Yes, I saw the replays of Buster Posey, a catcher for the SF Giants, getting hurt in that home plate collision several days ago. Now some people want major league baseball to change the rules. To which I say -- shut up. It's part of the game, and has been for well over 100 years. I even heard a person say they should make them slide or get tossed out of the game. It would be safer that way and, after all, they do it in slow-pitch softball. SAY WHAT? Comparing MLB to slow-pitch softball is like comparing the Navy SEALS to the cub scouts. Shut up.
Earlier tonight I saw a Boston Bruin get "jacked-up" by a Vancouver Canuck. He hit him high with a check and an elbow, and pretty much knocked him into nowhere land. I hope the guy's OK, but it's the NHL. Things like that happen. In Boston, the home crowd was outraged. Thing is, had the situation been reversed, they likely would have been on their feet cheering. Who's kidding who here?
There's been a lot of tragedies in various sports. In 1957, Herb Score, a dominating pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, got hit in the face by a batted ball. Ten years later, Tony Conigliero of the Bosox got hit in the face by a pitched ball. Neither were ever the same after that. Before them, and even to this day, pitchers are still vulnerable to such a thing, and batters will continue to get hit by pitches. OK wimps. Speak up. How would you make this safer? Nerf balls? Wiffle bats? Shut up.
Consider auto racing. Formula 1 racing has never been big in America, but many fatalities have occurred on that circuit. Closer to home, several Indy car racers have perished, as have NASCAR drivers, the most famous being Dale Earnhart Sr. If you saw it live, or have ever seen the tape of that incident, you'd know that Sterling Marlin did the same thing to Dale that Dale had done to hundreds of others over his years as the "Intimidator". It was just another race move, but somehow Murphy's law came together and Dale wound up dead. The wimps cried. Guess what? Dale hated restrictor plates that slowed the cars down. Had it not been for that so-called safety mandate, he might be alive today. Shut up.
Alex Zanardi, a former 2-time champion CART driver, (what used to be the REAL Indy car drivers), once found himself in the unenviable position of being sideways on the track after a mid-race collision. Those drivers are basically laying down in their cars, with their heads up and their legs stretched out. Another car coming along at well over 200 MPH wound up sawing Zanardi's car in half. That included taking his legs as well. It's probably a miracle he survived that accident, but what did he say afterwards? It's racing. Things happen. No hard feelings. The guy who suffered the most manned up. The wimps wanted to change the rules. Shut up.
There's been football tragedies. Darryl Stingley of the New England Patriots was paralyzed in a collision with Jack Tatum of the Oakland Raiders in 1978. Mike Utley of the Detroit Lions had a similar fate befall him in a game against the LA Rams in 1991. For those that don't remember, Stingley lowered his head and ran into Tatum's shoulder pads, and Utley was taken down on a freak play by a defensive lineman. There was nothing even remotely "illegal" about either play. Those are only two high-profile examples of many. It's pro football. Big guys. Fast guys. Mucho adrenalin. Full contact. Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen. They're already padded up to the max and highly conditioned. OK wimps. What do you suggest to make things safer? Touch football would certainly cut down on the injuries, but just how popular do you think that would be? Shut up.
How about curling? It's kind of like shuffleboard on ice. If one of those guys or gals slips while sweeping away and sprains their ankle, the wimps would probably want to get rid of the brooms. Shut up.
Even kids aren't immune. You've heard about children suffering various freak injuries, and even death, in various athletic endeavors. What would the wimps suggest? Keep them in a biosphere playing video sports until their bodies have matured? Shut up.
It is what it is. If the wimps don't like it, I have some suggestions for them. They can take up basket-weaving, macrame, crossword puzzles, dime novels, and they probably have hundreds of channels to choose from with their cable and dishes. Use the clicker and be happy. Watch cooking shows. Judge shows. Home shopping shows. Game shows. Cartoons. Whatever.
Just stay away from sports and everything will be alright.
But for you weak-kneed geeks, if you just have to go there, I offer you 2 words......
Nuff said.
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