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Old men love this

Tuesday 5/28/24

Several times a week, on baseball history Facebook groups, I'll see old men post the video clip below of Hal McRae--what do you want to call this?--disrupting an attempted double play during the 1972 World Series.


There are a number of different videos of McRae utilizing the same tactic. I'm not criticizing McRae; this was allowed at the time. You'll note that the A's player isn't upset with McRae at all.


But obviously delivering a body blow to the second baseman on the pivot is not in the spirit of the game of baseball. (Note the football markings on the field in the 1972 clip--talk about symbolism; symbolism via underwriting.)


But the old men get going over this.


"Back when ballplayers didn't wear dresses!"


"They weren't pansies!"


"That's how real men play the game!"


I've cleaned up the grammar. Very few people in America can write in complete sentences with the words spelled correctly, no matter how simple those sentences and words.


Why do people never have self-awareness? How is it that they fail to realize that they embody the cliche that others make fun of? And that those same people who make fun of the other people for embodying a cliche almost always embody a cliche of their own?


The announcers in the clip act like this is the most normal thing to do on a baseball field, too. And this is coming from me, who is a big believer in trying to hurt your opponent. But within the spirit of the game.


If you're going to do this to the second baseman, why not simply kick him in the nuts? Would that be worse? Just Bruce Lee him in the balls. You should be able to slide as hard as you want into the infielder. But this? You show this clip to the old timers, though, and it's like tossing a steak into the water for some spavined sharks.



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