Good sport, badder sport

It's rare that I comment on any team except the Tigers, mainly because my time is spent living the dream and watching the Tigers.  There's not a whole lot of time for watching other teams until playoffs roll around.  However, I often troll around sports websites to check out the odd and unusual things that pop up around MLB.  I was truly disturbed to see an article about David Ortiz completely LOSING it after arguing balls and strikes with an umpire.  Here's an incriminating photo of Big Papi taking his anger out on the bullpen phone, almost hitting his teammate Pedroia (on the right) with the debris.

After Ortiz's joyful appearance during the Home Run Derby, I'm more than a little disappointed in his behavior to something that has been a part of baseball from the beginning, an ump's subjective nature in calling balls and strikes.  Obviously it bothers me (it should bother you too) that he lost it over something as trivial as balls and strikes.  Umpires aren't perfect.  Baseball players aren't perfect.  Do you see a pattern there?

Ortiz's behavior simply can't be overlooked.  Once you become a professional athlete, you also become a role model.  I think it's included with the signing bonus.  Small children look up to you and think your behavior is acceptable.  Yelling at an umpire is one thing (we all know Smokes teaches a class on this at Harvard in the off season), but using a bat to destroy property has crossed ten lines.

Other bad behavior that crosses lines includes: when teams clear benches, when players charge the mound, when players showboat (kiss baseballs...ring a bell?), when players get arrested for any reason, and when players cheat.  Those type of behavior shade you to the public and make both children and adults think less of you.  Better hire a good PR person.  Others have come back from this (Cabby) and sometimes time is the best healer.

On a totally unrelated note, if the Tigers played like last night all the time, then they could pretty much stamp their ticket to the World Series now...in July.  It's so nice to have the fire power of Cabby and Hunter back in the lineup.  Stay healthy boys!  Get healthy, Omar!

Update (2:08 PM 7/28)- What Miggy did during his at bat during the 3rd inning can't even be considered arguing.  In this case, the umpire is in the wrong...