Beyond Befuddled

I'm old school and that said places me completely out-of-touch with current sport competition and fandom thinking. Let me explain.

I spent a lifetime in sport competition. I was that participating player for 14-years and then the orchestrating mentor-coach for 39-years. I loved the challenge found in competition. I had a simple straightforward sport competition philosophy. 1) 'If you prepare then don't worry; if you are going to worry then don't prepare but for goodness sakes don't do both!' And 2) 'Respect All; Fear None and leave it all on the field or court.'

I did not hate or even dislike my opponent but I was not ambivalent towards my competition...the other team members were not my friends. We were not buddies. I did not interact with competitors as a kibitser with joking chit-chat. Okay, you now get it...I'm old school...and out of touch.

Watching the televised weekend baseball series between the Cardinals and Angels had my head swimming. At times I thought I was in the twilight zone. Make no mistake, I believe Albert Pujols is one of the greatest baseball hitters the game has ever seen. I pulled hard and applauded him when he was a member of 'MY' team. Once he left for LA, he was no longer part of 'MY' team,' therefore he became the enemy. I wish him all good things when he is competing against others but not when he's competing against the Cardinals.

The fans showed Albert love every at bat.  The Cardinals' fans stood every time Pujols came to the plate and even booed their own pitcher when Pujols walked. Really? The television broadcasters (Dan  McLaughlin and Rickey Horton) verbally loved on Pujols the entire game. In a game that saw the Cardinals win 4-2, Pujols hit a home run and the fans asked for a curtain call, which he obliged. At that moment I wondered how Cardinals' pitcher Dakota Hudson who was pitching one hellava game felt. I scratched my head in total bewilderment when TV broadcaster Dan McLaughlin announced Pujols' home run as the 'Play of the Game.' Obviously Cardinals' outfielder, Marcell Ozuna's two-run homer into Big Mac Land was casually dismissed...I thought how idiotic, the home team won by two-runs; Ozuna's monster blast that did not get a curtain call. You kidding me?

What the hell, why not this new sport philosophy? The owners were never loyal to players and with free agency the players are no longer loyal to the organization and neither have loyalty towards the FAN...thus the fan is now part of the disloyalty.

Personally, I find it unbelievable...but as I said, I'm old school.