FanNation - The Republic of Sport

The Tampa Rays still amaze me.  Here is a team that has not won more than 70 games in a season, winning every which way.  Take today's game vs. Chicago.  They are losing 4-1 and have had the first 17 batters retired in the game.  The Rays don't blink, score 4 in the 8th, and beat Chicago.  It seems to me that the team is so young and talented that they don't know any better.  They are playing loose and with a lot of confidence which is a dangerous combination.  They are too young to be nervous.  Did Maddon suddenly get smart?  No, he has young players playing their hearts out for him.  The fact that he benched Upton for not husling was big in his favor.  The players respected him for that and are playing well.  The bad thing is that the fans of Tampa should be ashamed of themselves.  They still are not drawing well, still averaging around 20,000 fans per game.  Florida should not have any major league baseball. The Marlins are doing well and they don't draw flies to their games and they have won 2 World Series!!  I would kill for that here in Cleveland.  Well, if Mesa hadn't choked.........

As you may have read about me, I do officiate 3 high school sports.  Volleyball, basketball and baseball and fast-pitch softball.  What the Taekwondo competitor from Cuba did was the most disgraceful, cowardly, shameful and illegal act toward an official I have ever seen.  He disgraced his country, China and his sport for his behavior.  Frankly, he should be arrested for assault on top of being banned.  Then the coach showing no remorse is equally bad.  I have done these sports for 24 years. I challenge any fan or player to even attempt what I do.  They wouldn't last 10 minutes.  It is a lot easier to yell from the stands than it does to actually don the uniform and attempt to do it yourself.  What the kids are doing at the Little League World Series is how sportsmanship should be. The kids are having fun and enjoying and learning from the kids from other countries.  A lot of adults need to learn from the kids about how to act.  I do miss the days of pitcher's mound poison, going with your friends to play, only going in when your Mom yelled, Dinner!  That is where we learned the game.   Now kids are textmessaging and playing their video games.  A girl that goes to the high school I teach at said to me today that she has sent almost 7000 text messages THIS MONTH.  What could kids possibly need to say that needs 7000 messages?  Bring back the old days on this!