Sunday during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates tempers flared after pirates Gerrit Cole, pitcher for the pirates, had enough of Carlos Gomez’s antics. Gomez hit a triple off of Cole and according to Cole, “flipped his bat” while rounding the bases. He approached third base and had a few words for Gomez which set him off. After the heated exchange both benches cleared and the fight was on. Travis Snider and Carlos Gomez were ejected following the brawl with more suspensions and fines most likely to ensue in the near future.
Fighting while part of our society and sports, is against Major League Baseball rules and I understand why the league would act swiftly to reprimand those who partake in it, especially coming fresh out of the “steroid era.” With that black eye still visible for even casual fans to view the MLB market/pr team has it’s work cut out for it. The other major sports are gaining and taking younger sports fans from “America’s Past Time.” Not only are we coming from the steroid era but we live in fast paced times and they are only getting faster. Fans complain about the length of the game, the length of time it took to get instant replay but I think people are ignoring the biggest factor. People have always been drawn to sports because top athletes and stars ability to do things that the average person can’t. People always loved or hated showmanship but either way it sold tickets and expanded leagues.
I love the saying there is no I in team but that is just a saying. Nobody bought Air Chicago Bull shoes they bought Air Jordans. Michael Jordan hasn’t played ball in well over a decade but I currently have on a pair of retro 12’s(playoffs). Basketball celebrated and focused on individuality as well as team and so do the other major sports. They have stars! All sports have limits and penalize players for excessive celebrations but they also allow some emotion to be expressed. We have to remember these men and women are not robots. Yes Terrell Owens took it over top sometimes but he also made me watch each week.
My point is that while I know Gomez is not a saint and has been in a few sticky situations, what I saw Sunday was not a big deal at all in my opinion. I certainly don’t feel it was brawl worthy. Maybe the game of baseball should leave the dark ages and evolve like other sports continue to, the culture of MLB players, Marketers and fans included.
