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Just saw on Sportscenter where Manny Para and Prince Fielder got into a one sided shoving match in the dugout tonight during the Reds game.

There have been more "public" confrontations this year during games (in my opinion) than in past years. I know that teams have problems with each other during seasons but it was taken care of in the clubhouse. Why is players now do it right away in the dugout instead of waiting to be alone with the rest of the team?

Does things like Sportscenter hurt because John Kruk mentions this sometimes being a positive thing (which I agree it sometimes can) because it gets things out in the air? Younger guys / kids hear this and think if it's happening then it's ok to do it.

Or could it be that media coverage is so thick there is no way to NOT see it on TV or net? It still happened back in the day but the media didn't pick up on all of it.

Your thoughts?

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. Thomas Jefferson

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I thought it was interesting to see the expression on Prince Fielder's face when he realized the camera was 'right there' ...

Now as to why it seems to be happening more often in front of the camers ... because (I think) it is happening more often and it is due to lousy impulse control on the part of the players involved. This is were I think MLB has changed so much over the past 10 years or so ... players have these temper tantrums in public, whether it be throwing a bucket of balls, firing a baseball into the stands, or shoving a teammate in the dugout, and they seem to go unpunished/undisciplined. Granted, we don't know all the goings on in the clubhouse and manager's office afterwards, but nevertheless, it continues to happen so whatever measures are being taken to stop it don't seem to be working very well.

I liked it better when the players could contain themselves till they were in the clubhouse or at least in the tunnel out of camera shot. And I also liked it a lot better when pitchers controlled their emotions on the mounds ... including, to some extent, the self-congratulatory exhuberance that some pitchers manifest.

By the way, a comment was made on Sportscenter that Prince Fielder is a leader on his team and all I could think of was ... Great ... what do the non-leaders act like in public?
I think it is a team thing and nothing more. It is a good young team starting to feel the pressure of a pennant race in which they have just recently fell a little further behind. I think it is a sign that they care and need to deal with the situation a little better. Hopefully the skipper will use it to bring the team together. They are fun to watch. Fielder is a freak of nature. Did you see his hops the other day? Wow did he get up in the air for a big guy.
i saw an interview with the mngr on espn that i think said it best.

" 8 months a year we're a family,when you here the family next door arguing it's rude to go knock on the door and ask what it's about.we'll handle it in the family."

i know it's all news all the time, but i thought this was a great responce. not what we want to here, but it is true.
You know for me there is no excuse. If you assaulted someone at your job you would be fired and most likely prosecuted.
The excuse its FAMILY, well if you assault someone in your family again NOT GOOD (people go to jail for that)
Quit making excuses for these guys. Theyre under pressure for a pennant race BIG DEAL they are being paid millions of dollars to be under pressure.
And people get on this board and say I dont know why this kid got drafter, he has a anger problem and throws his helmet, well hell fit right in with some of those guys.
There is no excuse to physically attack someone we are by making excuses telling our young boys that its ok to act out in your anger. It is never ok to act out in anger.
These people are paid by the public you and I by buying tickets and supporting MLB. They need to clean up their acts. Id rather see a bunch of young hungry guys and dump all these guys that think they have no rules to follow. They are not on a higher level than any of us.
I have pressure, we all have pressure. My husband has been through stuff at work where at times he could of hit somebody, but we cant. Its violence and there is never an excuse.
Im so tired of this well they are different they are under pressure, with the public scrutiny etc. well if the fires too hot get out. theyr are plenty of hardworking young men that can take their spots.
Isnt there a saying in baseball THERE ARE NO EXCUSES IN BASEBALL.
A fan gets a ball thrown at him because there is a brawl and he cant control his temper. BYE BYE bring in the next guy.
We wonder why are kids dont think they are accountable, we put these sports guys on freaking pedestals. they are paid professionals and if they cant handle that then fire all of them. Im getting quite sick of it. nad its not just in baseball.
I am going to play devils advocate her for a moment.

quote:
If you assaulted someone at your job you would be fired and most likely prosecuted.
The excuse its FAMILY, well if you assault someone in your family again NOT GOOD (people go to jail for that)


The above is mostly true. It is a bit of apples and oranges comparison in my opinion. At most jobs, one doesn't travel, eat, shower after work together Red Face, etc. In that way it is more like a family than a job. I don't know about anybody else on this board, but my brother and I used to fight like cats and dogs and were very competitive. Competition oft times leads to confrontation in physical endeavors. It always has. Dugout confrontations are as old as baseball itself. Do I condone it? No. I do understand the emotions running high. It is really hard to compare to a typical work situation. JMO

quote:
Quit making excuses for these guys. Theyre under pressure for a pennant race BIG DEAL they are being paid millions of dollars to be under pressure.


