I’m always saying to my wife as we watch football that At games end both teams shake & hug (unless your that lowlife Tom Brady) like best buds. In baseball they despise one another.
Maybe they need to listen to George Carlin’s bit on baseball/football.
Researching this story, I saw a lot of quotes from pre-1980s players (before the big money) who would talk about competition as a form of "taking bread" from one another. "I'm trying to eat, I'm trying to feed my family, he's trying to take food out of my mouth," etc. I write about this a little more in the conclusion but it's really interesting to me that it took several generations for baseball players to escape the survival mindset that I think underpinned all this conflict.
This is one of the best sports stories I've ever heard! Imagine the experience of being at this baseball game as a fan, seeing several distinct fights breaking out all at once, but without the modern rules that necessitate the fans root against fights, due to the several weeks (at least) of suspensions that would come to every player involved. To me, this is when baseball was at its best. The times when teams were allowed to hate each other.
It didn't necessarily have to manifest into a fight. The hatred in itself would've been enough, but if these things go long enough before turning into fights (physical or verbal or in the media or whatever) then the hatred eventually fades altogether, and you end up in a sport with no rivalries, like baseball is now. Therefore, I like stories about fights in baseball. They remind me of the before times.
Fantastic piece Paul. I cannot wait for the next part!
"This is only part one?" is the kind of feedback that warms a long-form internet writer's heart to the core, so thanks Robbie!
PLENTY more to cover with this one, in part because of some of the things you address in your comment. This is the tentpole fight of modern baseball fights, and people then were exploring these same questions, why players fight, what role it has in the game, and what to do about it, so we have to get to all that ourselves--plus there's the ninth inning, which deserves to stand alone.
I’m always saying to my wife as we watch football that At games end both teams shake & hug (unless your that lowlife Tom Brady) like best buds. In baseball they despise one another.
Maybe they need to listen to George Carlin’s bit on baseball/football.
Good write Paul!
Researching this story, I saw a lot of quotes from pre-1980s players (before the big money) who would talk about competition as a form of "taking bread" from one another. "I'm trying to eat, I'm trying to feed my family, he's trying to take food out of my mouth," etc. I write about this a little more in the conclusion but it's really interesting to me that it took several generations for baseball players to escape the survival mindset that I think underpinned all this conflict.
This is only part one?
This is one of the best sports stories I've ever heard! Imagine the experience of being at this baseball game as a fan, seeing several distinct fights breaking out all at once, but without the modern rules that necessitate the fans root against fights, due to the several weeks (at least) of suspensions that would come to every player involved. To me, this is when baseball was at its best. The times when teams were allowed to hate each other.
It didn't necessarily have to manifest into a fight. The hatred in itself would've been enough, but if these things go long enough before turning into fights (physical or verbal or in the media or whatever) then the hatred eventually fades altogether, and you end up in a sport with no rivalries, like baseball is now. Therefore, I like stories about fights in baseball. They remind me of the before times.
Fantastic piece Paul. I cannot wait for the next part!
"This is only part one?" is the kind of feedback that warms a long-form internet writer's heart to the core, so thanks Robbie!
PLENTY more to cover with this one, in part because of some of the things you address in your comment. This is the tentpole fight of modern baseball fights, and people then were exploring these same questions, why players fight, what role it has in the game, and what to do about it, so we have to get to all that ourselves--plus there's the ninth inning, which deserves to stand alone.
I'm looking forward to it buddy! Like I said, fantastic stuff.