I had the following in the Buzzyblog pipeline set for 4 October, but for some reason never got around to pulling the trigger on it. (If I just mixed a couple of metaphors there, please ignore it and read on.)
From the better-late-than-never-file then, here is a tip of my hat to and recognition of Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. This is from the excellent FB site titled Vintage Baseball:
So why do I single out or even care about Dave? Well, it may have something to do with my feeling guilty. Whenever I see or hear about a baseball fan yelling something stupid, crazy or funny to or about a player on the field, it makes me think about the one time that I did it and ultimately regretted doing so.
I had read an article that discussed fans yelling things at players. Here is an excerpt from that article:
It reminded me of years ago when I was seated in the lower left field section at Memorial Stadium as the Yankees played the Orioles. One of the Orioles got a base hit to left where Dave Winfield charged the ball only to misplay it and have it go by him. He finally caught up with the ball and threw it back into the infield where the Oriole stood on second base. The E letter lit up on the Baltimore Sun sign indicating Error.
As everything quieted back down waiting for play to resume, I yelled out “Way to go Winfield, you really blew that one.” He and everyone around me heard me of course. And as the other folks around me in the stands joined in razzing him, Dave merely hung his head and very dejectedly began to kick the grass a little with his cleat as if to say “Yeah, you’re right.” But as he continued to do this, I immediately felt bad for him and wished that I had not yelled out at him. The thought crossed my mind “Even if he is playing for the Yankees, who the hell are you to be yelling anything at Dave Winfield!”
After that, I never singled out any player to yell at again. (I may have joined in with the Maryland basketball fans when they would yell “You Suck” at Duke’s J.J. Reddick, but that was part of group chant. You know, the Everybody-was-doing-it excuse.)
Thus, my putting Dave here on the Buzzyblog is my way of apologizing to him some 40 years later.
Musically, Dave knows that even if one has “So much to say,” sometimes it’s better to just not say it.