There is a difference between making excuses and explaining the behavior. For the record, they are paid to perform the game of baseball. Dealing with pressure at the big league level is a learned behavior.

quote:
There is no excuse to physically attack someone we are by making excuses telling our young boys that its ok to act out in your anger. It is never ok to act out in anger.
These people are paid by the public you and I by buying tickets and supporting MLB. They need to clean up their acts. Id rather see a bunch of young hungry guys and dump all these guys that think they have no rules to follow. They are not on a higher level than any of us.


Agreed, it is never ok to act out in anger. I don't believe the actions lead to telling boys it is ok unless parents are not doing their job.

If I want to see a bunch of hungry young guys, I will watch a minor league game. I want to pay to see the best of the best.

Nobody says they are on a higher level than us. However, traditionally it is handled in sport unless so agregious as to warrant criminal penalties. I suggest you take that up with the D.A. or lawmakers.

quote:
I have pressure, we all have pressure. My husband has been through stuff at work where at times he could of hit somebody, but we cant. Its violence and there is never an excuse.
Im so tired of this well they are different they are under pressure, with the public scrutiny etc. well if the fires too hot get out. theyr are plenty of hardworking young men that can take their spots.


I understand your sentiments. I used to work at one of the busiest car dealerships in the south and there was immense pressure and competition and numerous confrontations. In a pressure cooker win at all costs environment, it happens. These are go getters and aggressive salesmen and if you cannot keep up, get out of the way. If you jumped someone's customer and got the commission, be prepared. Never once was anybody arrested. If they were low producers they would get fired not arrested. Top producers were given a slap on the wrist. Not every work environment is in a vacuum.

quote:
A fan gets a ball thrown at him because there is a brawl and he cant control his temper. BYE BYE bring in the next guy.
We wonder why are kids dont think they are accountable, we put these sports guys on freaking pedestals. they are paid professionals and if they cant handle that then fire all of them. Im getting quite sick of it. nad its not just in baseball.


Bringing fans into it always gets the law into it. He was fired for throwing the ball into the stands and arrested. He was accountable. If kids think they are not accountable blame the parents who raise them, not baseball.

Your anger does mirror the feelings of many. It is in all of society, not just baseball.
It is very very hot under the magnifying glass. Tempers will flare.

These guys are young fierce competitors. Don't forget these guys are young men. Young men get in fights, especially competitive young men.

40+ guys together for 8 months ?

I am not proud of it, but I have been in a few throw downs myself in the football locker room and on a baseball team bus. We just needed to get our dispute aired out and young male athletes tend to do it physically. And we were great buddies after!

I don't condone it and I don't like to see it, but I understand it.

I would agree that these guys should have enough discipline to take care of business away from fans and cameras.

I wonder if these antics in the duggout are just another form of chest pounding. They know the cameras are everywhere.

I suppose if you wanted all of the players to hold hands and get along swimmingly for the whole season you could castrate them at the draft. Big Grin
Last edited by TripleDad
quote:
Originally posted by Bighit15:
If they were low producers they would get fired not arrested. Top producers were given a slap on the wrist. Not every work environment is in a vacuum.


And that's it right there. There were some serious discipline problems with two players on the LE team. The guy who was hitting a ton was (although 'handled' by his teammates Roll Eyes) given a severe dirty look by management. The guy who was an average producer had his PT cut.

We all hate to see this kind of behavior invade our sport, and we're all dismayed to see this, steroids, drugs, whatever allowed multiple chances given when we all know talented, well behaved young men who were never given a chance to show what they could do. Boy, you'd think life wasn't fair.

