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    Steve Buttry
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    These are columns I wrote for the Minot Daily News dealing with sports.

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    These are columns I wrote for the Minot Daily News dealing with sports.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    13 views5 pages

    5 Minot Sports Columns

    Uploaded by

    Steve Buttry
    These are columns I wrote for the Minot Daily News dealing with sports.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 5
    Free the writers of this burden; baseball fans would love the job ournalists can be an arrogant 3 ‘A week ago, on the ESPN show “The Sports Reporters,” Bill Conlin of The Philadelphia Daily News huffed that he thought the Baseball Writers Association of America should relinquish the chore of electing members to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in protest over the Hall of Fame Committee's decision to keep Pote Rose off this year's ballot He slated it as some sort of dire threat — if you don't give us total control over the process, we won't sive you our precious votes. In the voting, announced last week, three writers turned in blank ballots, protesting the committoe’s decision to take Rose's fate out of the writers’ boll writers, and fans everywhere, & favor and take the Hall of Feme vot~ ing away from them. Give the vote to people who love ‘and respect the game. Tam among baseball's most fervent year included a 1956 World Series sweatshirt, a Hall of Fame calendar, a baseball book and even two of those silly Starting Lineup figures (Mickey Mantle and Joo DiMaggio, standing dutifully on my desk, bats in hand). Whole shelves at home are filled with besebell books. Sitting in a drawer is half of baseball book I started writing. Someday, I'm sure, I will finish it, publishers will bid wildly for it, and I will be autograph- ing copies at « bookstore near you. ‘Trust me. Then perhaps I can sell the boseball trivia game I created, sitting now in my besement, growing more out of date each year. Twas the most successful owner in the history of the Corn Belt League of Rotisserie Baseball, « fantasy game for people who managed to escape maturity Imade a pilgrimage once to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., a beautiful village tucked away in the Catskill Mountains. I could easily play Rip Ven Winkle, going up into the mountains end drifting info my droams for 20 yoars or so as I wan- dered through the museum. But going into the hall itself made ‘me angry. Where was the plaque hon- oring Roger Maris? How about Curt Flood? Thurman Munson? Nellie Fox? Maury Wills? ‘The baseball writers (end the Old Timers Committee that chooses non- players and players bypassed by the writers) havo generally dono a bed job over the years of electing base- ball’s elite. ‘They manage to select the most ob- vious players with litte trouble, but ‘many stars are enointed or rejected by whim. The writers pick their friends (prot for Rose, who was always good quote), but spurned Maris whose only off fumed surly with spris waiters (but cept slugging homers) under the pres- sure offtbeneullon Bebe Rule hel lowed home run record. ‘Tho Hall of Fame electors pass over many great players whose careers ‘were cut short, in favor of “consis- tent” players who managed to hang around a long time and pad their rhe voters rarely and reluctantly recognize the value of defense. Lead- ership and cless count only when they say it does, They will completely overlook a player's contribution to the game. Flood end Wills, for instance, strongly deserve consideration simply on their achievements. But each also revolu- ionized baseball — Wills by rein- vigorating the running game after @ Jull that lasted nearly 40 years, Flood by challenging owners’ lifelong hold on players. The writers show strong prejudices for and against players from certain teams, just os they do in choosing cach league's Most Valuable Player annuelly. Writers treat first-ballot election as some sort of special privilege, bestow- {ing It inconsistently a does a player who wasn't worthy of election five years after he stopped playing finally become worthy six yours, or 20 years, after Tt makes no more sense to ha sports writers choose members of baseball's Hall of Fame than it would to have political writers elect the president. The Hall of Feme should choose 500 electors at random each year from the fans who visit Cooperstown the register. Let those fans Timited number from the list of eligible players. Tho fans would make some mis- takes if you let them choose base- ball's elit voters do in rot be subject to the balot-box stuft- ing that fans show in choosing All- Star Game starters. ‘These fans would feel honored by the chance to recognize baseball's best, rather than condescending to do the game a favor. Journalists can be an arrogant lot. Sometimes they think readers will wade through a column where they do nothing but whine about a pet peovo, or treat their personel passions ‘as matters of great importance. goog ‘teh Bey ie oT Mt Daly Hews, Let’s preser his week's column was already written, well ahead of deadline, dealing with weighty issues of the world. You can read it later, maybe next week. I had to scrap it to write about something really important — the de- signated itt After listening all week to Tim McCarver, Tommy Lasorda and Jack Buck moan and groan about how th designated hitter takes all the stra gy out of managing in the American League, I had to speak up. (Actually, my wife might tell you it was more like shouting), First, let me mak do not think the should adopt the designated hitter. One of the many charms of basebail is the distinct nature of the two leagues. There is no difference between and litte loyalty toward conferences in football, besketball or hockey. Baseball is well served by distinct leagues that come together only for the World Series end the All-Star Game. The game thrives on argu: ments over which league is better, and which league's way of playing is better. CBS would be wise to air such ar guments, rather then subject us to week of National League “purist whining ebout a game they simply do not understand. The only American League voice on the CBS broadcasts is, Jim Keat, an old pitcher who appar- ently