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Y! MyWebtv/media insider
Even Little Leaguers stop to admire homers
Friday, August 22, 2008
Two players hit long, long homers in a 14-1 Curacao romp over Italy earlier this week, and some players for the Dayton Dragons whooped and hollered as the kids — 12-year-olds at best — stopped a foot or two out of the batter's box to admire their work.
Then the kids casually tossed away their aluminum bats and slowly trotted around the bases while ESPN cameras caught the about-to-flood eyes of the sad Italian pitcher.
There are mixed feelings about showmanship and sportsmanship in sports these days. Some think adding a little showmanship adds to the entertainment of the event. Others think it just shows up the other team.
"They've got to have some fun," Dragons center fielder Justin Reed said. "That's not professional ball. They're only 12 years old. That's what they see on ESPN."
Exactly. That's what kids see on ESPN. The pros and college kids and, now, even Little Leaguers are fed a dose of celebration every night while opponents bow their heads. In baseball, there's the exaggerated long look and slow trot. In football, it's special dances, even for a sack while a team trails by three touchdowns. In basketball, it's the look-at-me-dunk-and-chest-pound.
What's a kid to do when he see that night after night?
"They're learning early how to pimp home runs, I guess," Dragons left-fielder Keltavious Jones said.
Donnie Scott, manager of the Dragons, doesn't like it.
"I'm old school," Scott said. "That's what television has done to everybody. I don't like celebrations. It's a matter of disrespect for the other club. I wasn't brought up that way.
"But the fans seem to like it."
Well, the fans like it if it's their guy celebrating.
Another thing Scott says is getting out of hand is the exaggerated pointing to the sky after a homer or other successful hits or pitches.
"Some guys point to the sky, and it looks like they're hot-dogging," Scott said. "Now Albert Pujols, he just points real quick. He does it with class. I have no problem with the way he does it."
Apparently, it doesn't matter what Scott thinks. As long as major-leaguers continue to make a show of their exceptional skills, kids are going to emulate what they see.
The Little League World Series concludes this weekend with the International Championship at 12:30 p.m. Saturday followed by the U.S. Championship at 3:30. Both games will be broadcast on ABC. A noon consolation game between the losers of those two games will be broadcast Sunday on ESPN.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157
or matz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