Parents share blame, IMHO, with the schools and programs along the way that treated the talented player as a cut above in aspects other than play, AND professional baseball. In the minors, a player is pretty much owned and it's certainly not the case (as in MLB) that the 'workers' make salaries with more zeroes than management. To me, the minors would be the place to make sure the prospects comport themselves in public in keeping with the philosophy of the club.
Orlando:

I appreciate your devils advocate. But I remain to my viewpoint. I would rather watch a minor league game then support people getting out of control.
Parents can do their jobs but kids watch this stuff repeatedly in sports.
Lets take Craig Biggio, lifetime player, stayed with his team, was a team player, did he ever act like this?Is Craig Biggio one of the best guys out there maybe not, but the guy played with a lot of heart. I remember a lot of the old timers, I went to games all the time with my dad when I was young it was not this bad.I would rather watch guys like that then these hot heads that think they are so good they dont even have to run to first base they can jog. Go ahead and support that I will not waste my money on watching guys that dont play the game the right way.
I understand they are together all the time, deal with it in private not in public.I dont want to see it. i understand when a guy gets a heater thrown at him , probably on purpose and hes upset, but public brawls and the stuff going on lately no thank you.
I will look forward to watching the little league world series soon. thats a bunch of kids with heart. I enjoyed immensely watching fresno State win the college world series. Bunch of s****** guys that nobody thought would win, they had no pitching, but they pulled together and played the game . I will take that anyday.
I watched my sons team win a first time section for their school, I watched as a team, they had problems during the year sometimes, they worked it out and when they got on the field they took care of business.
Doesnt really matter how you dissect my words i will never support the behavior of late with the MLB or whatever other sport. Not acceptable to me.
The statement made earlier that you want to watch these guys because they are so good, thats your choice .The whole steroid issue , the continuous scandals involved, the fighting, just isnt fun for me. And I love baseball but not like this.
And by the way I am not angry. Dont have the energy to waste anger on this type of stuff.There are way more important things in life to me such as: there a war in IRAQ and many of our young men are dying and being injured : that really bothers me
I have just been watching this stuff for a while and am just plain tired of it. People can make excuses for it all they want I personally dont like it and dont want to see it. For those of you who do continue to enjoy.
I think you all make great points, and I’d like to throw in what I thing is a great point too.

Although those kinds of flare-ups have gone on forever, its really only been in the last 40 years or so that the media has been willing to report any kind of transgression any celebrity might make. So, while it is being reported more often now, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t happening before.

However, I honestly think that a lot of what we’re seeing, is because there’s such a low level of team loyalty to players, an equally low level of player loyalty to teams, and an equally low level of loyalty of teams and players to the fans, with a corresponding low level of fan loyalty to the teams and players.

Everyone wants what they want, and to HE double hockeysticks with what anyone else wants. The number of zeroes on the bank statements have made the entire world of sports much more important than it should be, and it should only be expected that people who are worshiped enough by the fans to cause them to part with their money, will feel as though they can say and do anything they like, whenever they like, to whomever they like.
orlando,

I apologize. I just re read thread and realized that i addressed it wrong. But either way i have no issues with peoples opinions and like to hear ohter peoples viewpoints.
Skeep, good post. We have been loyal Brave fans for years. My husband as far back as when he was a kid in Wisconsin growing up watching Hank Aaron play. Its hard anymore to be loyal to a team when week to week the rosters change. love Chipper, one team guy, gave part of his salary back to help the braves out.is he perfect No, but he for the most part plays the game the right way. He plays for his TEAM not himself. I like those kind of guys.
and You are right as long as fans are willing to put up with the behavior becuase they are such good players it will continue and probably keep getting worse.
A thug is a thug is a thug.

Does that about sum it up?

Fielder, Ron Artest (NBA player who admitted to being "ghetto" this past week on ESPN, Stephen Smith (NFL player received 2 game suspension this week for punching teammate), Barry Bonds fighting with Jeff Kent in the dugout...

Violence is their M.O. it seems.

Fanofthegame, thanks for expressing yourself with how most of us have felt for some time.
I get so tired of people making excuses for athletes. Mad
They are for the most part living in a fantasy world and getting paid "GREAT" money to do so.

Where I work tempers tend to flare periodically, that's just human nature. What keeps it from escalating into what you witnessed on ESPN is the threat of losing a job or being out of work for an undisclosed amount of time without pay. Until the real world rules are put into the fantasy world, there will be absolutely no deterrent.

