It seems like I can't quite catch a break when it comes to seeing a no-hitter.
At least at the
major league level, I can't.
Since the day my
parents took me to Cincinnati’s Crosley Field for my first baseball game in
1964, I have seen, by my best guesstimate, over 200 major league
games. I have seen games in 11 different stadiums in nine different
cities. I have seen some of the greats – Gibson, Drysdale, Glavine
and Seaver, among others -- pitch.
But never have I
seen a no-no.
Ironically, the
very first game I ever attended, when the Reds beat the Houston Colt
.45s, Houston's starting pitcher was a veteran right-hander named Don
Larsen. He wasn't involved in the decision – thank you for that
info, Baseball-Reference.com – and the name admittedly meant
nothing to me at the time. But looking back, it's pretty cool that in
my first game, the only guy to ever throw a perfect game in the World
Series was on the hill.
I've come close a
couple of times. Last year, I was at Great American Ball Park when
Bronson Arroyo took a no-no into the eighth inning against the
Brewers. And back in 1984, I was there when Reds' pitcher Mario Soto
was one strike away from history before the Cardinals' George
Hendrick hit one to Newport.
I've seen several
no-hitters at the high school level and below and even saw one in
Louisville years back when a Yankee farmhand named Kevin Mmahat –
how could you ever forget that name? – dealt one against the Class
AAA Redbirds.
But never in the
big leagues.
I don't really know
if last week's gem by the Reds' Homer Bailey qualifies as a
near-miss. He dominated the Giants on Tuesday. I had tickets for
Wednesday night, 24 hours too late. At least I watched Tuesday's
masterpiece on Fox Sports from start to finish.
As Fox's multiple
replays of Bailey's second no-no suggested, it really is a big deal.
Too bad the
post-game interview wasn't so great.
In case you missed
it, during an interview with Fox's Jeff Piecoro, Bailey uttered a
profanity on live TV. He dropped what some call “the F-bomb”
when Piecoro asked about a seventh-inning walk that was the
difference between a no-hitter and a perfect game.
Since Bailey walked
Gregor Blanco on a 3-2 pitch, he was actually one pitch from
perfection.
Seeing there have
been 280 no-hitters in major league history but only 23 perfect
games, Piecoro asked a legitimate question.
It might not have
been the biggest thing fans wanted to talk about, but was certainly a
question that had to be asked.
Immediately, there
were several reactions ranging from “Big deal,” to “He owes the
fans an apology.”
From this corner, I
was disappointed with the gaffe, but after being around sports all my
life, can understand that sometimes in the moment, people say things
without thinking. I hope that is what happened.
I also know that
the number of people who have not uttered some sort of profanity
under their breath at one time or another is very, very small.
It still doesn't
make it right.
What is much more
troubling is that our society has devolved to the point where
profanity is considered OK.
During the few
moments following Bailey's miscue – which I admittedly did not hear
live due to my phone ringing at that time – my Twitter feed was
full of tweets making light of Bailey's flub. Later, as some
criticism started coming in, the not-a-big-deal crowd chimed in
saying something along the lines of, “He just pitched a great game.
I don’t care what he says.”
And, unbelievably,
there were many who laid the blame at Piecoro’s feet for asking the
question. In other words, someone else made Bailey say it.
Unfortunately,
those who say it is a sign of the 21st Century are
correct.
Have we gotten to
the point where our language, whether sports or every other aspect of
life, has to be punctuated with profanity? Have we gotten to the
point that we are desensitized by “word bombs?”
In 1939, Clark
Gable upset many when he uttered what is considered a mild profanity
in “Gone With the Wind.” Now? Much stronger language is almost
the norm in film.
As a child, one of
my elementary school teachers threatened to wash our mouths out with
soap if we “cussed.” Thankfully, I never found out. Now, the same
teacher would be accused of abusing children.
When I was a
student at Anderson County High School, one of our coaches had a rule
against profanity of any kind as he felt it showed a lack of
self-control.
Today? People
criticize those who are critical of profanity.
That last statement
is much more troubling than anyone slipping on the spur of the
moment.
Old fashioned? You
bet. But there's nothing wrong with that.
For the record, I
made a decision many years ago to never include a profanity, no
matter how mild or harsh, in my writing. If a quote can be run
without the word, as is usually the case, I leave it out. If it
cannot, I leave the quote out. That is my decision and whether it
violates the rules of journalism, I really don't care.
Profanity, no
matter how strong or mild, is unnecessary.
And it should be
even rarer than a perfect game.
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