Emotion is a Good Thing

Baseball annoys the shit out of me sometimes...it's obsession with numbers (most of which mean nothing anymore thanks to PED's), it's litany of unwritten rules (i.e. no player is a unanimous first ballot Hall of Famer) and most of all, the old fashioned farts who complain about a player showing genuine emotion on the field. The game isn't played in a fucking church guys!

Yankees starter/reliever/Nebraskan Budweiser swigger Joba Chamberlain was again the point of controversy this weekend after his demonstrative style was shown up by Baltimore slugger Aubrey Huff. Huff hit a long ball off Chamberlain and as he rounded first base gave a first pump with eyes locked on Joba. Some members of the media reported that Huff shouted "touche!" as he strolled around the bases...ok maybe this didn't happen, but who gives a dump on a dump if it did?

Two questions? Why do we watch sports and what are we eager to see from our athletic heros? Emotion, enthusiasm, passion!! Fan is short for fanatic and when our favorite teams come up short on the field, the court or the ice, we are pissed, it ruins our day, the moments remain in our minds for years to come. But when one of our guys hits that ninth inning blast, buries that 20 footer as time expires, or catches that Hail Mary pass, we erupt into euphoria and we expect athletes to do the same.

We oftentimes question whether the childlike love our athletes have for the sports they play vanishes when the dollar signs flash before their eyes. We are offended when their pain and suffering doesn't mirror ours and we are turned off when they sport the fancy bling and ride the newest whips. We are dumbstruck when we hear that members of the Yankees and Red Sox are friends off the field. But when we see excitement on the field, we feel assured that they care as much as we do. Now don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for emotion, and the emotion I'm referring to is the genuine, unpremeditated kind...the cornerback who does an Indian war dance after he makes a big hit, but gives up a 25-yard pass completion in the process need not apply.

So to the baseball buffs who shake their heads and say,"Players in my time never used to do that," when an athlete pumps his fist, go back to playing BINGO with the boys at the local YMCA. Emotion is what makes sport great...Jim Valvano searching for someone to hug after his Wolkpack upset heavily-favored Houston, Christian Laettner jumping for joy after hitting The Shot against Kentucky or any owner of a horse who's just won The Kentucky Derby.

Joba, perhaps you shouldn't be throwing air punches in the first inning, but next time you have the bases loaded and you blow a fast ball by the batter to get out of a jam in a big game, go fucking wild...pump your fists, scream to the heavens...it reminds me that you care as much about the outcome of the game as I do (and this from a Red Sox fan!).