yearns for the days when he compiled his .185 career baiting aver. age. T'm not going to spend much time arguing the popular notion that the lational League way showcases ‘completo” players. That's more a matter of personal taste, though 1 ‘must note that most pitchers don't look very complete at the plat ‘many a marginal to bad fielder (Lon- nie Smith and Chili Davis come to ming) has earned a good living wear- ing a glove in the National Lea The topic of the week ii and someone th % ove"! STEPHEN BUTTRY of the National League game. Manag- ing in the American League is, in fact, @ there are no auto matic decisions. The CBS crew has spent all three games in Atlanta talking about how important and difficult itis to decide when to pinch hit and double switch, And indeed, Tom Kelly made some managing blunders. (He also tied Game 3 with a pinch-hit homer But nary @ word was said during Game 2 about the toughest part of American League menaging: The manager hes to know his pitchers. National League managers have the batting order to dictate when they re- move pitchers late in a close game. American League managers have to know when a pitcher is about to fade. They can’t wait until everyone can see that the pitcher is finished. In Game 2, Tom Glavine tat in the ugout in the top of the eighth inning 4s the Braves put two men aboard and batted e long time but came up emp- ty. Many American League managers ‘would have known to pull the pitcher at that point rather than send him out for the eighth inning. Bobby Cox sent him out and he gave up the winning homer una bad pitch to a weak hitter And no one in the CBS crew said anything about strategy. If you measure strategy simply by Quantity, the National League uses more pinch hitters, bunts, stolen bases and intentional walks. But Quantity alone does not dictate strate- 8y. Many of those moves are automat- ‘ic: Pitcher’s up early in the game with ve two great games @ runner on first and no outs, he bunts, period. Pitcher's up late in the game with a runner In scoring posi. tion and you're behind, you pinch hit, period. Americen League managers don't pinch hit for a pitcher who's hitting ;180 with no power. They pinch hit for a second baseman or an. out- fielder, who's hitting about .250, may. be even better. They don't bunt with 4 pitcher (who's practically an auto: ‘matic out anyway). They bunt with catcher or a shortstop, who might be able to drive that run home, not just move it over. Those are tougher calls even if you don’t make as many. Bill James, far more gifted than { at mathematical analysis of baseball, Pointed out several years ago. that there Is more variety in the American League in how often strategic moves are used. And that is the true meas. ure of strategy. If everyone would do the same thing, it’s not strategy, no ‘matter how often you do it. In 1990, for instance, every Nation- 208 al League'team pinch hit at lea: times, but no National Let pinch hit more than 262 time: much variety. In the American League, Texes pinch hit 250 times (more ‘than all but two National League teams), but Milwaukee only used 58 pinch hitters. Similer dispari- for intentional walks and t League strategy Jacks in quantity, it makes up in sub- tlety. ve spent hundreds of nights in an Americen League ballpark in recent yours asking my kids whether they ‘would bunt in this situation, or rant. ing about how stupid the ‘manager was not to pinch hit or lift the pitcher in thet situation, That is @ great part of the joy of baseball, end it exists abundantly in oth leagues. What in the world is wrong with celebrating and enjoying both of the ‘wonderful ways this game is played? goog Sah Dey eer a The Rat Dey Hows Life, and death, ay It ain't 20, The harsh real world hus al- ways intruded into the escap- ism we seek in sports. Our first instinct invariably is to wish it wasn't 50. Earl tn thls century and agin in recent years, gambling scandals con- sumed some of baseball's brightest stars. The Olympic ideal has been ob- scured over the years by terrorism, racism and various global political battles, Over the decades, countless sports heroes have been tarnished by greed, alcohol and drug abuse. Many shining careers have ended in aulo- mobile and Po inevitablo thet the spreading curse of the AIDS virus would reach a star athlete. But il was a powerful, painful jolt when itdid. Magic Johnson — basket- boll's brightest personality ever — stolcally and courageously told the world he had become infected with the spreading HIV virus My son, a devoted fan whose Christmas ‘wish list invariably in- cludes a Leker video, reacted of course with shock. After it sank in, he slung to the one shred of denial even Magic, in all his candor, held out: He Joosn't have AIDS, just the virus. He aasn't hit the ground yet; he’s only een pushed out of the plane. Say it tin't so. fe and ‘owing to stay prominent in the fight gainst it, Magic stops into the middle ty’s ugliest, most divi- id most tragic, issues. ‘At one pole are people, many citing ‘hristian beliefs, who note that this isease is sproad lergely by lifestyle = homosexuality, promiscuity, drug They rail against efforts to stop lts spread by promoting use of con- doms, claiming that promotes illicit sex. Some even condemn the victims of the disos rently forgetting Christ's teachings about compassion and judgment, At the other extrome, some AIDS ivists too readily brush aside the lifestyle issues the discase raises in hopes that they can check the curse with an endless supply of condoms tnd fedora dolla Hopefully Magic will use his ra- diant personality to revolutionize at- titudes about the illness he carries the same way he transformed the game he loves. This disease is too deadly to be dis- missed because some of its victims mado bed decisions. Lung cancer and emphysema also, in many cases, are the result of lifestyle choices. But we don't question the need for research. on the diseases and compassion for ‘the victims. Furthermore, AIDS has spread too far to be dismissod as a disease of lifestyle. Ryan White and Kimberly Borgalis drew attention to other wa the virus can spread. Many less publi- cized victims also contracted the vi- tus without making the choices that critics condemn. A friend “of my intrude on sports mother's, a hospital chaplain, got the

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