What makes it even worse in this situation is it was "part of the family". To me, that's unacceptable!
quote:
Originally posted by fanofgame:
It is never ok to act out in anger.


Trust me on this one, I hear ya.

But I hear Bighit also and understand both responses.

It's really hard to understand a lot of things, but do understand that as your sons leave home, and lives and competes closely with others, not everyone is going to be like your player. You will find that tempers flare at college, at the lower pro levels as well as the higher level. Not everyone is the same or deals with situations the same way. On the pro level, not eveyone comes from the same neighborhood you did or the same country for that matter. Same with college, but eh recruiter has done a better job of recruiting kids who might gel well together. They don't do that in proball.
The problem, IMO, there's just too much testosterone in the same place at the same time. Roll Eyes
In HS you may get annoyed at your teammate and he at you, but you can go home and there's a cooling off period. There's no cooling off period often when you are with the same guys for 8 months, 24/7.
You often don't hear about incidents on the lower level because these players are unknown. It's dealt with swiftly by being released. Even the ones who are the victims can get in hot water. As your worth becomes greater, you may face a night off, a few nights off and some fines. I don't think that anyone looks the other way, we just don't know the consequences each team gives out.

fanofgame,
Sending you a pm.
Last edited by TPM
Younggundad, I was aware of Stephen Smith and Ron Artest having had previous altercations and infractions. I know Steve Smith had an altercation in 2002 that cost him a suspension. Ron Artest being an idiot is well documented. Did Fielder have previous problems? If he did I was not aware of any. Could you elaborate?

For the record. I did not advocate, condone, or excuse anybody. I clearly stated at the beginning that I was playing Devil's advocate so that people could see the other side. As a former coach who has seen brawls and confrontations, I was trying to explain the mindset.
Last edited by Bighit15
BigHit, Fielder has not as far as I know had any previous problems and I wasn't trying to paint him in the light that he had. Sorry for the confusion in my post.

What I was merely trying to point out is that thugs as I know are one's who at times resort to violence to make a point instead of being civil and discussing it as adults. I use the word thug while others may have more appropriate names for these types of individuals.

As fanofthegame mentioned, there is NEVER a reason for violence! I don't care what or why the Brewer pitcher was upset, etc. but who did Fielder think he was by getting into a shoving match?

I don't disagree with any of you that made the statements about being with teammates for long periods of times. But for Yost to make light of this situation like he did is assinine and shows his superb managerial skills.
quote:
Originally posted by Bighit15:
I would like to pose a question. How would all of you deal with the Brewers situation if you were Ned Yost?

Would you send everyone to the minors or release them? Would try to handle it as a family situation? Would you use it to try to pull the team together? Just curious.


I'd step back and let the players handle themselves. This is where team captain leadership come in at any level.

Do they have clubhouse fines for pushing and shoving. Roll Eyes

Last year son was in school there were some issues with freshman attitudes. The coaches let the players have their own meeting and the older guys laid it out on the line. Peer pressure is often more effective than upper management threats.

According to what I read, didn't management ask the team captains if Manny should stay or go?
Great discussion and it's great to see people bring up differing points in a mature way.

I am sort of in the middle that it's never acceptable to allow violence to happen but it does become a pressure cooker during a season. There has to be that middle ground to where something public isn't acceptable but the ability to work out problems.

As for the question as to what we would do if we were Yost - I say fine them a high percentage of their salary. Best way to hurt today's athlete is to take it out of the back pocket. Baseball is a game where you can suspend / sit players for a certain amount of time but overall it's not a huge punishment. It just seems silly to go the high school route and make them run 30 poles as punishment. Plus sitting a player who is great is punishing the players who were not involved in the fight.

Fine each player a percentage of their salary and everyone is on even ground in terms of punishment.

Sports Illustrated has that small section called the "sign of the apacalypse" and if players / teams in the LL world series end up fighting then I am going to bury my head in the sand.
quote:
Originally posted by Bighit15:
Good point TPM. However, Fielder is a team captain. lol How does that work?


I just KNEW someone would come back with that one!

