he excites the snot out of us? Does he ever start to "act like he's been there"?

                                          AP

Baseball policed itself rightly so in both cases: The Nats and KC both plunking the perps. No issues there. I love the boys' enthusiasm:  just do it with class young men!

How much is this just another generation showing their colors? Now, I am a mid 40 yr old, dad/soccer coach but still intense. I have played my own energetic style of ball on the field. Years ago in my late 20's I also bowled over a catcher, knocking the ball out, being safe: that was enough for me as my teammates were yelling more than I needed to. Jumping up, I couldn't wait to embrace my team as we won and they came out of the dugout, high five-ing and yelling. Thats was all the celebration we needed. Thats was my style, I understand we all have our own. BTW (By The Way, again, for mom) wearing a red uniform with the #14, repping my fav player growing up, on the fields in San Diego. (Maybe that was smack talk enough for those Cali boys?)

Am I too much of a throwback/traditionalist? Maybe so, but one famous example is another #14 bowling over a catcher to be safe, without the chest thump. Or One #5 never posing at home plate, I know, I know, a different era you say, but should sportsmanship transcend era's? I say yes! Those players WON championships! Does it help to be even keeled and a professional? Well see how far chest thumping and posing gets our boys. In the Gomes quoted statement of Captain Rolen, The true only championship winning vet on this team: WWRD: What Would Rolen Do? Something tells me he'd disable a catcher or hit a mammoth HR: without the pose or chest thump!

Can you win with class? Ask #5, or #11(see the '90 team), or ask Doggy ('75'76 for your youngsters).

Chest thumping? Borderline showing up the other team. Posing after Home runs? Not acting like you've been there. Winning with class: Priceless!