sportsjabber.net

An open letter to all sport fans,

On the Fourth of July, this year, 2011, pick your favorite sports hero and then enjoy! Tell your kids about him/her, tell your friends! It’s a gracious holiday in America, people have barbecues and enjoy friends and family! Invariably, there will be a game on and half the crew will be stuck in front of the TV set! Or there will be runs for score checking!

A legitimate question could be asked? Why sports when you could be watching one of the many celebrations of our country. Why do sports hold us like this? With my little mind and big heart, my examination of this issue has gone on since college in a Sociology of Sport class ar Northeastern University! An A- does that too you.

We have present day heroes, and former stepping out onto the field of play! People smile at the TV set and grandfathers or grandmothers reminesce about the old days! At forty-two, unfortunately, I can remember guys like Carl Yaztremski, Dewey Evans, Freddie Lynn, Pudge Fisk, and even some of the other guys like, the all too short career of Thurman Munson, of course, Bucky Dent, and a very brave man named Mickey Mantle, who, dying of cancer, spoke these words, “If you want to be a role model, don’t be like me.” That’s a man who was a hero to a generation of Americans and was able to share his and his families most vulnerable moments with the world.

We are taught to believe that people are heroes from everywhere in America and tragedy or possibilty brings them out! Can there be a better Fourth of July than Fireworks and baseball?

In the beginning of this article, we posed the question, why sports for heroes, it’s Independence Day? Shouldn’t we be looking up to great warriors or statesman? I say, be well rounded and catch all three! There are some people born cynics, the baseball plyers are all on steroids or the picture of the Founding Fathers all in the same room signing the Decalaration of Independence, at once, was a fallacy. True on the latter but that was probably the first good tall tale in America! Baseball has theirs too! Beginning with the tools of ignorance and ending with Babe Ruth!

Even though growing up Red Sox, The Babe had it for stories! The best was told my grandfather. He and his friends were personally let into the old Yankee Stadium by “The Babe” himself! He told that story counless times! They all played hoockey from school. He would cahange the story when my mother came around but it was our secret!

Independence day is a time for family and friends! We enjoy the best out of ourselves on that day. Even if we have a chance of our team losing big, there’s always the youngest kid in the family doing the score check — just in case they pull one out!

The life’s work from writer’s to photogrpher’s to athletes all around the world, we had a little situation in 1776 and we’ve actually gotten along pretty well since. We’re doing okay! as a writer, you struggle with this all the time. Do we make our heroes too big? Is Albert Pujols relly perfect? Does he have to be?

Hopefully, his hand will heal soon. The Dodgers will get out of bankruptcy and Winnipeg will have a competitive hockey team this winter!

In 1980, for those of us, young enough to remember, 20 college boys beat the Soviet Union and went on to win the Gold in a Sunday morning game against Finland. Defining heroes for a generation and then some! Hockey was never the same in this country! The funny thing is, our heroes from whatever walk of life that you so choose teach us to win with humility and if you have to lose with dignity.

Happy Fourth of July

Mike Maloni
SJ Author/Contributor