Take away being the team captain? Big Grin

As as far as heavy fines and suspension for pushing and shoving, try to get that one past the player's union! Is it right, no, is it common, yes.

How about fines like they impose on the milb players in kangaroo court! Wink

I just read where the Oakland A's got their nicknames fighting A's because of all the fights in the past.

This is BIG business, when things are not going well, expectations falling and the heat is on, tempers flair.

Bottom line, and I am not condoning, you cannot compare this to any other occupation.

It's not a normal job.
Last edited by TPM
quote:
How about fines like they impose on the milb players in kangaroo court!


This is something you never hear about anymore and I wonder if they still do it. This could be VERY effective if run by the older guys and guys like a Biggio who are all class.

You're right a high percentage fine probably wouldn't get past the union but it does make sense (at least to me).
Coach ...
quote:
Great discussion and it's great to see people bring up differing points in a mature way.


Now there you go spoiling all the fun ... telling us we are have a difference of opinion but discussing it maturely. Double drat ... now I feel the need to ruffle some feathers ...

All kidding aside, my husband and I are at opposite ends of the spectrum on this. He actually made some of the very comments that have been made in this thread and that is a very very scarey thing indeed. But, after 32 years, why should I start agreeing with him now?
For those that have played or managed a ball club on any level....

I. Nothing good comes out of 'an altercation' within a ball club, whether on the field, the dugout or the clubhouse.

II. Should a brawl occur between your ball club and the opposition on the field, some type of internal team unity may prevail.

a. Position players and starting pitchers typically come from dissimilar sides yet share the dugout daily and other close amenities. (Relief pitchers learn to get along with each other while sharing the bull-pen and can not be placed in the same categories with the position players since they may not interact most of the season)

b. Manny Parra (and for the record Prince Fielder won the fight) is no where the pitcher he was in June. Parra was having a no-no until his melt down in the 5th. After Parra surrendered six runs in sixth innings (in taking his third straight loss) Parra and Fielder exchanged words on one side of the dugout before the one-sided pushing match that was caught on camera.

c. Parra seemed stunned from both of Fielder's separate aggressive actions and did not defend himself. Fielder was restrained by several of the position players where JJ Hardy can be heard yelling at Fielder. The dispute may have been over Parra heading back to the clubhouse after being pulled from the game instead of staying in the dugout to watch the Brewers bat in the next inning. Also reported was the exchange got started when Parra told Fielder to "get off his fat a^^ and play defense." [Fielder won't be winning a gold glove anytime soon]

d. Manager Ned Yost said about the incident and trying to keep in within the club is as similar to "going over to the neighbors' house after they've been fighting and asking about it."

e. Fielder's history of conflicts in his personal life range from:
- Unable to come up with an agreement for a long-term contract with the Brewers (Boros, his agent, signed a one year, $670,000 deal whereas Fielder is reported as saying, "I'm not happy about it at all,")

- With his father after taking a portion of Prince's signing bonus for negotiating his first contract and the two have not been on full speaking terms.

f. Many theatrics in the dugout are Not a good situation. This is the second consecutive year the Brewers have had an altercation in the dugout.

Maybe Parra's & Fielder run-in might motivate Parra to pitch better against Washington on Sunday at home at Miller Park, where he does well.
Last edited by Bear
Interesting background, Bear. I vaguely recall something about Cecil and some financial problems about the time Prince was drafted. Prince played in the same club as my son, although an older team; we all wondered how high a DH could get drafted!

The Cards announcers refer to Kangaroo Court, although that may be because Shannon is Old School rather than any indication it's current info. Of the three teams my son has played on in MiLB, two had KC. And then, only when things were going well. It's a bonding thing, but if they're losing, it can just get nasty.


I was an infant when this incident happened between 2 great players. Marichal, a hall of fame pitcher and Roseboro an All Star catcher. This is probably the most disturbing fight in baseball history. 40+ years ago. Giants & Dodgers at the time were extreme rivals playing in the world series. The events leading to the fight and after the fight are well documented.


I can't imagine the media nuclear bomb that would detonate if this were to occur today.
Bear ...

