It's Their Turn Now

A common theme on this blog is me getting annoyed when people make grand judgements based on limited facts, which happens all the time in the news business. I've always thought it was better to hear directly from the people involved than from some generic, cut-and-paste reporter who showed up five minutes ago and only wants to talk in extremes because it makes for a better soundbite. And while this can happen in any type of news story, it is especially common in sports, because those guys have to travel to a new city every fifth day. Nothing makes me angrier than when people (specifically national sportswriters), try to tell you how a city they do not live in 360 day a year (specifically Boston) is feeling about a specific issue because they are usually wrong.

I'll give you a specific example: a number of years ago Tom Brady was filmed walking around New York City wearing a Yankee hat. This led to people on ESPN shows like "Cold Pizza" to talk about how the city of Boston was freaking out, when the reality was far from the truth. Sure, the guys who have nothing better to do than leave forum posts on sites like Boston Dirt Dogs or the Sons of Sam Horn were probably pretty pissed about it, but the rest of us knew it was just a damn hat and that it didn't mean Brady was planning to leave New England so he could play in the bigger New York media market for the Jets (which was honestly suggested at the time). All it really proved was Brady is most likely a sports polygamist which, while not an admirable trait, is understandable. High-profile athletes tend to run in the same circles and so while saying he hates Jeter would endear him to Boston sports fans, it would make it really awkward for Brady when he ran into him at some Nike event at the Super Bowl.

However, that reality-based conclusion doesn't make for interesting TV and playing off the stereotype that Boston has some kind of inferiority complex towards the Yankees (which we never actually had) is much easier. The good news for Boston is that by winning two World Series, three Super Bowls and one NBA Championship in the last decade, people have started to catch on that we're not actually worried about anyone else. Unfortunately for every other sports city, that has meant ESPN and people of their ilk have begun to turn their attention elsewhere, looking for any excuse to play off an insecurity, whether it exists or is simply perceived.

So, having been in their shoes, I felt bad for St. Louis yesterday when a picture surface of Cardinals' slugger Albert Pujols giving Cubs GM Jim Hendry a hug during batting practice. You see, Pujols is a free agent after this season and the Cubs (St. Louis' baseball rivals) are one of the few teams that can afford to pay Pujols big money for his services and need a first baseman. Therefore, they are expected to be a big player when he hits free agency. This picture led to all sorts of speculation about what this might mean for Albert and the Cardinals: Are talks going that badly? Should they trade him now or risk getting nothing for him? What would he do for Chicago's line-up? Never mind that Albert has probably given that same hug to every GM in every city he's visited this season. It was a guy on the Cardinals hugging an enemy, so this time it was news.

Only it's not news. I'm sure 50 years ago it would have been a big deal but free agency, huge salaries and increased player movement have taken all the animosity out of baseball. It used to be that guys would hate someone just because they played for the other guy, but now there's an above-average chance that guy is going to be on your team next year so don't burn a bridge. Which leaves all professional sports with a feel that is more akin to everyone being in the same fraternity, but playing for different chapters instead of playing for a rival. At this point the only time pro athletes hate each other is if one guy owes another money or it turns out they both have the same mistress (both of which have happened in the NBA). So, one guy simply saying hello to a rival team's GM doesn't mean you should expect him to play there next year. Does this mean Pujols will remain with the Cardinals? Not necessarily. What it does mean is that everyone should calm the hell down and wait until news actually happens before they jump to conclusions about what it all means.