Thanks for the informative post. And I especially liked this insightful comment:
quote:
a. Position players and starting pitchers typically come from dissimilar sides yet share the dugout daily and other close amenities. (Relief pitchers learn to get along with each other while sharing the bull-pen and can not be placed in the same categories with the position players since they may not interact most of the season)


And sometimes even the starting pitchers and relief pitchers don't see eye-to-eye on things. But the maturity and team-orientedness (is that a term?) of the individual pitchers and players will play a major part in the cohesiveness of the team.
Holy cow, Triple, hadn't thought about that one in years. For the "children" Wink here's a link to a discussion on the fight that quotes both background and how Roseboro and Marichal handled it after.

From Baseball Fever



Speaking of The Old Days, I signed on to share an e-mail circulating around Cards Nation as Our Stan is very ill. He was, to a great extent, just what we misty-eyed baseball lovers would like to see in all players, even today.

------------------

Stan the Man Musial
reportedly many references from Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star

Stan Musial never got thrown out of a game. Never. Think about this for a moment. Musial played in 3,026 games in his career, or about as many as his contemporaries Joe DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky played combined. He played across different American eras, he played in the big leagues before bombs fell on Pearl Harbor and he retired a few weeks before Kennedy was shot. He played when Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller ruled the Top 40 charts, and he played when Elvis was thin, and he played when Chubby Checker twisted. He played before television, and after John Glenn orbited the earth. And he never once got thrown out of a baseball game.

There was this game, in '52, that year the Today Show came to television and the Diary of Anne Frank was published, and Musial's Cardinals trailed the Brooklyn Dodgers by two runs in the ninth. The bases were loaded. There were two outs. Musial faced pitcher Ben Wade. The two battled briefly, and then Musial connected; a long home run to right field. Grand slam. Everyone in the stadium stood and cheered wildly. What could be bigger, a grand slam in the ninth to beat the hated Dodgers. Musial started to run around the bases in his own inimitable way, not too fast, not too slow, all class. And it wasn't until he rounded first and was closing in on second when everyone seemed to notice at once that the third base umpire was holding up his arms. A ball had rolled on the field just before the pitch. The umpire had called timeout.

Home plate umpire Tom Gorman realized he had no choice. He disallowed the home run. The stadium went black. The fans went mad. St. Louis manager Solly Hemus raced out of the dugout, got into Gorman's face and called him every name he could think of; finally Gorman had no choice and threw him out of the game. Peanuts Lowrey came in like a tag-team wrestler and picked up where Solly left off; Gorman tossed him too. Before it was done, Gorman threw out six Cardinals. He felt like a cowboy in one of those old Westerns clearing out the saloon, throwing out people through plate glass windows. And then Musial, who in the confusion had not been told anything, walked over to Gorman. He calmly asked, "What happened, Tom? It didn't count, huh?"

Gorman nodded sadly and said the third base umpire had called timeout. "Well, Tom," Musial said, "There’s nothing you can do about it." Stan Musial stepped back in the box while fists shook and boos and threats echoed around him. He promptly tripled off the top of the center field wall to score three runs and give the Cardinals the victory anyway. "Stan," Tom Gorman said after the game ended, "is in a class by himself."

* * *
Stan Musial grew up in Donora, Pa., during the Depression. They were a family of eight in a five-room house. In Donora, the smoke and fumes from the zinc factory mushroomed so thick and poisonous that no vegetation could grow on the hill. That barren, brown hillside was a constant reminder that the air was killing them. Stan's father, a Polish immigrant, worked in that factory and, not too many years after Stan started playing ball, died from the fumes.

Not that a tough childhood explains everything. Still, there was something about Stan Musial that did not let him forget Donora, did not allow him to change" "I'm so lucky," he used to say every day, more than once every day, so many times that people would roll their eyes. But that seems to be how he felt, every day, lucky.

Harry Caray, who of course first gained his fame calling Cardinals games on KMOX, would tell the story of a beaten down Musial going hitless in a Sunday doubleheader. The heat was unbearable that day: hell could not be much hotter than a St. Louis summer day, and after the game Musial walked gingerly to his car. He looked beaten down. He looked beat up. Musial never seemed to think of baseball as a job, but a daytime doubleheader in St. Louis might be the closest thing.

"Watch this," Caray said to a friend as they watched the scene, and sure enough when Musial got to the car, there were a hundred kids waiting for him and an autograph. Stan leaned against his hot car and signed every one.

Musial. People like to say that people have changed. I don't see that exactly. The world has changed. Technology has changed. Movie and ticket prices have changed. Gas prices have changed. Many of the rules have changed, the reserve clause is gone, Title IX is in place, they let people swear on cable TV, airplanes and restaurants won't let you smoke, and you can no longer hold your infant in your lap in the front seat of your car.

But people? I don't know. I get a little queasy when I hear old time ballplayers talk about how none of them would have used performance enhancing drugs, and a little queasier when I hear old-time politicians talk about how they always reached across the aisle. You will still hear a lot of people romanticizing America in the 1950s. Those people tend to look a lot alike.

Still, it's probably fair to say that there was something unique about the time that produced Stan Musial. Maybe in those days people treasured that thing they used to call class. Maybe they expected their singers to be dressed in tuxedoes, maybe they admired strong and silent types, maybe they liked football players who did not celebrate their own touchdowns or boxers who spoke quietly, maybe they wanted their children to believe in a world where baseball players drank milk and said "golly" and married their high school sweetheart. It seems to me that the quintessential hero today is Josh Hamilton, left-handed power, supremely gifted, fallen from grace, back from the depths, crushing home runs and driving in runners while covered in tattoos that represent a time he regrets. That's a story for our time, a story about a lost soul redeemed, and it touches our 21st Century hearts.

Musial is from his time. He smoked under stairwells to be certain that no kid saw him doing it. Friends say he drank privately, and very little, Stan the Man could not allow anyone to see him at less than his best. He often said his biggest regret was that he did not go to college. And, yes, he married Lil, his high school sweetheart, on his 19th birthday, almost 70 years ago.

He wanted to be a role model. He seemed to need to feel like he was giving kids someone to respect. That, as much as anything, drove him. Teammates had a standing wager on how many times he would use the word "Wonderful" in any given day. They usually guessed low. He was terrified of making speeches (this, friends say, is why he started playing the harmonica in public) and yet he almost never turned down a speaking engagement. He played in great pain, but nobody ever caught him running half-speed. When he felt like his skills had diminished, he asked for and received a pay cut.

Joe Black used to tell a story: he was pitching against the Cardinals, and as usual the taunts were racial. "Don't worry, Stan," someone in the Cardinals dugout shouted, "with that dark background on the mound you shouldn't have any problem hitting the ball." Musial kicked at the dirt, spat, and faced Black like he had not heard anything. But after the game, Black was in the clubhouse, and suddenly he looked up and there was Stan Musial. "I'm sorry that happened," Musial whispered. "But don't you worry about it. You're a great pitcher. You will win a lot of games."

Chuck Connors, the Rifleman, used to tell a story about when he was a struggling hitter for the Chicago Cubs in 1951. He asked teammates what he should do. They all told him the same thing: The only guy who can save you is Musial.

So Connors went to Musial and asked for his help. Musial spent 30 minutes at the cage with an opposing player. "I was a bum of a hitter just not cut out for the majors," Connors said. "But I will never forget Stan's kindness. When he was finished watching me cut away at the ball, Stan slapped me on the back and told me to keep swinging."

Ed Mickelson only got 37 at-bats in the Big Leagues, but he has a story too. Musial invited him to dinner, he was always doing that stuff, and there Mickelson explained that he felt so nervous playing ball that he could hardly perform. Musial leaned over and said quietly, "Me too, kid. Me too. When you stop feeling nervous, it's time to quit."

Well, there are countless stories like that, stories about Musial's common decency and the way he could make anyone around him feel like he was worth a million bucks. "Musial treated me like I was the Pope," Mickelson said, and he was still in awe more than 50 years later.

* * *
Those were the emotions Musial inspired in his time. He was so beloved in New York, that the Mets held a "Stan Musial Day." In Chicago, he once finished first in a "favorite player" poll among Cubs fans, edging out Ernie Banks. Bill Clinton and Brooks Robinson, growing up about an hour apart in Arkansas, were inspired by him. Of course, it was mostly the playing. Stan Musial banged out 3,630 hits even though he missed a year for the war. He hit .331 for his career, cracked 1,377 extra base hits (only Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds have hit more), stretched out more than 900 doubles and triples (only Tris Speaker has more) and played in 24 All-Star Games. He had that quirky and unforgettable swing, that peek-a-boo stance, and he probably inspired more famous quotes by pitchers than any other hitter.

Preacher Roe (on how to pitch Musial): "I throw him four wide ones and try to pick him off first base." Carl Erskine (on how to pitch Musial): "I've had pretty good success with Stan by throwing him my best pitch and backing up third." Warren Spahn: "Once he timed your fastball, your infielders were in jeopardy." Don Newcombe: "I could have rolled the ball up there to Musial, and he would have pulled out a golf club and hit it out." And so on.

Maybe pitchers felt helpless because there seemed no way to pitch him, no weaknesses in swing; fastballs up, curveballs away, forkballs in the dirt, he hit them all. In 1948, he had his most famous season, his season for the ages, .376 average, 46 doubles, 18 triples, 39 home runs, 135 runs, 131 RBIs. And yet, the thing about Musial, is that for more than 20 years he was pretty much always like that. Four other times he hit better than .350. Four other times he hit more than 46 doubles. He hit double digit triples eight times in all, he hit 30-plus homers five times, he walked more than twice as often as he struck out.

I suspect Musial can never be reflected in numbers because his resume is so diverse and elaborate. It's like Bob Costas said, "He never did just one awesome thing, he never hit in 56 straight games, and he did not hit 500 home runs (never hit 40 in a season), and he did not get 4,000 hits, and he did not hit .400 in any year. He was, instead, present always, seventeen times in the Top 5 in batting average, sixteen times in the Top 5 in on-base percentage, thirteen times in the Top 5 in slugging percentage, nine times the league leader in runs created. To me, the best description of Musial through his stats is to say that 16 times in his career Musial hit 30 or more doubles. It might not make for a great movie. But it tells you that all his baseball life, Stan Musial hit baseballs into gaps and he ran hard out of the box."

* * *
Here's the thing: A lot of baseball fans have forgotten Stan Musial. Anyway, it seems like that. His name is rarely mentioned when people talk about the greatest living players. He's never had a best selling book written about him. A few years ago, when baseball was picking its All Century team, Stan Musial did not even receive enough votes to be listed among the Top 10 outfielders. The Top 10.

True, he did not play in New York like the baseball icons, like Ruth and DiMaggio and Mantle and Koufax and Mays. True, he did not break the home run record like Aaron, he did not get banished from the game like Rose, he did not break barriers like Jackie, he did not swear colorfully like Ted, he did not hit three homers in a World Series game like Reggie, he did not glare like Gibson, he did not throw like Clemente, and he did not say funny and wise things like Yogi.

No, Musial just played hard and lived decently. He hit five home runs in a doubleheader, and had five hits on five swings in a game. He hit line drives right back at pitchers and then would go to the dugout after the game to make sure those pitchers were all right. He wasn't perfect, of course, but he didn't see the harm in letting people believe in something.

And maybe that sort of understated greatness isn't meant to be shouted from the rooftops. Maybe Musial is just meant to be quietly appreciated. Ever so often, even now, you can read an obituary somewhere in American's heartland, and you will read about someone who "loved Stan Musial."

Ever so often you will meet someone about 55 years old named Stan, and you will know why.

___________

Of course, baseball stories, like fishing stories, get exaggerated. Although the drama of the ninth-inning, bases-loaded game wasn't true, the essence of Stan evidently was. The investigation is listed under '10 Great Seasons' on the following link (interesting blog in any case):

Great
Last edited by Orlando
O ...

Stan Musial's sister and her family lived on the same street that I did when I was a pre-teen. Whenever the Cards came to Pittsburgh for a series, Stan spent his free time at his sister's house. I knew his nephews but not well enough to just 'drop in' when Stan was in town ... little did I realize at that age what he would give to the game. Frown
Last edited by FutureBack.Mom
quote:
Originally posted by Orlando:

Speaking of The Old Days, I signed on to share an e-mail circulating around Cards Nation as Our Stan is very ill. He was, to a great extent, just what we misty-eyed baseball lovers would like to see in all players, even today.
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What we heard in Maryland, was that Stan the Man did not want the broadcasters at this years All-Star game to announce why he was NOT in attendence.

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